Psalm 23…When life feels like a haunted house
Today’s devotion is based on the Message: Trust Revealed (Watch Here)
I don’t like haunted houses. I’ve been through a few in my lifetime and really have no desire to go through one again. Obviously, the purpose of a haunted house is to create fear in the visitor. The gruesome, the unexpected, and the evil depictions are somehow worth individuals paying money to go through.
In reflecting on these experiences, I asked, “Why would someone go through these?”
Perhaps it is facing fears of life and making dealing with the gruesome and terrifying easier?
Perhaps it is being able to laugh at that which wreaks havoc on life?
Perhaps it’s just the simple knowledge that all of this is fake and I will make it through the other side.
But what about when “haunted house” depictions become reality in our own lives? What happens when this isn’t a staged event for entertainment and it is reality in our lives that we must navigate?
It’s not easy.
Evil wreaks havoc on our world.
Tragedy instantaneously changes our world.
And sometimes we don’t know if we are going to make it out alive.
Psalm 23:4 is for such occasions in life.
4 Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil, for you are with me;
your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
In a haunted house, you often want someone to go through it with you. You may hold their hand or simply stay close to have someone to rely on if things go wrong.
The Lord is MY shepherd which means he is walking through these haunted houses of life with you.
When you or a loved one get a medical diagnosis that is terminal…he is walking with you.
When you experience the loss of a loved one due to murder, drunk driving or some other evil…he is there with you.
When you are facing the challenge of mending a relationship, digging out of a financial hole, or the potential for job layoff, he is with you.
What this also means is the LORD is doing work on your behalf that you may never see. He uses the strength of his rod and the guidance of his staff to keep us from evil or keep evil from harming us.
The morning you are running late to work and forget your phone in the house may be your Good Shepherd delaying your departure to prevent you from getting in a serious car accident.
The day you read a devotion from the Word is the exact word of God you needed to overcome a temptation that could have cost you your job or your relationship.
The day you read these words from Psalm 23 is what you need as you watch or read the news to protect your heart from fear and lack of peace as you listen to what is going on in the world.
Because of sin, we live in a world that we often face the “valley of the shadow of death” or feel like it. But remember this verse…The Lord, YOUR shepherd, is with you!
Apply: What “valley” are you facing today? How can this verse give you courage to face that valley with confidence knowing that the Lord is with you?
Prayer: Lord, thank you for being my shepherd that is willing to walk with me through the valleys and evils of this world with a promise to protect me from it. Help me to never forget this promise, AMEN.
Psalm 23- Satisfied.
Today’s devotion is based on the Message: Trust Revealed (Watch Here)
I am not an experienced shepherd. But from what I understand, the main role of a shepherd was to lead the sheep to pastures they could eat from, guide them to waters they could drink from and protect them from enemies that could harm them. The indication that the shepherd was doing his job well was the peace and calm of the flock. The sheep were at peace because they knew their shepherd was taking care of them.
Yesterday pointed out the personal nature of Jesus as our Good Shepherd. The result? We lack nothing.
But that doesn’t mean we don’t have anything, but rather we have everything we need.
Psalm 23:2-3 says:
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness
for his name’s sake.
For the sheep this was endless grazing until their stomachs were full. For the lambs it was plenty of water to quench their thirst. For us the result is a soul that is restored.
Life happens with challenges, disappointments, discouragements and things that can make us depressed or just feeling down. We can even allow these things to create a subconscious barrier with our God and allow that relationship to grow distant. Our physical bodies may be OK, in that we have enough to eat or drink, but our souls, our spiritual side, is left empty, depleted and out of energy.
The Lord, our Shepherd, realizes this about us his sheep and steps in to address the challenge. He knows what they need to restore their soul is the food that gives life and the water that quenches the soul. Jesus said in John 4 and John 6:
John 4:13 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
John 6:32 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
How do we get that living water and bread of life today? It’s in the Words of Jesus, the Bible. Here we find the wonderful message of forgiveness and grace. Here’s where we find powerful promises that leave us with hope and trust in tough circumstances. Here’s where we are given a perspective that at the end of all this life has to throw at us, we have eternal life waiting for us in heaven.
