Walking with the Good Shepherd, pt 6

"Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever." (vs. 6)

Every time I read these words it conjures a memory of my grandmother singing one of her favorite hymns. In my childlike understanding, I always thought she was just paranoid of being followed by two people named Shirley Goodness and Lovey (I was a Gilligan's Island fan) Kindness. But as I have matured, I have come to a growing understanding of the richness of David's words here.

This verse is the culmination of verses 1-5. It describes the result of walking with the Good Shepherd. A Shepherd that is Soveriegn God, that is our Provider, our Comforter, our Protector, our Instructor who disciplines us, our Servant and Healer... when we walk with the Good Shepherd, we have the evidence of goodness of lovingkindness as fruit in our lives, but the verbiage here describes so much more. This goodness and lovingkindness is personified. The words "will follow me" shows that David is not saying just that we will develop these qualities, but that the One who embodies these traits PURSUES us. Our Good Shepherd, so longs to be with us that He pursues us! Often, I hear of people say they "found the Lord." But if we read this right, the opposite is closer to truth. He was always pursuing us.

A few weeks ago, my girls and I decided to wash mommy's car. I fixed Melody and Selah a bucket for them and a bucket for me. By the end of the washing, they were wanting to dip their rags into my bucket. They wanted to be with me, everywhere I scrubbed they wanted to scrub, every time I dipped into the bucket they wanted to dip. They demonstrated exactly what the Good Shepherd longs for from me, He wants me to go and do whatever and wherever He is. To dwell in His presence forever. That's not just a heaven bound thing, but it is a now and forever thing.

Lord, thank you for pursuing me all the days of my life.

Walking with the Good Shepherd, pt 5

"You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows." (vs. 5)

A few weeks ago, my wife and I went to a conference / retreat in the DFW area where we were blessed to stay at the Great Wolf Lodge at a fraction of the cost. We had ample time to play at the indoor water park therein. In the center of the park was one of those huge buckets of water that is constantly filling and then dumping out 1,000 gallons of water on whomever happens to be lingering below. It reminded me of this verse as it is a great application.

First I ask, who is it that prepares this table? There is that "you" that keeps recurring in this text. The God of the universe is serving us! And where is He serving us? In the presence of our enemies! I remember when I was growing up, it gave me incredible sense of safety to eat lunch at school with big kids that liked me. None of the bullies would mess with me if I was hanging out with my befriended behemoths. So, spending time with the Good Shepherd has its benefits, especially when it comes to being around the ravenous wolves.

In the next part of the verse, David describes some of those benefits. "You anoint my head with oil..." this can be strange imagery to us in the 21st century, but in that time this usually was a symbol of two different things: healing and the presence of the Holy Spirit. Like the large bucket at the water park, we must constantly be connected to the steady stream of water of God's presence in His Spirit through prayer and time in His Word. As we do, we are constantly being refreshed and healed, but not only that, when we are being filled, our cup runs over and splashes out onto others.

Unfortunately, too many of us are trying to splash out on others when all we get is the trickle we get on Sunday mornings... if that much. If we long to make a real impact in our world, we must have that constant filling of the Spirit. "...be filled with the Spirit, " (Eph. 5:18) The verb phrase "be filled" is the command in this verse, and its tense literally means to constantly continue being filled. It is not a once and for all, but rather a continual process.

Is your cup being filled daily, or are you trying survive and minister with only the grounds left in the bottom of the cup. Your Good Shepherd has an incredible feast set before you daily in front of the Enemy. Come and get it!

Walking with the Good Shepherd, pt 4

"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." (vs. 4)

Right off the bat, this verse affirms the same thing Christ stated that in this life, trouble is guaranteed. The verse begins with "...even though..." not "in the unlikely event." My own life has been wrought with trials, testings, and downright irritations-- be that from people or circumstances. I meet person after person that longs for a life this side of heaven that was never promised by our Lord. The first person I meet is the guy in the mirror each morning. I have the audacity to think that I should live a privileged life free from harm and free from trouble. That is a lie. Truth be known, as much as I moan and complain in the throes of discomfort, I have grown more during those times than any cushy period of my life.

The other things I notice when I look at this verse is first, that I "walk through." That gives me hope; this valley is not my destination, but rather a thoroughfare. Why? Because it is but a shadow, not the real thing. If we are in Christ, we have life. He is the resurrection and the life! The second thing I notice is that "I fear no evil." Why is that? The Psalmist tells the Lord that it is because "You are with me." Remember who that "You" is? The Lord, our Shepherd, our Provider, our Comforter. This same Lord is our Protector. David records in others Psalms that He is our fortress, and our shield. He is the One with me. Why is it, in spite of God's track record, that never seems to be enough for me? Maybe I am the only one with that problem.

Next, with what does our Good Shepherd protect and comfort us? The rod and the staff. Is David being redundant? Rod AND staff? What's the deal? Well, here's the deal. The shepherd's rod is a twofold instrument. It is a short handled stick often described with a knobby end on it. It can be used as a close range weapon and a long range weapon. But here's the catch, this weapon can be used against enemies of the flock, or on wayward flock as well. God's discipline can be very comforting. God lays out His boundaries, and when we get into dangerous territory, he sometimes whacks (note: "whack" is not in the original text) us back on the path. (cf. Heb. 5:8)

Not only does he whack us when we need it, he also, uses the staff. The shepherd's staff is the traditional instrument most of us are familiar with-- the long pole with a hook on the end. That hook, is what I would call the "grace hook." That is when we have disobeyed and gotten off the path disregarding the chastisement (whacking) and in need of rescue and in need of grace. The Good Shepherd, doesn't leave us to the elements nor predators, but rather, leaves the 99 for the 1. That's His heart. He left the privilege of heaven for the peril of earth, all to go after those of us sheep that have gone astray. Have you gone astray? Perhaps you are in the midst of some whacking. Maybe you should stop and re-evaluate the path you are on. The Good Shepherd is there to comfort and protect.

