(To listen to the podcast as you read, and to hear the song, Place at the Table, at the conclusion, click here.)
It was June of 2006, and I was in an airplane by myself when inspiration for a new song rushed into my heart and by the time I touched down in California, the song was pretty much finished.
It is peculiar for me to write music without a guitar in my hand or away from a piano keyboard, but when cruising at 35,000 feet, and all I had was a journal on the tray table, I made it work. Earlier that afternoon I was thinking and praying about one of the young men I was trying to mentor. I was imagining what Jesus would sing to a man who is trying to decide how to take his place in our confused culture. Somewhere over the western United States I started seeing pictures running through my mind, and I began to scribble them down in my journal.
The first picture was of a king choosing knights to sit at his round table, and those became the lyrics to verse 1, and this word picture of a competition of sorts to be found worthy and chosen to have a seat at the table. I imagined shame at work in the hearts of those who didn’t feel like they were good enough to take a place at this table.
The next picture that came to mind was a group of knights coming around the table with concerned looks on their faces. It was the look of men who are preparing to go into battle – their expressions were serious, but not fearful, looks of anticipation of the struggle of battle ahead. In praying and asking the Lord what the battle was for, I clearly heard the phrase,
“the fighting is for honor, for love and for the truth”
(I admit, I may or may not have written that phrase on the barf bag in the seat in front of me in my rush to capture it.)
Verse 1 closes by saying: “All of heaven’s waiting to see what you will do.” This is another picture of the saints looking down from Heaven, watching us and cheering us on. It’s the great cloud of witnesses that the writer of Hebrews says surrounds us as we run this race of life.
This verse feels like a parable of sorts that Jesus is singing to us, setting the stage for us to find ourselves in a story of chivalry with implications on history. While the imagery is from the medieval period, the parallels to today correspond quite easily.
Verse 1
Many years ago, in a far away land,
the King chose the strongest to sit at his right hand
Many men tried to win that prize
They were hungry and thirsty, you could see it in their eyes
Coming ‘round the table, they understood the cost,
There were battles left to fight, to save those who were lost
The fighting is for honor, for love and for the truth
All of heaven’s waiting to see what you will do
So the stage is set by verse 1 for a man to make a decision about how he will live, how he will lead, how he will love, and what he is willing to fight for.
In the Chorus that comes next, Jesus says, “We’ve been watching you, waiting to see you take your place”. The “we” could be those who are already seated at the table with Him, ready to lead, but “we” also refers to God the Father and the Holy Spirit watching along with God the Son, Jesus. I imagine that there is also a “we” in that great cloud of witnesses are watching from Heaven.
The table of truth is where others are seated with Jesus, and there is an invitation for us to take our place. We aren’t imposters who don’t belong – there is a place set just for you. Why?
Jesus continues by saying, “We need your heart” and asks if we will play our part. He is not interested in what we can do for him. He’s more interested in our heart, in WHO we are. There is a part for each of us to play – a critical role for us to fill to make this team work, or to allow the whole play to be seen.
Jesus is not inviting us into a battle to just stay in the background. The picture I have is Jesus tucking his robe into his belt and swinging a sword, fighting by our side. And when we get wounded (because in this life we will definitely get hurt), Jesus will carry us home. As a huge fan of the play Les Misérables, I’m picturing Jean Val Jean carrying Marius, wounded, away from the battle and saving his life. There are times in our lives when Jesus has to carry us because we have no strength left to walk forward.
Jesus finishes the chorus with the most powerful statement of all:
“I choose you.”
These are the same words that he sings to a woman’s heart in my song Captivating. Here in Place at the Table there is a place of honor, a place at His table that we are chosen to occupy. We are chosen to stand for truth.
Chorus
We’ve been watching you waiting to see you take your place
At the table of truth, that was set just for you
We need your heart; will you play your part?
I will see you through; I will be fighting by your side
When you’re wounded and alone, I will carry you home
So, I choose you, will you stand for truth?
In verse 2, Jesus asks us what we will decide… if we will take our place and join the fight or turn, and run and hide. Jesus warns us that many men have believed lies and the emptiness in their lives can be seen when you look into their eyes.
In coming to the table, we need to recognize that there is a cost when we follow Jesus. The gospels talk about taking up your cross and counting the cost of following Jesus as a disciple before following Him.
