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Praise is more than a sound; it’s a seat at the table. When we come with thanks giving, we don’t just show up as guests, we arrive as people who remember what grace has done and what goodness is still doing.

When I think about the goodness of Jesus, it’s not just a phrase from church tradition; it’s an awakening in the heart that reminds me this faith is real, not just church language. Every spiritual season has a sound, and in this season at the table, that sound is steady, honest praise. The mind goes back to deliverance, healing, and quiet mercies. Somewhere in that remembering, something rises and says, “I owe God a praise.” That’s not about paying God back. It’s about recognizing: I’m still here by grace.

To owe God a praise means we acknowledge the gift. Praise is the mind agreeing with the soul, “I’m living on borrowed grace.” Sometimes that sounds like singing. Sometimes it looks like quiet tears, lifted hands, or a simple “Thank You, Lord.” And every time we say *thank you*, especially when life feels tight, something healthy happens inside of us. Gratitude can calm anxious thinking, ease the heaviness a little, and help us handle stress with more hope. Praise doesn’t erase our problems, but it keeps them from owning the whole table.

The Bible also talks about another kind of table, the “tables of our hearts.” The table in the room holds our plates and stories. The inner table holds what God has written in us: truth, mercy, faithfulness, and yes, praise. When love and gratitude are written there, they don’t have to be forced when we sit down together. They flow out in how we talk, how we listen, how we forgive. The visible table says, “You belong here with others.” The inner table says, “You belong to God, and God’s Word belongs in you.”

As a church, and as we walk through this Come To The Table journey, that’s my encouragement: let’s keep sitting at both tables. Let’s keep showing up at the physical tables, family tables, church tables, community tables, but also let’s let God keep working at the inner table of the heart. When those two tables agree, our conversations become more than small talk. They become expressions of a heart already beingshaped by praise and truth.

So when we gather, on Sundays, in our homes, or even alone with God, may we remember the goodness that brought us here. May praise be our honest response: “I’m still grateful.” And for every table set before us, may our gratitude be the sound that fills the room. This is just one conversation at the table. In the weeks ahead, we’ll keep asking what it means to live this faith for real, when we talk, when the temperature changes, and when God invites us into harder conversations at the same table. I hope you’ll come back, keep a seat ready, and walk this Come To The Table journey with me, one conversation at a time.