Chaplain’s Corner – Gratitude in Circumstances

Nov17

Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! Psalm 95:2

As believers, we are not granted a pass to escape all of life’s problems. In fact, Jesus told us in John 16:33 – “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

We learn in Deuteronomy 8:2 that sometimes God tests us like he did the Israelites: “You shall remember all the way which the Lord your God has led you in the wilderness these forty years, that He might humble you, testing you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not.”

We know that ever since the Garden of Eden, Satan seeks to tempt us and make us fail. BUT “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).

However, Jesus did promise us that He would be with us in the storms of life. He would send the Holy Spirit to be with us always, to provide his presence and power to help us to deal with the troubles we will undoubtedly experience. As the ever-suffering prophet Jeremiah proclaimed in Lamentations 3:22-23 “It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: Great is Thy Faithfulness.”

I will be thankful in my circumstances, even the hard ones, because the Bible assures us that “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it” (Hebrews 12:11). James took it a step further when he exhorted the Jewish believers who were struggling with trials, prejudice, and suffering, to “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance” (James 1:2-3).

I pray that we will be thankful even in our circumstances, even the challenging ones, because we know that “God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).

I pray that we will “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).

In Christ,

Judy

Psalm 103:2–5

Chaplain’s Corner – Gratitude for Salvation

Nov10

Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! Psalm 95:2

What a mighty God we worship! He is King of kings, LORD of lords, robed in majesty and armed with strength. He is our God, and above all, we should be thankful for who He is and how He loves us.

I don’t know about you, but I am especially fond of the name of our organization. The name “Mission” conveys not only our purpose, but also that we are a place where the work of missionaries takes place. What I really respond to, however, is the name “Rescue.” It reminds me of the hopelessness of each of us before we find our salvation in Jesus. And combining “Rescue” with “Mission” speaks to the true work that is carried on in this special place.

As the Creator, he chose to make us in His image. And then, in our disobedience, our Merciful God chose to forgive us. Not only that, our loving Creator God, full of Grace and Mercy, designed a most beautiful way to rescue us from the pit of hell and restore us to His Heavenly Kingdom. All we must do is to ask for forgiveness of our sins and accept this precious gift of salvation, made possible by the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, son of God. My heart is full of gratitude for His love for me, a sinner.

We serve a God who seeks us to rescue, redeem, and reconcile us to Himself; to save us by his beautiful, wonderful, and powerful name from the eternal fiery pit of Hell. Praise God, What a Beautiful Name!

“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

In Christ,

Judy

Psalm 103:2–5

Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits—who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

Chaplain’s Corner – Gratitude

Nov3

“Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!” Psalm 95:2.

Do you remember when you were a child how you took pride in comparing your stuff to the stuff of others? My (Dad, house, you name it) is bigger or better than your (Dad, house, you name it). While that sounds immature, guess what? It is perfectly acceptable to say that about our God. To quote Chris Tomlin: “Our God is greater, our God is stronger. God, You are higher than any other. Our God is Healer, awesome in power. Our God! Our God.”

My God is bigger, my God is better. Just like Samuel, I can proudly acknowledge: “The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation. (2 Samuel 22:2-3).

What a mighty God we worship! He is King of kings, LORD of lords, robed in majesty and armed with strength. He is our God, and above all, we should be thankful for who He is and how He loves us. We worship the Creator. All other “gods” are created and are powerless against the mighty God we serve.

This week, I am thankful for God, and I am thankful for everyone in my life who has pointed me toward God: My parents, my extended family, my church, my friends, and my coworkers at Nashville Rescue Mission.

This week, I am thankful that God loves me and made a way to ensure that I would forever be a part of his Kingdom. “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12).

Judy

Psalm 103:2–5

Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits—who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

Chaplain’s Corner – Return! (It’s Never Too Late)

Oct27

“Return to me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord Almighty. (Malachi 3:7b)

Do you ever feel far from God? Like He has forgotten you? Do you ever feel spiritually empty? Our relationship to God, our closeness, our spiritual fullness, can vary from overflowing to emptiness. What is going on? What is wrong?

