“A psalm of David. 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. 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. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” -Psalm 23
We live in an ever changing world. It seems everything changes constantly. But we need something or someone who does not change. That is God. We need someone who can be trusted, depended on, and to put our faith in–one who is that stronghold, who is our shepherd, the one who is constant, the one who gave us His own son to show us that His love was willing to sacrifice all.
Our God is mighty but at the same time very gentle and tender. David in Psalm 23 starts saying the Lord is his shepherd, he does not need anything else.
Do you think you and I could say the same with what we have, a home, a family, friends, our health–none of that is ours, everything belongs to God. Jesus said in Luke 12:15, life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.
In the Old Testament we read in 1 Samuel 16:7, “But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” God looks at the heart. He wants to see if we have compassion, are we devoted to Him, how do we interact with our fellow humans, and do we show His tenderness. He does not think of our material possessions or appearance.
As David says if the Lord is his shepherd he has no more wants. He seems to be very content. Are we as content as he is? We need to be.
Paul says in 1 Timothy 6:6-9, “But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.” Being content is a gain and seeking to have more only brings ruin and destruction. What do we gain by contentment? You gain peace, precious time with family, self respect and you also gain the joy of intimately knowing the creator. When we rest in God, He leads us to green pastures, which are pleasant. It makes us slow down and enjoy what we have and brings rest to our body and soul. We can actually relax.
Most of us yearn to be in a place without worry. God says, I will give it to you. We need to trust Him and allow Him. David says in verse 6, “Your beauty and love chase after me every day of my life. I’m back home in the house of God for the rest of my life.” God’s blessings will chase us. What an imagery. We just need to stop, enjoy it and stay with God in HIS house.
The summer is winding down, let’s rest in Jesus.
God bless,
Shaker
Shaker