Goodness & Mercy

Psalm 23 cont’d:

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

I just listened to a song by BJ & Lisa Sullivan and at this point in the lyrics, she sings,

“Surely your goodness and mercy will chase me down…”

What this part of the psalm says to me is that even if I get up from the table and head right out into the darkness, the shepherd will run after me, tackle me, and carry me back to the table.

There are lots of reasons why we have trouble staying at the table, when the enemy is lurking in the shadows.  Some of us cannot believe that He is really good, and we’re afraid that the table set before us is going to be destroyed, so we leave out of fear.  Sometimes we’re broken when we arrive at the table, and we fall from our chair in a heap.  And others of us have been bitten by the wolves before, and we’re afraid they will devour us again.

I love the word “surely” here.

It’s a done deal.  His goodness and mercy are the legs underneath us when we’re weak, afraid, and torn.  They’re strong legs and they’re legs that will not buckle when he carries us back to the table, seats us at the feast, and invites us to linger as long as we like…all the days of our lives.

Listen to the song above and lay back and rest...

Oil & Cup

Psalm 23 cont’d:

You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

Remember the scene from yesterday?  Wolves all around…but the sheep are invited to the table prepared by the shepherd?

Now the master of the table, the Good Shepherd, gets up and anoints the heads of his guests with oil (signifying anointing) and then he makes sure their cups are overflowing. 

In the Jewish culture, as long as the guests’ cups were being filled, they were welcome to stay at the table.

So here we are enjoying a great feast, right in the middle of trouble surrounding us, and we are reminded and affirmed that we belong to Him, his Holy Spirit cover us and protects us, and we’re to stay at this table forever…with Him.

That’s a lovely luncheon if I’ve ever seen one!

If we can picture this scene and really grasp the protective, restorative, keeping power of the shepherd, we will not walk in fear.

Knowing the truth about the One who leads us will keep us from sinking in terror when the darkness closes in around us.

He’s aware.  He cares.  He knows.  He is not moved.  He is good.  He is here.

The Table

Psalm 23 cont’d:

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

This just might be the best imagery of all in this chapter.

Imagine a group of sheep grazing in the green pastures, sitting beside the still waters, and a pack of wolves surrounds the area.  

This is the scene in which many of us feel we are players.  Everything seems to be going well, and all of a sudden things go bad, and we feel we are about to be eaten!

Just as the sheep start to quiver in their hooves, the shepherd walks to the center of the pasture and sets a table, prepares the feast, and invites the sheep to come and eat.

One would think the wolves would rush the table once the food is set out, but the food that is prepared is not to be devoured by the wolves.  It’s to be nourishment for the sheep.

When we are following the Good Shepherd, it doesn’t matter how dark, or grim, or scary things are around us.  

All of the tasty goodies that he has prepared for us cannot be destroyed or taken from us, because when He sets the table, he only invites those for whom it is prepared.

And that’s you and me!

So pull up a chair and enjoy the feast...and the let the wolves look on...because they cannot approach the table set by your shepherd.  And pretty soon, they'll lose interest and disappear into the dark...

Hook & Prod

Psalm 23 cont’d:

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.

Have you walked through a dark valley?  We all have, at some point in our lives.  But when I’m in a dark place and in a place of fear, I can’t say that I’ve ever thought of the Shepherd’s rod and staff as being a picture of comfort.

A shepherd uses a rod and staff to prod the sheep along in the right direction, and to hook them by the neck to bring them back to safety, should they totter on the edge of a deep canyon where they might fall to their death.  But I feel sure that neither the prodding nor the neck yanking feels good at all.

When I’m in a dark valley, I want a rescue. I want a light to come on so that I can see where to walk.  I want the valley to suddenly disappear and for myself to be transported instantaneously to a mountaintop where the air is pure and the soul feels like singing.  Don’t you?

But here this verse says we have nothing to fear, and that his rod and staff will be our comfort – not his rescue and revelation.

There are things to be learned in the dark valleys.  There are times when the darkness needs to be felt so that we can trust in the rod that pushes us forward blindly, knowing that we will not fall to our death, because his staff is also present to keep us near to him.

And there’s something that we cannot learn in the light, that we completely master in the dark.  That "something" is trust in the shepherd’s leading.  

And that eliminates fear.

Along the Path

Psalm23 cont’d:

…He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake…

I’m going to raise my children and guide them in the best paths I know to lead them, because they bear my name, they belong to me, and they’re my responsibility. And as we said before, I can do the best I know how but still I will stumble, miss a trail on which we need to go, and even completely fall off the beaten path at times.

