Tag: psalm 23

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The Lord Provides

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“Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son.  So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide.” Genesis 22:1-19

“And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.”  Philippians 4:19

The story in the Old Testament of God asking Abraham to sacrifice his God-given son is the cause of so much anxiety about God.  These scriptures have led to many deep discussions into the night by my friends, all mothers.  The horror of being asked by God to not only release a child to death but to also be the one responsible for that death seems unimaginable and cruel.  

It’s important to notice that Abraham didn’t go gleefully to the hill where the sacrifice was to take place.  In fact, you get the impression he was taking his time, slowly preparing the funeral pyre.  What he did go with was the ultimate trust that God would provide.  God had already provided for Abraham in many ways, not the least of which was resurrecting Sarah’s womb so they could have the very child he led up the mountain.

Commentators say, and I agree, that Abraham not only trusted that God would provide a substitute sacrifice but also that if one were not given, God would be able to resurrect Isaac.  Somehow, he had already developed the deep insight into Jehovah jireh, the God Who Provides.  

Complete Trust in the Provider

“Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storehouse or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds!”   Luke 12:24

When the bill arrives or the diagnosis comes, do we trust God’s provision as fully as Abraham did?  Do we believe Jesus when He tells us how much more valuable than birds are we!  Or do we scoff at His words when He commands us:

“Do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on.”  Luke 12:22

I think we get a bit confused by His promises for provision.  While yes, God provided water from a rock.  Or miracles of a place to stay, a check to cover rent right when needed, or even a baby when we have been deemed unable.  Those are amazing experiences of His provision!  

Day to day however, we should be so thankful for the more mundane.  The physical ability to go to a job.  The job itself.  The education that got you that job.  The paycheck from which you can buy food and pay the mortgage.  The strength to wrangle your kids when you just don’t feel well.  That solution suddenly revealed to a nagging problem.

The idea of seeing our lives as being provided for by God was foreign to my dad.  He told me once, “I’ve done everything on my own, by myself.”  One day I finally pointed him to the many miracles when God intervened during his 80 years.  As I listed them all, my dad became quiet.  He had never reviewed his life through the lens of God’s provision.  He had never stopped to contemplate that someone “out there” was watching over his needs.

When we see the thousands of ways Jehovah jireh works in our daily lives we become people of thankfulness.  I believe we also become people who, in the name of our LORD, become providers for others.

Our Good Shepherd

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.”   Psalm 23:1

Friends, sheep don’t worry about what they are going to eat or where they are going to sleep.  They don’t even seem to worry about any dangers on the perimeter of their wooly lives.  They trust completely in their Shepherd.  That is the picture Jesus paints for us throughout the Gospels.  

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.”  John 10:27-28

We are such independent people and being likened to sheep really rankles us.  That’s because our sinful nature begs and brags about doing everything ourselves. This striving without ceasing brings us separation from the God who loves you so dearly that He wants you to come to Him for all your needs.

Whatever worry is on your heart and mind today, bring it to God.  Bring it to the Father who is the giver of all good gifts.  I hope you will also ask Him how you can be a blessing in return.

“Then Jesus declared, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.’”   John 6:35

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The Shepherd’s Pursuing Love

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“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul.” Psalm 23:1-2

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” John 10:11

In the last week of my BSG’s study on the Book of Ruth, Pastor Alistair Begg asked, “When have you, like Ruth, wondered, ‘Why?’ about God’s providence and generosity?” It was interesting that most of our group answered with the negative in mind—“Why did this terrible thing happen?” But Pastor Begg was actually pointing to Ruth’s honest confusion in response to unexpected kindness. In Ruth 2,

“I (Boaz the farmer) have told the men not to lay a hand on you. And whenever you are thirsty, go and get a drink from the water jars the men have filled.”

At this, she (Ruth) bowed down with her face to the ground.  She asked him, “Why have I found such favor in your eyes that you notice me—a foreigner?”

She wasn’t questioning punishment; she was marveling at kindness in light of her position.

Chosen With Love

My own “why” answer to the study question was along the same lines—a question I often thank God for in my life: “Why did You choose me when I didn’t even know You? Why have You blessed me so richly and changed me for the better?”

In past posts, we’ve talked about the importance of remembering. For me, it has been essential to my sanctification. When I look back on my life “before Christ,” I remember the ways I sought comfort apart from God, especially in sexual immorality. To that I added anger, unforgiveness, pride, and selfishness. And I still at times, now that I am “in Christ,” ask: why?

“In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” 1 John 4:10-11

And this is His answer: He loved me while I was still a sinner (Romans 5:8). Just as He loved you, dear friend—not after you cleaned up your act, but before. Before you were even born. It’s hard to grasp that kind of love, isn’t it? Maybe that’s why so much of the world rejects it. It can’t possibly be true—and yet it is.