The picture is something like us lying down in the plush pages of the Bible and allowing our soul to be restored by all that the Lord has to give to us.
And then when it’s time to move, he guides us in paths of righteousness. One of the best ways to maintain peace in our hearts and relationships is to walk in the ways of the Lord. The Apostle Paul described what walking with the Lord looks like:
Galatians 5:22-25 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.
No wonder we lack nothing. With the blessing of his Word and the guidance of his truth…we are set up for tremendous peace, joy and hope in this life.
All because the “Lord is MY shepherd!”
Apply: If your soul is not feeling refreshed at the moment, how might time in God’s Word bring your soul refreshment?
Prayer: Lord, continue to lead us to green pastures where our soul is nourished and guide us in paths of righteousness where our lives are blessed. AMEN.
Psalm 23 – The Lord is MY Shepherd!
Today’s devotion is based on the Message: Trust Revealed (Watch Here)
My car.
My house.
My spouse.
My child.
Versus
A car
A house
A spouse
A child.
One is personal. One is impersonal.
One you have connection with. One you don’t.
What makes Psalm 23 so endearing to so many is how it starts:
Psalm 23:1 The LORD is my shepherd,…
The LORD is not just a generic shepherd to someone…he is MY shepherd.
The LORD is not just a general person, but my SHEPHERD!
But then think of this.
Of all the things or persons in the universe to be a shepherd of you, who would you want?
The LORD? Might be a long shot in a normal reality.
We don’t deserve the Lord to be our shepherd.
We haven’t earned the right for the Lord to be our shepherd.
But he is.
These opening verses are a clear expression of the grace of God that took black, wandering, lost sheep into his fold and claimed them as his own. The LORD wanted US to be his sheep. So HE called us by name and compelled us to follow him.
He is now my shepherd.
But what does that mean?
David writes, “I shall not be in want.” Or in the Evangelical Heritage Version, “I lack nothing.”
The psalm could end here giving the reader great personal comfort.
The Lord as my shepherd is really all I need. Everything else is icing on the cake.
One could say, “I lack a good relationship.” The Lord is the one who loves you most.
One could say, “I lack financial means.” The Lord is the one who owns the universe.
One could say, “I lack strength or ability.” The Lord is the all powerful.
The list could go on.
While not a promise that everything will be, in my opinion, always great, we know with peace in our hearts that we have what is most needed and most important.
The LORD is MY shepherd!
Apply: What does it mean to you that the Lord is YOUR shepherd.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for including me in your flock so that I can in a very personal and real way call you MY shepherd! AMEN.
Psalm 23…Who wrote it?
Today’s devotion is based on the Message: Trust Revealed (Watch Here)
Next to John 3:16, probably the most well-known section of the BIble is Psalm 23. This psalm, written by King David 1500 years before Jesus walked the earth, in an inspired masterpiece that the Spirit of God has chosen to both write and preserve for us to enjoy 3500 years or so later. For that time it has been encouraging the hearts of God’s people in times of joy and and in times of challenge and often gives peace when life is fading away.
So what is it about these words that so touches the soul?
What is it about these six verses that make us feel so connected to our God?
Even for people who have drifted from their Christian faith, these words are welcomed.
Your answers may be different and I would love to hear your thoughts each day this week as we reflect on these words and what they reveal to us about why we can trust the LORD with every part and in every situation of life.
A psalm of David.
This seeming parenthetical phrase is not one written by a scribe years after the authorship of the psalm, but part of the inspired text of the psalm. God’s Spirit wants us to know that this psalm (or song) was penned by David.
Many of us know David as the famous “King David” of the Old Testament. He was a mighty warrior and God used him to expand the kingdom of Israel as well as secure the plans and material for the building of a permanent place of worship, the temple. However, in his younger years he was a shepherd. It was a task that even his brothers didn’t think was a pedigree of a king, but the LORD knew something about David:
1 Samuel 16:10 Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel said to him, “The LORD has not chosen these.” 11 So he asked Jesse, “Are these all the sons you have?”