The book of Malachi speaks to this spiritual emptiness. Malachi is the very last book in the Old Testament; written to the Jewish people who had returned to Jerusalem from their literal exile to Babylon, but who are spiritually still in exile. In fact, God tells these Jewish people “Yes, I have already cursed you, because you have not set your heart to honor me” (Malachi 2:2). In other words, their religion was all show and outward signs. This is extremely distressing news to a person who calls him or herself a believer. A statement like this from God reveals a disparity between what we say and what is in our hearts, which is what causes this spiritual distance from God.

Malachi goes on to tell us what God is looking for.

“My covenant was with him (Levi), a covenant of life and peace, and I gave them to him; this called for reverence, and he revered me and stood in awe of my name. True instruction was in his mouth and nothing false was found on his lips. He walked with me in peace and uprightness, and turned many from sin. (Malachi 2:5-6).

And then Malachi tells us what God is seeing at that time, the disparities between what God wants and what is actually happening:

  1. Disobedience: “…you have not followed my ways but have shown partiality in matters of the law.” (Malachi 2:9)
  2. Unfaithfulness: “Judah has desecrated the sanctuary the LORD loves, by marrying the daughter of a foreign god.” (Malachi 2:11)
  3. Hypocrisy: “You have wearied the LORD with your words.” (Malachi 2:17)

Malachi was a prophet, the last prophet to prophesy in the Old Testament. God, speaking through Malachi, says in Malachi 3:7 “See, I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me.” He is looking back to Isaiah 40:1-11, and he is prophesying about John the Baptist who will begin his ministry 400 years later: “In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’ This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: ‘A voice of one calling in the wilderness, “Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.”’” (Matthew 3:1-3).

God gives Malachi a strong message for us. He says in Malachi 3:5 – “’So I will come to put you on trial. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers, and perjurers, against those who defraud laborers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive the foreigners among you of justice, but do not fear me,’ says the Lord Almighty.”

God speaks of his character in Malachi 3:6, referring to the covenant promise he has made to the faithful in Jeremiah 31:31-34– “I the LORD do not change.”

And then God gives us a promise, a promise that we can count on- “’Return to me and I will return to you’, says the LORD Almighty.”

It’s never too late, until it is. Don’t wait!

In Christ,

Judy

Psalm 19:14

Chaplain’s Corner – Passion: Staying Plugged in to Your Power Source

Oct20

Therefore, tell the people: “This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Return to me,’ declares the Lord Almighty, ‘and I will return to you,’ says the Lord Almighty” (Zechariah 1:3).

Who of us travels far without our phone and laptop or iPad charger?  We just can’t afford for the battery to run down. We must stay connected to the Power Source to stay connected to each other and our daily responsibilities. But how about when your passion for your Kingdom Purpose subsides?  If we find that our passion for our Kingdom Purpose is waning, the very first thing we should do is plug into our Power Source.

The Bible explains this concept in using an agricultural analogy common to the culture of their times–of the branch which must remain connected to the main plant to bear fruit. Whatever the comparison, we were not made to operate on our own.  We were made to be dependent upon God.

I charge my batteries and plug into my power source by spending time with God. When I don’t take the time to read my Bible, pray, and spend time in worship, my love for God and my passion for his presence fades.  It is simply the single most important thing that I can do, and everything in my life is better when I do. We do get busy, and most of us have way too much on our plates. For myself, when I was a young working mother and taking classes, my only choice was to get up extra early, before everyone else in the house, so that I could spend time with God. I knew that the rest of my day went way better when I did. I have continued this practice.

Some of you recharge your batteries just when the power goes down to nearly zero, and maybe you scurry around looking for the charger most of the time; some of you recharge every night like clockwork. Some of you have other methods. I recommend that you figure out the best way for you to keep your spiritual passion, your Kingdom Purpose, charged at full power so that you can be at 100% for God.

The last three Chaplain’s Corners have focused on passion. We have talked what passion really means, about discovering and uncovering our Kingdom Purpose, and how to keep our passion fully charged.

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen” (Ephesians 3:20-21).