Our Loving Shepherd

As I considered today’s post, I thought about simply including all of Psalm 23—the familiar “The Lord is my Shepherd” psalm. I’ve always found it interesting that it’s so often associated with death, when it speaks so richly about life and love; the good life held in the arms of our loving Shepherd.

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
    all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
    forever." Psalm 23:6

What a comfort to know this love. A God who loved us before we were born and who follows us all the days of our lives!  A Shepherd who protects and provides for His sheep—and His sheep know His voice. This God is Jehovah-Raah: the Lord is my Shepherd.

No matter how long we’ve walked with Christ, we can look back and see moments we’re grateful He loved us—even then. Some are blessed to have known that love early; others, like me, recognized it later. Either way, His timing is perfect. As I’ve slowly grasped what His love means, chains have broken, wounds have healed, and my love for Him has grown year by year.

In a post from a while back, we talked about God the Creator. On the sixth day, He crowned His creation by making humanity in His image and declared it not only good, but very good. And with that began a love story—a love that never leaves us or forsakes us. When we turn our backs, He still calls, “Come back to Me, your Shepherd.”

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” John 10:26-33

How beautiful is this picture of God’s love for us—to be held secure for all eternity. Today, let us rest in the love of God: the One who defines love, who is Love; the God who loved you then, loves you now, and will love you forevermore.

Dear Heavenly Father,

I come before You with a humble heart, recognizing that Your love is the foundation of all existence. Your love is beyond measure, beyond comprehension, and it surpasses all human understanding. I am in awe of Your boundless love that extends to every corner of creation.

Lord, I pray that Your love may envelop me completely. Fill every fiber of my being with Your unconditional and transformative love. Let it penetrate every thought, every word, and every action. Help me to experience the depth of Your love in every aspect of my life.

I surrender myself to Your love, knowing that it is the greatest force in the universe. Thank You, dear Lord, for the immeasurable gift of Your love. May it be my constant source of strength, joy, and peace. I offer this prayer in the name of Jesus, who embodied Your love fully. Amen.

Author Unknown, Bibleversesnow.com

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Repair My Soul, Oh Lord

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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.  Psalm 23:1-3

A couple of ladies in one of my Bible study groups have had workmen at their houses this year.  If you’ve ever had people working on your house you probably have already conjured up the trials and delays you experienced.  It seems inevitable.  So often promises are made and quickly broken from timeframes to costs.  One of these ladies missed Bible study to be at home for a painter, who had not completed the work the day prior.  The next day the painter arrived only to tell her he was going to another job instead and just needed to pick up his ladder.  After multiple delays the painter fired my friend.  Yes, you read that correctly.  After asking him to give her a better idea of the actual timeframe the painter called her up and said he couldn’t work with her!

Thank goodness when we need work done on our hearts and minds God is a much more trustworthy repairman!  Today I praise God for refreshing us, for fixing our missteps, for repairing our souls.

I was recently talking with a friend about forgiveness.  And what came out of that was the need not only to forgive but to ask God to help repair our hearts and minds of all the negative associated emotions.  Forgiveness is not an easy task when we’ve been hurt, abused, taken advantage of, or even when things or people are taken from us.  And so, we give it to God to help us forgive.  I wonder however, how often when we forgive others do we have a residual bitterness or pain or guilt left in us?  I find this is often the case for me when it comes to having to forgive myself.  When something triggers a bad memory I cringe a bit and that demon called “guilt” or “shame” wants to raise it’s ugly head. 

God doesn’t want us to just forgive but to live a life of forgiveness – a life free from that guilt and shame and bitterness.  All of it. Not one single tiny pocket of it left in our hearts.

Psalm 51 has so many great prayers to God for restoration and healing.  Here’s a couple:

Verse 2:  Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.

Verse 7: Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

Verse 12 — Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

God has a 1-800-Repairman hotline.  He not only answers 24/7 He jumps into action when needed.  It’s time to ask God to completely remove those the negative emotions from our past.  To be completely renewed.  To be completely healed.

A Christian is not a man who never goes wrong, but a man who is enabled to repent and pick himself up and begin again after each stumble – because the Christ-life is inside him, repairing him all the time.

C.S. Lewis Mere Christianity

Isn’t God so loving, so unique in this trait?  He lives as our own mini-repairman right in our souls.  We don’t need to wait for the next appointment (in 3 weeks) or be disappointed when he doesn’t show up.  All we need to do is ask God to fix us.  And even if we aren’t sure exactly what the problem is, if we ask him to make a diagnosis He will – free of charge.  

I know that I will mess up and break some things in my life.  I also know that when I gave my life over to Christ I got a lifetime warranty.  All repairs covered upon asking.