Jesus is calling men to take their place at the table because there are battles left to fight. What kind of battles? He’s already told us there is a battle for truth earlier in the song, and that battle starts with a battle for our mind with the enemy of our soul constantly accusing us and lying to us about who we really are. But the battle He is inviting us into is a part of fulfilling His mission, which is also our mission – to seek and save the lost.
Verse 2
I see you standing there, what will you decide
Will you come and fight or will you run and hide
Many men have believed the lies,
They are desperate and empty, you can see it in their eyes
Coming ‘round the table, do you understand the cost,
There are battles left to fight, to save those who are lost
It is in the fighting that you will find the truth
All of heaven’s waiting to see what you will do
After a reprise of the chorus, we come to a short bridge, which is what Jesus says to a man, once he has decided to take his place at the table. It is a welcome message, calling him, “courageous one.” This is a prophetic statement over what we are in the Spirit, and what we are becoming in the flesh. It is an allusion to God telling Joshua to be “strong and courageous.” In Hebrew, Rak Chazak Amats was a war cry for the Hebrew people that means be strong and very courageous.
In this welcome, there is the reminder that you don’t have to fight or compete for a place at the table because there’s already a place reserved just for you. Though there are many excuses we are tempted to hide behind to explain why we don’t take our place at His table, Jesus tells us, “I know that you’re able”. We have been given everything we need to walk in our calling.
Bridge
Welcome to the table, courageous one
Welcome to a place, reserved for you my son
So come to the table, I know that you’re able
So come to the table, my son
As the song comes to a close with one last chorus, the words are slightly shifted to describe what happens next.
Jesus says,
“Rise up man of God, put your armor on.”
This is a reference to the full armor of God described in Ephesians, chapter 6. It is the way that we spiritually protect ourselves as we walk into the battles of every day. As my friend George says, it’s all about understanding and walking in your calling, identity and destiny. This song covers all three of those things. Here in the last chorus, Jesus asks us if we will embrace our destiny, which is in part finding our identity “in Him, in Christ,” that we belong to Him, and that our lives are hidden in Him.
Jesus helps us understand that as those seated at the table, the place for us to start is to let down our guard, be vulnerable and seek out the healing that our heart needs. Once we are healed, we can embrace more of our calling, understanding our identity in Christ, and living further into our destiny.
Once again Jesus promises his strength and presence to help us, and He tells us that when we get lost and isolated, He will lead us home. Even after we have decided to take our place at His table, there are moments where we get weary, wounded, distracted and lose our way back, and that is when Jesus comes seeking those who are lost and saves us.
Last Chorus
So, rise up man of God, put your armor on
Will you embrace your destiny, come find yourself in me
I’ll heal your heart; it’s the place to start
I will strengthen you; I will never leave your side
When you’re lost and on your own, I will lead you home
So come to the table, I know that you’re able
So come to the table, my son
This soulful song came flowing out of my heart that June afternoon and I hummed the tune in my head all the way home until I could sit down at the piano and figure out the music I was hearing.
I believe that all songs are created and written in Heaven and then shared with those of us who listen and receive them as gifts.
This song idea started with the imagery of knights and kings from my own heritage. If you go back many generations, one of my forefathers was William Marshal, who was called the “greatest knight that ever lived.” I am personally inspired by his story of serving five kings in England and his passion for building abbeys and churches for the kingdom of God to advance.
Answering the Invitation to Sit at His Table
In the same way, I want to live my life building “His church,” which is not about the buildings we meet in, but the church being the people who follow Jesus. Just as William served King John and Richard the Lionhearted, I want to serve the King of Kings, Jesus. I have taken a place at the table of truth. I am fighting to save those who are lost, fighting for honor, for love and for the truth. It is my prayer that this song will inspire, challenge, and invite the men who hear it to rise up and take the place set just for them.
When I think of the table, I’m also imagining the heavenly banquet – the marriage supper of the Lamb in Revelation. God created food and loves us far too much to leave that out of the equation of what Heaven is going to be like. You will never go hungry sitting at the table of truth!
So, sit back, close your eyes and picture His table, the round table of knights, where all are equal, and the King hosts you as one who follows Him, fights for Him, and experiences life to the fullest.
This is part 6 of the series Music From My Heart. Watch for part 7 next week.
We invite you to join us this week for our Sunday Worship Service in the Dome at 10:00 a.m.
You can also live stream our service on Facebook and YouTube at 10:00 a.m.