Walking with the Good Shepherd, pt 3

When we have spent time at the quiet deep waters and in the green lush pastures, we find the result in the beginning of the next verse, “He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake.” (vs. 3) He restores our souls. That is such a tremendous promise.

Today you cannot turn on the television without seeing an advertisement for some herbal concoction or new pill to counter stress and renew energy. It is obvious how our world, which in large part, has rejected the one source of true restoration. And yet, they continue to look for renewal and freedom from stress. Conversely, I cannot tell you of the countless people I have known that, although they have been through so much physically, emotionally and mentally and yet in the strength of the Lord, always have something to give and always are ready to encourage. They can do this not through their will power, but because they regularly lie down in green pastures and drink deep of the still waters. The prophet Isaiah offers this version of the same promise, “Yet those who wait for the LORD will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary.” (40:31)

The promise of restoration is so important because we must walk in this life. Everyday, we choose our paths. Proverbs 14:12 says, “There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” Contrary to popular belief, there are right paths and there are wrong paths. But when we linger at the deep waters and in the green pastures, we are guided in the paths of righteousness. These are the paths that do not lead to destruction. The Psalmist describes how to know the right paths from the wrong, “Your word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path.” (119:105) Friends the more we stay in God’s word, the less likely we are to follow the paths that will destroy us.

At the end of this path is God’s glory, “for His namesake.” When we shine, He shines. I read this morning in Hosea 6, that God doesn’t long for our religious activity and empty rituals, but rather, he longs for us to be what He designed us for and to do it for His glory. That is when we will most experience true joy. Have your been restored recently? What are you waiting for?

Walking with the Good Shepherd, pt 2

So, if we shall not be in want or shall not lack anything, what kinds of things is David writing about? I think He captures in verse two the heart of what God desires for us. "He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters." The first part of this verse talks of God causing us to rest, not just in pastures, but green pastures, some Bible versions use the word "lush." God desires not just a restless night, but desires that we experience peaceful refreshment. But where does this come from? Is it posh surroundings, deluxe accommodations and a sleep-number bed? I don't think so. God Himself is our supply. It comes from resting in Him. He is the green pasture.

Look back at John 10, verse 9. Jesus describes Himself as the door. What ever comes at us, must first go through Him! That gives me incredible peace of mind, and no pricey mattress can offer that-- regardless of what the adds say. Ever wonder why so many of us have trouble sleeping at night? We, and I do include myself, too often allow ourselves to not rest in the fact that Christ Himself is at the doorway of the sheep fold.

The next part of the verse reinforces this. He leads me beside quiet waters. Life apart from Christ is a rushing river and to step into it without His leading can destroy us. His leading, rather, is beside quiet, calming, peaceful waters. Waters that refresh. Waters that are clear and pure. You see, God has our best in mind. Contrary to cultural norms, we don't achieve this through having no pain and all comfort. We get this by abiding in Him, hearing His voice, and following him. I am just as guilty as anyone. I pursue things that are counterfeits and don't satisfy. David wrote in Psalm 37, that is when our delight is in the LORD, He gives us the desires of our heart. Again, David uses YHWH here for LORD.

Are you resting well? My prescription is to take a nap in a lush pasture beside quiet waters of the peace of God. Then, call upon the LORD in the morning.

Walking with the Good Shepherd, pt 1

In recent weeks, ever since I saw a picture on my friends blog, the Spirit has given me encounters with the world famous 23rd Psalm. So, I decided to camp there for a couple weeks. There were no earth shattering truths that I learned, but rather gentle reminders of my God and His character and desires for me as His sheep. So, I thought I would record some things about which He reminded me.

Verse 1, "The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want." First off, I read that "the LORD" is my shepherd. ok, yeah that seems kind of a duh statement, but think about it. In our English translation, whenever you see LORD in all caps, that is literally the Hebrew, YHWH, or in Latin Jehovah. Big deal, so what? It is a big deal. That is God's covenant name; it is how God describes himself in Exodus when he identifies Himself to Moses at the burning bush- "I AM." Now, for you theologians, this may be old news for you, but I have tremendous comfort knowing that my shepherd is constant, never-changing, never affected by world markets or political changes. That is a ground I can built my house on! This is the God who ALWAYS keeps His promises. That is who is my Shepherd.

Second, another entry from Captain Obvious, but He is "MY" shepherd. God, the great I AM, is a personal God. Sorry to disappoint all you deists out there, but God wants to be our personal Shepherd!

Third, He is my SHEPHERD. Now, this may be weird language to us here in the 21st century, but written by a guy who hung out a lot with sheep, this is a very intentional word choice here as it best communicates who we are. Isaiah, describes our role in this, "All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way;..." (53:6) Our tendency is to go astray, and to go our own way. This tendency has done nothing for me but cause destruction in my life and hurt those around me. And yet, the Good Shepherd, who has my best in mind, is the one Who guides me.

"I shall not want..." It is out of the supply from the Good Shepherd, according to His riches in glory, we shall always have what we need. Don't misread this, it isn't saying we always get what we want, but rather, we will lack nothing. The next verse, describes what that is...

Today, meditate on this as I have the past couple weeks, it will refresh you! More later, maybe tomorrow if my schedule allows. Have a great day with the Good Shepherd.