Psalm 23 - Sunday

I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

From the very end of the Bible (Revelation 21):

I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

The old order – what we experience now – will pass away, and will be replaced with something far greater. I’m looking forward to that. As Paul quoted:

What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived the things God has prepared for those who love him - these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit.

Yes God, by your grace and mercy, I will live with you forever.

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Sundays | God will set things right – I want to join him

- For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever

- Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God

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Psalm 23 - Saturday

Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life

I don’t think I've really considered this verse before.

“Your goodness will follow" me”, not “Your goodness with be with me”.

Here is the image I've come up with: God’s goodness follows in my wake – it’s what spreads out after me for the benefit of others.  My journey is not just for me.

I can start to see (just barely) why he has allowed me to be in the dark valley…

When we all stand before Jesus at the end of time (Matthew 25):

Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ 

Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ 

The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

I can’t think of a better legacy: to somehow leave others with blessing from God in their lives.

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Saturdays | God desires obedience – I want to be obedient

- And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one

- Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God

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Psalm 23 - Friday

You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

What does “anoint” mean? When King David was anointed, it was the ceremonial act to make him king. God had selected him.

I think the image of a cup overflowing is one of getting more than I know what to do with.

A merciful God has selected me and given me more than I can imagine. I believe that, and I believe he extends that to everyone.

But do these images line up with my life every day? No - at least not from how I see things. There are times where I’m in the terrible valley, and there are times when I experience overflowing goodness. These two opposing situations are in this very short Psalm – night and day. I think it’s why it has resonated with so many people over the centuries - it's reality.

This makes some sense of it for me (from John chapter 1):

In him (Jesus) was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not understood it …
… The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.

God shines in the darkest places and makes me his child – to inherit all he has.

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Fridays | God desires mercy – I want to be merciful

- And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors

- Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy

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Psalm 23 - Thursday

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.

God sets up the dinner table - He is in the roll of a servant here. I don't think the bible presents an image of God being a king and us exclusively serving him. It presents a balanced view, where there are times I serve him and other times he serves me. Sometimes he blesses me, other times I bless him. I seems to me to be the basis of a healthy relationship.

I get to sit down and eat while my enemies watch - I think this is the indented imagery.

Who are my enemies? My enemies are not people. I believe that if someone is alive – no matter who they are – God loves them and has an active plan to connect with them. I’m only called to love everyone, not speculate on their destiny, (and I have a long ways to go here).

In Ephesians, Paul says:

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against rulers, against authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.  

My enemies are this whole other array of beings I often ignore. Our culture insists they don’t really exist (but they make movies about them all the time - go figure). At some point, I would like to write more about this whole topic - the unseen world.

God, even though evil comes my way – and it has – I’m safe with you. You will take care of me each day in the midst of it. You will “prepare the table” and fill me with good things.

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Thursdays | God will fill me with good – I want to be filled

- Give us today our daily bread

- Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled

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Psalm 23 - Wednesday

Your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 

The images in the first three statements of this psalm are of me being a sheep and God being a shepherd.
   - It’s a picture of me being weak and vulnerable
   - It’s a picture of him having control over where I go and protecting me.

This gives me comfort: it’s not about where I’m at – good or bad, it about who is with me, protecting me, reminding me I will make it.

It’s very easy for me to pick and choose things out of the bible, in hopes to get the message I want to hear. Here is where God tells Jeremiah that he has a future for him:

This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.”

God says that when you come out of pain, loss, captivity – not that these won’t happen – I will bring you back and give you a future. Simply put: you will come out of powerlessness and inherit the earth I have planned for you.

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Wednesdays | God is in control – My influence is weak

- Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven

- Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth

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Psalm 23 - Tuesday

I feel like I am here right now:

Even though I walk through the valley of the the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.

I’m walking through a dark valley, along with my family. I guess I had always thought of this verse in terms of my own death. I wish it were that easy. I would pick that over my son’s death right now, no reservations.

It’s really easy to get scared of more evil that might come my way…

- Scared something else will happen.

- Scared my kids will not be able to deal with it in a healthy way.

- Scared this acute pain will not go away at some point – that I’ll never get back to my normal energy level.

- Scared I will forget details about Caleb as time goes on.

Any of these things may happen – but if they do, God is still with me.

God doesn't stop me from going into the horrible valley, instead he comes with me. Does he always let the bad things come? I don’t think so – there is a lot of good my world. Does he stop all the bad from coming if I sincerely ask him? Obviously not.

King David also said: I was pushed back and about to fall, but the Lord helped me. The Lord is my strength and my defense, he has become my salvation.

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Tuesdays | God is building a people – My relationships are broken

- Your kingdom come

- Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted

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Psalm 23 - Monday

If nothing else, King David was a literary genius. He wrote things three thousand years ago that I think about right now. I decided I want to look at various Psalms in the coming months.

For as much as I read the Bible, I haven’t read Psalms very much. They have never resonated with me. Life during the past year has shown me that I can’t just live on the thinking level - I need the feeling one too.

I will start with popular one, the 23rd Psalm…

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.

God gives me what I need, takes care of my soul, and shows me where I should go.

The phrase ending phrase “for his name’s sake” is a mystery to me. It’s very similar to the beginning of the Lord’s prayer below: “your name is holy”. What is it about God’s name that is so important? When Moses asked God what his name is, he replied, “My name is ‘I am who I am’”. There is so much writing on this topic that it’s more confusing to me than helpful, so I will think of it this way: Gods says that his name is his identity.

I need God. My identity is wrapped up in his identity.

With God, I have what I need in life, not matter where I’m at.

Without God, not matter how good, popular, or successful I am, I don’t have what I really need.
 

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Mondays | God is great – I’m in chaos

- Our Father in heaven, your name is holy

- Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God

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