In Christ,

Judy

Psalm 19:14

Chaplain’s Corner – Uncovering Your Passion

Oct13

“Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house” (Matthew 5:15).

When my younger grandchildren spend the night with us, we take great pains to make sure their bedrooms are very dark. We have room-darkening drapes, we turn out the lights, and cover all the electronic devices that emit those blue and red beams. In other words, we extinguish all the light sources to remove the distractions so that they will sleep more soundly.

In the same way, I think we sometimes hide those light sources from ourselves by all the baggage that we carry and all the things that we do to fill and complicate our lives. We become so burdened that we cannot see the light of day.  Believe me, as a former young working mother, I know what it is like to have way too much to do. Some of you are working two jobs, taking care of family, and taking classes. But stay with me, it is not hopeless. There are many ways that we can lighten our loads so that we have more time and energy to focus on our Kingdom Purpose, as we discussed in the devotional last week.

  1. We must prioritize our heart desires. “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:33). By the way, what does this passage mean by “these things?” Verse 31 tells us “So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?”  Of course, we should take responsibility for the welfare of our families, but do your best, then trust God for the rest, and don’t spend emotional energy worrying. Let us keep our priorities in the right place and know that He will provide.
  • We must be particular about what we say “yes” to.  Some of us are too willing to raise our hands to volunteer for everything that comes along, or too eager to spend time in unhealthy recreation. Even healthy recreation when engaged in obsessively can be unhealthy (talking to myself, here). Our motivations can vary all over the place. Perhaps we have an orientation toward service, so we want to help. Or we volunteer out of guilt or a feeling of “should,” or we let someone guilt us into it. I find lots of different things to be interesting, so I used to be prone to volunteer just to try it out or to be with my friends. None of those reasons are necessarily bad, and certainly being willing to serve is a good thing. However, if always saying yes keeps you too busy to focus on your Kingdom Purpose, then they are not the best things. I love the gospel’s analogy of pruning: “He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunesso that it will be even more fruitful.” (John 15:2).
  • We must confess our sins daily (if not more often). Unconfessed sin is heavy; it weighs us down with guilt and shame. It clouds our thinking and contaminates our testimony. However, the act of confessing our sins is purifying. Asking the Holy Spirit to convict us of all our sins, shortfalls, and poor choices, and then confessing them with true remorse is so pleasing to God, and it is so life-giving.  “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
  • We must forgive others, and ourselves. This is one of the most profoundly life-changing lessons I have ever learned. When we forgive, we are not condoning the offense. Far from it. We are instead letting go of the power that it has over us. Brothers and sisters, please don’t let someone else’s sin become your sin; please don’t let it destroy you. I am convinced that Satan revels in our unforgiveness because he knows how destructive it is. In the words of Elsa, “let it go.” And don’t “play God” by holding on to your shame after God has forgiven you.  “And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins” (Mark 11:25).

So, as you are uncovering your passion–your Kingdom Purpose, be diligent about your focus, eliminating all the things that hide and crowd your passion so that your light can truly shine.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us” (Hebrews 12:1).  

In Christ,

Judy

Psalm 19:14

Chaplain’s Corner – Passion: What Is Your Kingdom Purpose?

Oct6

“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago” (Ephesians 2:10).

The devotion last week focused on passion, and I said we would continue in the next few weeks to learn how to remember our first love or rediscover our passion. In his book, S.H.A.P.E., by Erik Rees, the author says, “God created you as a unique masterpiece because he has a specific purpose for your life—a specific and unique ‘contribution’ that only you can make…. It is what I like to call your unique Kingdom Purpose. I define Kingdom Purpose as your specific contribution to the body of Christ, within your generation, that causes you to totally depend on God and authentically display his love toward others…. Your Kingdom Purpose is way more than a career. It is a special commissioning from God to make a significant difference on this earth. It’s the banner of your life that you carry and wave for God’s glory. “

Rick Warren, in Purpose Driven Life, says “…God has given each of us a unique emotional ‘heartbeat’ that races when we think about the subjects, activities, or circumstances that interest us. We instinctively care about some things and not about others. These reveal the nature of your heart…(and) are clues to where you should be serving.”

