A
Meditation on Psalm 23
The trouble
with getting up in the morning is that one has to do it every day. As my
wonderful co-workers have been apt to say, “Same ___ different day.” I’m
thinking this sentiment is probably the number one reason some folks lament
“adulting.”
The
tiresomeness of the same job, same problems, same relationships, same sins…We
know what to expect, so why get out of bed? Life gets old, and we get
disappointed.
As Robert
Service laments in his poem The Quitter, life
isn’t always a bowl of cherries…***
When
you're lost in the Wild, and you're scared as a child,
And
Death looks you bang in the eye,
And
you're sore as a boil, it's according to Hoyle
To
cock your revolver and . . . die.
But
the Code of a Man says: "Fight all you can,"
And
self-dissolution is barred.
In
hunger and woe, oh, it's easy to blow . . .
It's
the hell-served-for-breakfast that's hard.
"You're
sick of the game!" Well, now, that's a shame.
You're
young and you're brave and you're bright.
"You've
had a raw deal!" I know -- but don't squeal,
Buck
up, do your damnedest, and fight.
It's
the plugging away that will win you the day,
So
don't be a piker, old pard!
Just
draw on your grit; it's so easy to quit:
It's
the keeping-your-chin-up that's hard.
It's
easy to cry that you're beaten -- and die;
It's
easy to crawfish and crawl;
But
to fight and to fight when hope's out of sight --
Why,
that's the best game of them all!
And
though you come out of each gruelling bout,
All
broken and beaten and scarred,
Just
have one more try -- it's dead easy to die,
It's
the keeping-on-living that's hard.
Is that what
makes us dissatisfied with our status quo?
Besides hanging on by our teeth with tenacity, are we missing something?
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want…
I’ve always
heard that sheep aren’t very smart animals – they need to be led, otherwise
they could find themselves in dire situations. Following each other off a
cliff, say – or drowning in shallow water – or being wolf lunch…How good are we
at following our Leader? What does it mean to not want?
According to
Webster to want is to lack something, to have a deficiency, inadequacy, or deprivation.
If the Lord is my shepherd, my pilot, my guide, my counselor – how can I want?
As the
psalmist says in Psalm 84:11, For the
Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord gives grace and glory; no good thing
does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.
Why is it so
easy to be dissatisfied, disappointed, and discontent? It couldn’t be because
the Lord is not leading – it could only be that we aren’t very good at
following. Prone to wander… true of sheep, true of people…we are a distracted
bunch – selfish and impatient. The things we seek after seldom satisfy – they
weren’t meant to.
He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet
waters.
What if the
pasture we’re lying in isn’t the one we wanted and the quiet waters nearby
smell like fish? Is it reality or our perspective of that reality that causes
our restlessness? Being satisfied with our lot in life has more to do with our
attitude and our trust than with our circumstances.
He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness
for His name’s sake…
What if
where we are in life is where He has put us for His own purpose and His own
glory, and not necessarily for our own comfort and fulfillment? What if instead
of seeking escape, we dwell where we are and seek His face? What made us think
that living as a Christian would guarantee an easy trouble free life? Jesus did
say in John 16:33b, In the world you have
tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I
fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
A rod is for
correction and defense, and a staff for guidance and support while walking –
will we receive those from our Shepherd’s hand? Will we submit to His provision
even if it’s not exactly what we wanted? Will we walk the narrow road following in His steps?
“I know of nothing which so stimulates my faith in my Heavenly
Father as to look back and reflect on His faithfulness to me in every crisis
and every chilling circumstance of life. Over and over He has proved His care
and concern for my welfare. Again and again I have been conscious of the Good
Shepherd’s guidance through dark days and deep valleys.”*
He is never
not in control of the circumstances and events in the lives of His own. We can
trust Him; He is faithful.
You have prepared a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You have anointed my head with oil; my cup overflows.
No one wants
enemies. Most folks want to be loved, appreciated, and cared about. Enemies can
appear from unexpected locations – sometimes we get our own Judas. We do have a spiritual enemy always seeking someone to devour. No fear, our Shepherd is always ready – He knows
what we need. Enemies don't bother Him - they can't interfere with His plans. Will we acknowledge how dependent and blessed we are in His care?
Will we embrace the overflow of blessing that He has provided for us and rest
in that provision?
Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of
my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
The reality
of a promise that is true regardless of how we feel in the moment, regardless
of our circumstances - the hope of someday seeing as He does and being beyond satisfied
to dwell in His house – this is goodness and mercy that surrounds us as long as
we live.
In Audrey
Assad’s beautiful song, I Shall Not Want,
she gracefully illumines what it means to “not want” - to choose to not
want.
From the love of my own comfort
From the fear of having nothing
From a life of wordly passions
Deliver me O God
From the need to be understood
And from the need to be accepted
From the fear of being lonely
Deliver me O God
Deliver me O God
And I shall not want, no I shall
not want
When I taste Your goodness, I
shall not want
When I taste Your goodness, I
shall not want
From the fear of serving others
Oh, and from the fear of death or
trial
And from the fear of humility
Deliver Me O God
And I shall not want, no, I shall
not want
When I taste Your goodness I
shall not want
No, I shall not want, no, I shall
not want
When I taste Your goodness I
shall not want
When I taste Your goodness I
shall not want
I shall not want
I shall not want**
We always
get to choose – how can we want when we already have all we will ever need?
*Phillip
Keller, from A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23
***http://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/life-is-just-a-bowl-of-cherries
**I Shall Not Want, by Audrey Assad/Bryan
Brown
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8Td9cZajyE
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