God isn’t like that.  He’s the good shepherd, remember?

He created us, we bear his name, and we belong to him.  So why  (if we earthly parents guide our children) wouldn’t he, the most divine of all parents and Lord of all Lords, faithfully guide our steps?

Are you at a fork in the road and don’t know which path is the “right” one? 

The cool thing about the Shepherd is that he carries the rod, and the staff, he knows our name, and he knows which way to go.  If we start to veer the wrong way, he knows how to gently lead us back on the “right” path, even if our ankle does turn in the process and we feel a sting of pain from the fall.

Don’t get all worked up about the path.  Get more worked up and rejoice about the one leading you. 

All you have to do is follow.  

And when you can’t tell which way he’s going, keep walking. He’ll make sure you arrive where you’re supposed to be...

Refreshment

Psalm 23 cont’d:

…he refreshes my soul…

In yesterday’s devo, we mentioned how the quiet waters allow us to hear and be in tune with our surroundings.

Right after leading us to quiet waters, the Shepherd gives our tired, hot, thirsty soul a drink.

Have you ever been so parched your throat hurt?  When you finally get a drink of cool water, you can actually feel it start at the back of your mouth and trickle its way down the back of your throat like a welcome burst of fresh satisfaction like no other.  And suddenly, you’re ready to go back out in the heat and work some more.

Following our shepherd, we get tired and weary.  We all do. 

However, a stop by quiet waters is refreshing because we can take a drink, unafraid of predators, uninhibited, and aggressively drink to our soul’s content.

It’s not part of God’s will for you to burn out when you follow him.  It’s not his will or purpose for you to lack what you need to thrive.  And it’s also not his best for you to be sitting atop crashing waves that knock you around constantly, until you’re bruised and sore.

It is part of his plan to show you were the still waters lie, so that you can drink and be refreshed.

Take a big gulp, and swallow.  Then repeat.  Do it again. Don’t stop until you’re satisfied.  The quiet waters run deep…and they never run dry.

The Quiet

Psalm 23 cont’d:

…he leads me beside quiet waters…

I like hearing the roar of a waterfall, the splashing of kids in a lake, and even the waves crashing against the shore in the ocean.  All of those sounds indicate movement, life, and excitement. 

However, sometimes our Shepherd says, “Come over here where the waters are quiet,” and he leads us beside them.  For what?

When the waterfalls are roaring, the kids are splashing, and the waves are crashing, we cannot hear subtle sounds in the air.  A bird’s chirp is lost in the noise, the buzzing of a bee nearby is not detected in the chatter, and a voice crying for help is completely missed when ocean waves drown out our hearing.

There is a time for the excitement and stirring of the water.

And there is a time for stopping beside the quiet waters…and listening.

What do you hear?  The beauty and wonder of his creation?  A warning nearby?  A cry for help?

Open your ears and listen when the waters are quiet.  Be still and know that He is God.  

Then obey and respond to what you hear.

Lie Down

Psalm 23 cont’d:

He makes me lie down in green pastures…

Have you ever thought why a shepherd would have to “make” his sheep lie down, especially in pastures of green?  Right where the lush grass grows, he leads us to rest, but then he has to coerce us to lie down!

For some reason, we often see the ground beneath us as brown dirt, dusty ashes, and hard as a rock – and we certainly don’t want to stay there.  We want to move on….

However, if the Lord is our shepherd, and we lack for nothing, it might just take a yank around the neck to get us to rest and feed where it is he leads.

A lot of times our own perception of the ground on which we walk is skewed.  We see a road up ahead as an uphill climb to nowhere, but God sees it as an opportunity to take us higher to a resting place with him.

It doesn’t matter what color, how hard, or how dry your plot of land on which you stand has become, God has rest for you, if you’ll submit to his pull,  to lie down.

And when you do, the ground beneath your feet might just turn a beautiful hue of green and provide you a well-needed nap from your fret and worry of the day…

That’s the Good Shepherd’s place for you...a place of peace and rest.

Trust Him

Psalm 23 cont’d:

…I shall not want.

Have you ever not “wanted” anything at all?

I’m sure here it must mean I shall not “lack” or be in “want.”

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want….

When a shepherd leads his sheep, they don’t lack any good thing.  And that’s what our Good Shepherd does for us as well – he gives us all good things.

So what about the times when we are in need, or have to do without?

I personally have found that in every season when I perceived that I was doing without, God was at work creating a better heart in me.  So in reality, that creative work superseded the need for whatever it was I was lacking tangibly.

When our kids are little, we provide all they need, but they definitely go through phases where they see our answer of “no, not now” as a mean answer, from a parent who is holding back something good.  Sometimes we get our parenting right, and other times we don’t.