Stop and think for a moment: What is your passion, your Kingdom Purpose? God has wired each of us differently. We each have a different set of spiritual gifts, talents and skills, personality traits, and experiences. And when you combine all that with something that really tugs at your hearts, then you can identify your passion. Maybe it’s children, maybe it’s families, maybe it’s justice, maybe it’s serving the least and the lost. My passion is education. I want to teach the truths of the Bible and how they can be applied to our daily lives so that we can walk more closely with God.  Your passion can evolve over time based on your circumstances, or it could be the constant theme of your life because of a single powerful experience. Your passion may be very focused, or it may be global. Your career may be your passion, or it may be that your current job is a means to accomplishing your passion. Whatever it is, you can be sure that God intends for you to have a Kingdom Purpose, and he will reveal it to you if you ask him.

Rees defines five passion principles that can inspire us to “dream big and think beyond our fears, in the process of discovering our own unique, emotional heartbeats for God:”

  1. Know what drives you.
  2. Know what you care about.
  3. Know the needs you will meet.
  4. Know the cause you will help conquer.
  5. Know your ultimate dream for God’s kingdom.

All this may sound overwhelming and impossible but remember: “For with God nothing shall be impossible” (Luke 1:37). “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen” (Ephesians 3:20-21).

I challenge you to pray about your Kingdom Purpose. If you have questions about this, I encourage you to contact me. I would love to help you in your journey to discovering your passion.

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving” (Colossians 3:23-24).

In Christ,

Judy

Chaplain’s Corner – Passion

Sep29

Oxford’s definition of passion: a very strong feeling of love, hate, anger, enthusiasm, etc.

The root words for “passion” in Latin and Greek are passio or pathos, respectively, which mean suffering and also love. The original Latin definition of passion meant “enduring” or “suffering.” I This meaning continues in the word “compassion” which means “enduring with” or “suffering with.”  This is where we get the idea of the passion of Christ; Jesus suffered for what he loved: US, You and Me.

These days, we use the word passion to describe our feeling for something that we love. It could be a person, it could be a pastime, it could be a food. My four-year-old grandson has a passion for dinosaurs. He sleeps with his stuffed “dino.” He has many books on the subject, and he has memorized them all. He stayed with us over the weekend, and his Poppa took him to see some dinosaurs in Bellevue. He had also seen some dinosaur bones at a park in Utah earlier this summer. He has talked non-stop about those dinosaurs, with such excitement and enthusiasm.

Can you relate? Do you have a passion for something, or does someone you know have a passion for something? I know people who have a passion for the Predators, or the Vols, or the Titans. My father-in-law had a passion for the Chicago Cubs. (So sad that he didn’t live to see them win the World Series in 2016.) Others have a passion for a hobby, or a cause. We just observed the Olympics, and we watched athletes who certainly have a passion for their sport; why else would they devote so much time and money to perfecting their skills.

Many of us, hopefully most, experienced a strong feeling of love and enthusiasm  for Jesus when we were first converted to Christianity. I think about this when I read the letter to Ephesus in Revelation 2:4. The church at Ephesus is admonished by John, in a letter dictated by Jesus, “Yet I hold this against you: You have forgotten the love you had at first.” Remember when we couldn’t wait to go to church, to read our Bibles, eager to serve, and wanting to tell everyone about our conversion experience, about our church, our pastor, our new life? Honestly, I still feel like that about Nashville Rescue Mission. I have a passion for this place and the work that is done here, and especially how God is at work through each of you. But for many of us, that original high level of passion fades. We “forget the love we had at first.”

Despite all their good works,  God still saw that they had lost their original passion, and He told them “Yet I hold this against you.” Not good. God desires our love, our passion, our worship. How do we keep the passion alive over time? How do we fan the flame? The subject of the next few weekly devotions will be dedicated to keeping the passion alive.

“But they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31).

