Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Through the Valley

There is a change that happens in Psalm 23 beginning with verse four. King David has been talking about his Shepherd in the first three verses and the wonderful blessings of contentment, peace, and guidance.  But now he begins talking to his Shepherd beginning in verse four, “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.

The blessing of God’s presence is your life is the greatest blessing of all. He is greater than anything else in life; greater than His blessings and greater than any enemy or threat, even death. King David knew all to well that in this life there is the constant threat of enemies that seek to do one thing; to kill, steal, and to destroy. It is the same today.

But with God there is no reason to fear the threats of the enemy. Jesus Christ has defeated the enemies of the world, the flesh, and the devil. The “rod and staff” of Christ are His sinless life and death for us and His resurrected Life in us. This is our strength (“comfort”) as we go through the seasons of trial and temptation.

Try this: Take the time to get still and quiet with the Lord, asking Him to help you remember times in your past when you were being led by the Lord through a valley. What was the rod and staff in each of those valleys? Was it an encouraging word from a brother or sister in the Lord? Was it a song? Was it a verse of Scripture? Was it a card or a phone call? Do you know someone that you could send a rod and staff to today?

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

He Restores My Soul

Psalm 23:3 is sometimes divided up into two different thoughts; “He (the Lord) restores by soul; He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.” This is not two different thoughts, but rather one. The Lord restores my soul by leading me in paths of righteousness. The word “restore” is a Hebrew word that means to bring back from wandering. It is used mostly in the Old Testament as the word “repent.”

This reveals one of the amazing ways of God; He gives us the gift of repentance (restoring my soul) by showing us the path of righteousness. In other words, God does not clobber us over the head with how wrong we are. He keeps revealing to us how right we can be if we will just trust Him and recieve the gift of being restored by Him, the gift of repentance, trusting His invitation to go a different way.

The invitation to His way, the path of righteousness, is presented to us with the outcome; it will glorify His name. This is one of the wonderful gifts of God. It is also one that we need on a regular basis; being restored.
Are you willing to pray like this? “Lord Jesus, I am so prone to wandering off; off on my own plans, off into blaming others, off into constantly blaming myself, off into areas that You have said are off limits because of the destruction that is waiting there; show me the way that You are leading me; reveal to me the wonderful path where You are glorified. I want to walk that way…” More next week.

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Green Pastures and Quiet Waters

Psalm 23 describes for us the gift of abundant life that Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd, offers to us if we are willing to follow Him in it. The Lord Jesus wants to share with us the Life that He has and enjoys.
He gives contentment and peace in the midst of frenzied and confused world.

The image of a sheep laying down in green pastures describes a sheep that is content even though it is surrounded by plenty (verse 2). One of the problems we have in our culture is what I like to call the “cafeteria syndrome.” We see so much good stuff we think we need it all. This is one of the reasons the storage room business is booming. We lack contentment.

Quiet waters describes rest and peace and refreshment; the opposite of “the news.” The offer to follow Jesus Christ and to lay down in green pastures beside quiet waters is to discover what God intended our lives to have when He created us; Life with Him. This does not mean that we ignore problems. Even the Garden of Eden had snakes! It does mean that we can choose the offer from our Good Shepherd of something greater than our problems and greater than our blessings; His presence.

Think of the most contented and peaceful moment you have ever enjoyed in your life. That experience was given to you by the Lord to encourage you to know what life with Him is like; not a life absent of worry or trouble, but a life that has contentment and peace that is more powerful than any worry or trouble!

God’s promise to us is that He will be with us in trouble. His presence with you is greater than any other good thing (blessings) and greater than any threat (peace). Call upon the Lord, seek after Him, desire the Life that He desires and has promised to give you; today!
Bubba Stahl

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Psalm 23

During this time of recovery from malaria, the Lord has spoken to me in fresh ways from Psalm 23. The writer begins with a declaration of identification; he identifies himself as a satisfied follower of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd.
We know from the title that King David wrote these words. Here is a king who has a King; a king who was a shepherd who is now following his Shepherd. As a young shepherd, David knew why shepherds were needed and what they did. Without a shepherd the sheep would wander off and become prey to wolves and other predators. The worst thing going for sheep is that they are so tasty. They need someone to lead them, protect them, feed them, and be with them constantly. We, too, need a Shepherd who loves us, Someone we can trust to care for every need we have, past, present, and future, Someone who is with us and for us. That Person is Jesus Christ.

Next week; verses 2-6 reveals the fullness of the care that Christ gives as our present and constant Shepherd.
Bubba Stahl