However, when God (who always knows best) says no for now, he is not creating “lack” in our lives, but rather providing richness that we don’t see…at first.

Are you asking your shepherd for something and he’s saying no right now?

Trust in his skills as the good shepherd and just wait to see what good things come your way…

Easter Light

Today is Easter. Christ is risen. He is risen indeed!

John 1:1 says  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

These verses sum up what we’ve been studying together for weeks, now.

• God was, he is, and he always will be.
• He is our Creator and without him, we wouldn’t be here.
• He is life and he is light.  For all mankind.
• The world is a dark place, but the light shines, because of Jesus.
• The dark place in which we live cannot overcome the light.
• The Word was in the beginning, was with God, and was God.
• That same Word lives in us today.
• In us is life, and we are the light of the world.
• The world is a dark place, but the light shines, because of Jesus.  (That one was worth repeating twice!)

HAPPY EASTER.

Open our Minds

In Luke 24 we read:

 While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost.  He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate it in their presence. He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.” Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.

I’ve always found this passage to be interesting. Jesus was right there with these guys, told them to be at peace, showed them his hands and feet, and asked them to touch him.  And yes, many did not believe.  And it says they didn’t believe because of joy and amazement.

What?

Has the Lord ever shown up, performed a miracle, given you more than you even asked for, and yet because it’s so amazing you feel it must be untrue?

We are quite a mess, aren’t we?  We get down and discouraged when circumstances are less than desirable, and we feel God must have gone on vacation, so we start to doubt his love and care for us. Then later, when things work out, we look back and realize how he really did care of us and meet our needs, we still doubt because it must be too good to be true, and maybe this good fortune won’t last.

The last part of this passage says that Jesus opened their minds so that they could understand the scriptures.

We must pray for Jesus to open our minds to understand his ways.  They aren’t like our ways, and his thoughts are not like our thoughts. (Isaiah 55:9).

If we could ever realize this truth, that even in dark times he is there, and when things are great he is there, we could live in peace.

Lord, we pray for our minds to be open to the reality of your character and goodness in our lives, and that we would respond in faith when you show up where we are.

Unbelief

Mark 16: When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons. She went and told those who had been with him and who were mourning and weeping. When they heard that Jesus was alive and that she had seen him, they did not believe it. Afterward Jesus appeared in a different form to two of them while they were walking in the country. These returned and reported it to the rest; but they did not believe them either. Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they were eating; he rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen.

Wow, this is a strong story. 

A lady whom Jesus had delivered from demons went and shared the good news with those who were mourning – but they didn’t believe her.  Why? Perhaps because of her past?

Next, Jesus appeared to two more people and they reported this to others, but they were not seen as credible witnesses, either.  Why?  Perhaps because they thought they were close to Jesus and would have known it first?

Whatever the reason for the unbelief of those who were hearing the good news (that which Jesus himself had told them before he died – that he would rise again), Jesus wasn’t too happy with these guys.  In fact, he rebuked them for lack of faith and stubborn refusal.

Ouch.

When we choose to discard the testimony and witness of others who share with us their good news of how Jesus has rescued them and appeared to them personally, and when we make a choice to continue in our own unbelief, stubbornness, and willful disbelief, we are grieving the heart of Jesus.

I don’t want to be rebuked.  I want to  listen, see Jesus, hear of his love for others, and receive the testimony of his presence even when I don’t feel it myself, or am still in a dark place.

These guys were so upset that their friend had died, that they could not rejoice with their friends who were relaying the truth of the resurrection.

He is risen!  Do you believe?

Some Doubted

In Matthew 28, after Jesus has risen from the dead, we read this:

Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 

Note here that his disciples saw him, worshiped him, and yet still doubted.

Have you been there? I have.

I’ve seen God do great and mighty things for me and my family.  I’ve observed his miracles, experienced his presence, and believed in his word – time and time again. And yet, there are times when I still doubt.

Doubt is something I suppose we will deal with until the day we die…or maybe not.  Doubt breeds fear.  And fear is a lack of faith.  So if we can somehow eliminate doubt, we can live a life free of fear.

Jesus’ last statement in his passage is powerful.  He has all authority in heaven and on earth, and he shares that with us.

Because Jesus lives in our hearts, we too have authority to speak to our own hearts and say, “Why are you so downcast? Put your hope in God.” (Psalm 42:5).

Do you know Jesus, you’ve seen him, you’ve even worshiped him this morning, but you are still feeling doubt?

Speak to yourself, let it be audible so that you can hear it, and declare that God is for you and not against you.