In Christ,

Judy

Psalm 19:14

Chaplain’s Corner – You Become What You Worship

Sep22

They ignored the Lord’s warnings and commands, and they rejected the solemn agreement he had made with their ancestors. They worshiped worthless idols and became worthless themselves. The Lord had told the Israelites not to do the things that the foreign nations around them were doing, but Israel became just like them. (2 Kings 17:15)

The proverb in the title of this devotion is true in almost every aspect of our lives. In the case of the Scripture reference, this reminds me of what my mother would often tell me: that I would be known by the company I keep. Of course, it really means that I will be known by the people I choose to emulate. When I taught Sunday School to middle schoolers, I used the phrase “garbage in, garbage out”, often known as GIGO, referring to unwholesome books, movies, and music. And then we also hear from our health advisors that “you are what you eat.” Does that mean that when I eat chicken, I will become a chicken? Of course not! But I’m sure you get the point.

Standards today are so different from even fifty years ago, and even then, they were different from the previous fifty years. The culture, rather than reinforcing Christianity, is now the enemy of all of us who want to honor God with our thoughts, words, and actions.

Daniel is a perfect example of one who overcomes the ungodly culture, and he is one of my most treasured role models. Daniel was a good Jewish boy who became a young adult during the time that the Babylonians conquered Judah. Daniel and his friends were taken captive by this enemy country and subjected to its pagan religion, culture, and food. The path of least resistance and risk was to go along. But Daniel did not believe that becoming a captive of the Babylonians meant that he had to become like them, even at risk to his life and well-being, and even when going along might have even seemed more delicious.

For example, when King Nebuchadnezzar “assigned them a daily amount of food and wine from the king’s table,” “Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine.” (Daniel 1:5,8)

And when King Nebuchadnezzar ordered Daniel to be taught “the language and literature of the Babylonians,” “God gave (Daniel) knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning.” (Daniel 1: 4:17)

When King Darius ordered that everyone pray only to him, Daniel “…went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to God, just as he had done before.” (Daniel 5:7,10) Postscript: this is when Daniel was thrown into the lions’ den and then was miraculously spared from becoming their dinner.

As a result, Daniel (a Jewish exile) became a highly respected and trusted advisor to at least four foreign kings: Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar of Babylon, and Darius and Cyrus of Persia; and all without compromising his worship of God. In fact, Daniel was able to influence those cultures rather than to be influenced, as we see in the verses below:

  • “Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell prostrate before Daniel and paid him honor and ordered that an offering and incense be presented to him. The king said to Daniel, ‘Surely your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, for you were able to reveal this mystery.’ Then the king placed Daniel in a high position and lavished many gifts on him. He made him ruler over the entire province of Babylon and placed him in charge of all its wise men.” (Daniel 2:46-48).
  • “At the end of that time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my sanity was restored. Then I praised the Most High; I honored and glorified him who lives forever” (Daniel 4:34).
  • “Then at Belshazzar’s command, Daniel was clothed in purple, a gold chain was placed around his neck, and he was proclaimed the third highest ruler in the kingdom” (Daniel 5:29).
  • “I issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel. ‘For he is the living God, and he endures forever; his kingdom will not be destroyed, his dominion will never end. He rescues and he saves; he performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth. He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions.’ So, Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.” (Daniel 6:26-28).

These were no small accomplishments! Daniel is such a great role model for us all. He could have easily become a follower of Nebuchadnezzar, and perhaps would have had enjoyed a high position anyway.  However, Daniel refused to worship Nebuchadnezzar or the kings that followed. He steadfastly followed the teachings of the Bible, even at risk to his own life, and because of that he is known as a godly man with a godly influence.

Paul, writing to the Ephesians, put it like this:

“So, I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed.” (Ephesians 4:17-19)

“That, however, is not the way of life you learned when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” (Ephesians 4:20-24)

In other words, you become like what you worship. So, let us together worship the one true God, the King of kings and the Lord of lords.

In Christ,

Judy

Psalm 19:14

Chaplain’s Corner – Prescription for Confidence

Sep15

Warning: the following words are good medicine; however, they are only effective if you actually follow their advice and do what they say! Note to self: The aspirin, as long as it is in the medicine cabinet, won’t relieve the pain.