“There is still the youngest,” Jesse answered, “but he is tending the sheep.”
Samuel said, “Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives.”
12 So he sent and had him brought in. He was ruddy, with a fine appearance and handsome features.
Then the LORD said, “Rise and anoint him; he is the one.”
13 So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the LORD came upon David in power. Samuel then went to Ramah.
A short time later, he was described this way:
1 Samuel 16:18 One of the servants answered, “I have seen a son of Jesse of Bethlehem who knows how to play the harp. He is a brave man and a warrior. He speaks well and is a fine-looking man. And the LORD is with him.”
The reputation carried forward for 1500 years as the Apostle Paul reflected:
Acts 13:22 After removing Saul, he made David their king. He testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’
“A psalm of David” in not just a random phrase to pass over, but it sets the tone for what the Spirit of God inspired him to write. Here are the words of a shepherd who tended his flock, a man who went through the dangers and turmoil of being a warrior, knew the challenges of leadership as a king, but most importantly shared a close, genuine, trusting, heartfelt relationship with the LORD.
From the heart of a man after the Lord’s heart come the words of Psalm 23 that touch our heart.
Apply: Read Psalm 23 in your favorite Bible. Read it slowly three times. What becomes more evident and meaningful as you consider what you know of David and realize you are reading not only a “psalm of David” but inspired words from God’s Spirit?
Prayer: Lord God, thank you for using the life and experiences of the shepherd/king David to communicate clearly and intimately to our hearts the love and relationship you have with us. AMEN.
Sent to forgive…or not?
Today’s devotion is based on the Message: Purpose Revealed (Watch Here)
Sent to forgive!
What am I supposed to do?
This is an honest question when someone sends us someplace.
Go to the grocery store and pick up eggs and milk.
Go to the locker room and change your clothes for practice.
Go to the home improvement store and get a pipe to fix the sprinklers.
When we are sent, there is a purpose.
Go and forgive or not forgive sins.
Who?
Me?
Yes, you.
Jesus sent his disciples, his followers with the following words:
John 20:21 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”
What is implied in these words is the assumption they knew both what forgiveness was and when to forgive AND when not to forgive sins.
For us, perhaps the easier is knowing when to forgive sins. In fact we are probably taught that whenever someone does sin against us, we are to forgive them their sins.
But what about times when we say to some, “Your sins are not forgiven.”
The times I’ve had to say this are rare, but the impact of the words are deep.
Who are we to announce to someone that their sin is not forgiven? Isn’t that being judgmental?
Is it judgmental to yell at a child running into the street after a ball, “Stop! Don’t go into the street?” Is it judgmental to tell someone that their drug addiction is going to eventually kill them and lose everything important to them?
No it’s not. In love we warn these individuals because we know the path they are on are physically and emotionally destructive. We LOVE them enough to warn them. They may or may not listen, but the motivation is one of love.
When we withhold the pronouncement of forgiveness, we are doing so because someone is breaking the law of God, not our own preferences, or church traditions, but God’s holy law. We know with certainty what Paul said in Galatians 5:19-21:
The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
“I warn you…” Paul says.
Warnings are given because love desires to prevent someone from harm.
When we, on the basis of God’s law, tell someone “Your sins are not forgiven,” we are warning them that if they are to persist in their sin, they will miss out on the kingdom of God, heaven.
That’s a big deal…a very big deal!
Jesus wants all to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth. He does not desire the death of the wicked, but that all would call on him and be saved. The heart of Jesus is to guide people away from sin to the peace that only he can give.
To do that, we must be willing, in love, to not only say, “You are forgiven,” but also be willing to warn with the words, “You are not forgiven.”
Jesus sends us to do both because he loves us and every soul whom we meet.
Apply: How do these words of Jesus reframe your thoughts about withholding forgiveness from someone?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for loving us enough to warn us of the serious consequences of sin and loving us enough to forgive our sins to give our hearts peace. Help us with discernment and confidence to announce forgiveness or the lack there of. AMEN