Then look at him again, and believe.

Realization

In John 20, we read this:

Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? “They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?” Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.” Jesus said to her, “Mary.”

Have you stood outside the door of a loved one, crying because you felt God has left you alone and without comfort?  Have you ever felt like God has disappeared and is nowhere to be found, when you need him the most?   There are times in life when we all feel this way.

In this instance, Mary realized that Jesus’ body was no longer in the tomb and she feared that someone had taken his body away.  Even when Jesus appeared to her, she didn’t recognize him, because of her grief and concern.  It wasn’t until Jesus spoke her name that she turned and realized who He was – the risen Savior.

I’ve been sobbing and worried and concerned before over circumstances that I could not understand, and was unable to see any good that would come from them.  And I’ve poured my heart out to God on my knees, in earnest prayer that he would show up and do something for me!

He always shows up, but sometimes he lifts my chin to look at his face and hear him say my name, to let me know I’m his and I belong to him, and there is nothing to fear.

There’s nothing more comforting than the assurance that God is with us, he knows our name, and he’s alive and well.

Your Savior lives and he loves you, he knows you, and the tomb is empty – so that you too can live.

The Plan

The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe. These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken,” and, as another scripture says, “They will look on the one they have pierced.

John 19 continues with the activities after Jesus’ death – that of breaking the legs of the one crucified.  But here we read that because Jesus was already dead, his legs were not broken.  However, that’s not the real reason they weren’t broken. They weren’t broken because God, in his word from long ago, intended for not one of Jesus' bones to be broken, way back when God’s plan for salvation unfolded. 

And I love the other verse that was fulfilled, “they will look on the one they have pierced.”

I see two wonderful things here that should be comfort to all of us.  These cruel haters of Jesus were not in control of what happened to him.  God was in control the entire time, even in the middle of the darkest night.  And secondly, I see that the purposes of God, for those who crucified Jesus to look to him, were also fulfilled.  God will get the glory and cause the gaze of others to turn towards him, even when we are at the end of it all.

This must be why Jesus was able to endure all that he did. He knew his father’s hand was on him, under him, and holding him, and that his father was in control of all that happened to him, fulfilling a bigger plan, a plan to save the world.

God is always in control of our lives when we live for him.  Others may harm us, hurl insults at us, and even hang us out to dry, but ultimately God sees it all and knows.  And he has a plan.  And it’s a good plan.

Jeremiah 29:11

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. 

Finished

John 19 says this…

 Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

Remember the other day when we shared the verse where Jesus refused to drink?  He hadn’t finished actively obeying all that his Father gave him to do.

In these verses, however, Jesus knew he had finished obeying his Father, so he called out for a drink.

After he drank, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

The cool thing about Jesus’ death is that he willingly, actively, gladly obeyed his Father’s plan to save mankind by suffering the kind of death he did. 

Not only did that act bring us eternal salvation, but it serves as a reminder that when God calls us to obey, we must get up and pursue that obedience.

It’s not enough to sit on a word we’ve been given, awaiting God’s coercion and coaxing to get us to obey.

We must comply with the plan God has for the world – to save the lost – and we must actively obey in all that we say and do – so that the lost will be saved.

Thankfully, God doesn’t require that we be crucified on a cross – Jesus did that. Thankfully, he doesn’t require perfection in word and deed – Jesus did that.

But he does require faith and obedience, and enables us by his Holy Spirit to join those two together in acts of obedience every day.

If you haven’t even started obeying Him, do so.  And if you’ve heard his voice but are still waiting, get up and go…

Turn to Him

Two rebels were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left… In the same way the rebels who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him.

Priests, teachers, elders, and those passing by hurled insults and mockery at Jesus.  The two guys hanging by him also “heaped” insults on him. 

Have you heard the phrase “add insult to injury?”  Well, Jesus experienced this!

Jesus, in his darkest hour, after being ridiculed and beaten, blood running down his body, now sits atop a cross in a place where he’s still surrounded by mockers. 

In Luke’s account of this story, he tells how one of the thieves turns to Jesus and says, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

This statement is loaded with faith.

And that’s all it took for Jesus to take this man with him, forgiven, and whole.

As amazing as Jesus was, to suffer all that he suffered, now he demonstrates amazing love by forgiving a man who had no time to show that he was truly sorry, live a life of holiness, or prove that he was worthy – all things that we often try to do.

This man simply turned from his insults, recognized the deity of Jesus, spoke it out loud with his mouth, and asked Jesus for mercy.

That’s an amazing Savior who has amazing love that is still present for us today, and every day, when we turn and acknowledge him as Lord.