1The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

How do we have confidence in face of uncertainty? These certainly are uncertain times.  One of the most favorite passages, Psalm 23, is a picture of how God guides us, how he provides for us, how he leads us. We are not in control, praise God, He is!! God knows who we are, where we are, and what we need. That should give us confidence.

Verse 1: Contentment.  “The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.”

This verse speaks first of relationship. We are never alone when we have a relationship with God. “The LORD” (note the all-caps} refers to our awesome, sacred, sovereign master. “My shepherd” is possessive, the LORD is MY shepherd. In John 10:11,14 Jesus says, “I am the Good Shepherd.”  Just think of it: the Great I AM, The God of the universe, the God who is self-existent, holy, powerful, is present with his people (you and me) in a personal way! Just as shepherds are always thinking about how to best care for their sheep, Jesus provides this analogy to tell us how he cares for us.

Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? (Matthew 6:25). I shall not want. In other words, I have all I need, because Jesus cares for me.

Verse 2: Rest. “He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside quiet waters.”

This verse reinforces the first one. In other words, the LORD gives us rest. To rest is to be free from worry about where our next meal is coming from, free from worry about our safety, free from worry about tomorrow. When you rest, you are at your best. “Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matthew 6:34). “Therefore” in verse 34 refers to the command in verse 33 to seek first God’s kingdom and his righteousness. In other words, if we seek the LORD as our Master and Shepherd, then He will take care of everything else.

Verse 3: Restoration. “He refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.”

This is so important to us right now. When we feel like we are absolutely poured out and used up, then the Holy Spirit restores what we have spent, whether it be our energy, our stamina, our patience, our compassion, our love. The Word of God renews our mind; makes us whole again.

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (Romans 12:2).

Verse 4: Protection and comfort. “Even though I walk through the darkest valley,I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”

My image of this valley is a low spot with steep sides all around, and the only way out is to climb. We will all get in a valley, but we don’t have to stay there. With Jesus at our side, we can walk through, and not find ourselves overwhelmed with the insurmountable. Valleys can have some ominous shadows. These shadows can become our reality, especially when we allow them to control us. Have you ever been freaked out by a shadow? Just remember:

  1. Shadows are not real; they cannot hurt you, and they can’t fight back.
  2. Shadows often look bigger than the real thing.
  3. Shadows only exist when there is light.

Don’t let a shadow stop you from being what God has called you to be. This path you are on has a heavenly purpose.

Back to the analogy of Jesus as our shepherd: a shepherd carries a rod and a staff. The rod was for protection, a club, a symbol of strength, power, and authority over the flock. The Word is our rod. The staff was for direction, a crook or hook to guide the sheep. It is a symbol of Holy Spirit, our comforter and guide.

Verse 5: Abundance. “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil, my cup overflows.”

God loves us so much he set the banquet table with his son and invites us to join in. Back in Biblical times, anointing the head was common courtesy if you could afford it, and it signified prosperity and blessing. It is linked to presence of Holy Spirit in our lives today. Satan is trying his best to bar our way to the banquet, the blessings that God has laid before us. We sometimes struggle to find joy in our troubles; and this is why it is good to remember all the Scriptures where Jesus found time to celebrate and fellowship with his family and friends. Most importantly, don’t miss the opportunity by turning down Jesus’ invitation to the banquet (Luke 14:15-24).

Verse 6: Goodness and mercy. “Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

David, the author of this psalm, made some crazy mistakes, yet he was confident of God’s goodness and love leading to his everlasting salvation. Mercy is frequently used to describe God in Scripture; it sums up what Bible is all about. From the time of the Fall, God has been working His plan to redeem us, to reconcile us back to him. It is only by his mercy that He wants to do this for us. But we can’t fully understand how merciful God is unless we understand how vehemently He hates sin. For us to have God’s goodness and love, and for us to dwell in the house of the Lord forever, we must repent of our sin and seek first God’s kingdom and His righteousness.

Psalm 23, written by King David (once a shepherd, himself), is fulfilled in Jesus, the Good Shepherd.  “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep (John 10:11).

In Christ,

Judy

Psalm 19:14