I Will Dwell in the House of The Lord Forever

As we draw near to the end of our journey through Psalm 23, we can look back at the lessons that David has taught us about the seasonal life of a shepherd and his sheep.  Writing from the perspective of a sheep, David has reflected on an entire year’s activities.

The journey started from the green pastures and still waters of home and ventured up through the dangerous mountain valleys and passes to the high tablelands, which had been prepared in advance by the shepherd.  Throughout the summer grazing, the shepherd took special care to protect the flock from pests and pestilences.  Finally, the flock is led back to the home ranch and its corrals to shelter for the winter. 

Throughout each phase of the journey, there were dangers and various hazards. But the alertness and readiness of the shepherd, and his willingness to care for and sacrifice for his sheep, has brought them through it all, and now home is in sight!

So it is for each of us who are followers of The Good Shepherd.  Life in a fallen world has promised us difficulties.  We will all experience, at one time or another, anger and conflict, fear, sickness and pain, doubt, fatigue, sorrow and grief.  “In this world you will have trouble,” Jesus says in the first part of John 16:33. 

The difference for us is that we have a Good Shepherd who leads us through it all.  Throughout the journey, He helps us to find green pastures and still waters.  He shows us the path of righteousness that leads to safety.  He clears away dangers and enemies that we aren’t even aware of before leading us into the tablelands.  He anoints us with oil to protect us from dangerous pests.  “But take heart, I have overcome the world!” Jesus concludes in the last part of John 16:33.

And finally, He leads us home, to dwell in the House of The Lord, forever.

To me, this is one of the most beautiful phrases in the entire Bible.  Just knowing that there is such a promise for Christians makes the challenges of life all worth it. 

Jesus Himself clarifies this promise to us.  He tells us, “In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” (John 14:2-3 NKJV)

That is the point of Psalm 23.  Life is hard.  It’s easy to get lost.  But we have a Good Shepherd who loves us, and cares for us, and knows the way home.  Follow Him.  And one day, we will all be together in the House of the Lord, Forever.  Amen.

In Christ,

Pastor Bryan

P.S. – This concludes my blog series on Psalm 23.  I hope that you have found it to be a blessing to you during this time.  Now that summer is here, I’m going to be taking a bit of a break from blogging, but I plan to resume again in the fall.  Have a great summer, and we’ll see you at church!

Surely Goodness and Mercy Shall Follow Me...

The world can be a frightening place, can’t it?  As we follow the daily events of the news, we go from military conflicts to global pandemics to government overreach to racial injustice to destabilizing protests to political turmoil on a worldwide scale.  Throw in some murder hornets and famine-inducing swarms of locusts for good measure, and that’s all still before breakfast!  It’s almost enough to make a person want to go back to bed before they even get up!

I wonder if David ever had days like that.

Well, as we’ve seen so far in our study of Psalm 23, David knew what it was to experience want as he fled from Saul in the wilderness, and yet the Shepherd provided for him.  “I shall not want,” David proclaimed.

David knew what it was like to experience an agonizing separation from God, brought about by his own sin and guilt.  But he also experienced the joy of renewal.   “You restore my soul,” he proclaimed to his Shepherd.

He knew what the valley of the shadow of death looked like, having faced off against lions, bears, giant Philistines, and a homicidal king whom he had served with loyalty and honesty.  But he could say of his Lord, “Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me!”

And he knew the torment of the mind and its memories and worries, yet he also knew the relief that comes from being anointed with the Shepherd’s soothing oil, silencing the chaos of the thoughts within.

And yet, despite whatever David has been through in life, and whatever he is going through as he writes Psalm 23, David confidently proclaims, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life!”

David wasn’t naively burying his head in the sand and saying in denial, “Hey, it’s all ok!”  Rather, he was proclaiming two truths in the face of difficult circumstances: first, David would “pay it forward” and make the world around him a better place.  Second, David’s Shepherd would work out all the details for him, carefully weaving together the individual threads of David’s life into a grand and masterful tapestry.

Making the World a Better Place

One thing I didn’t realize when I first embarked upon this journey of sheep and their Shepherd, is that a well-looked-after flock of sheep is a major benefit to the land.  No wonder it’s called “husbandry”.   As sheep graze a meadow, they gradually clean up the weeds.  Their manure replenishes the soil.  As Philip Keller tells us, “In a few years, a flock of well-managed sheep will clean up and restore a piece of ravaged land as no other creature can do.”

This makes me pause to ask myself, as I consider who my Shepherd is:

• Do I build people up, or do I tear them down?

• Do I sow seeds of kindness and forgiveness, or do I leave behind thistles of bitterness?

• Do I bring comfort to the hurting, or do I add to their burdens?

• Do people enjoy my company, or do I light up a room just by leaving it?

As a sheep, my identity is in my Shepherd, so I hope that I leave things better than I found them more often than not.

Weaving a Masterful Tapestry

But in addition to leaving the world a better place, David knew that his Shepherd would also leave HIM in a better place.

We know that the world can be cruel, and circumstances can be painful.  There’s no point in pretending that isn’t true.  But David knew something that Paul expressed so wonderfully in Romans 8:28, which says, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.”

That wasn’t just a wish.  It’s a promise. 

Even when the world is in chaos, the promise is still true.

Even when our bodies break down, the promise is still true.

Even when we bid our loved ones a tearful farewell, separated by the temporary veil of death, the promise is still true.

Romans 8:35,37-39 assures us, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? … No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.  For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Even in the midst of aching pain, because of our Shepherd, goodness and mercy shall follow us all the days of our lives.  And when our lives on earth are over, we get to be with Him!  “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” 

Goodness and mercy.  Following you wherever you go.  All the days of your life.  Thanks be to God!  Amen.

In Christ,

Pastor Bryan

You Anoint My Head With Oil

Whenever I have read this psalm in the past, upon reading this verse, the image in my mind was one of regality and blessing: a handsome young man kneeling before his Lord and receiving His blessing and approval through the rich symbolism of being anointed with oil.  After all, isn’t this what happened when David, the shepherd boy, was anointed to be the future King of Israel by the prophet Samuel?

Once again, I was wrong.

I keep forgetting that David didn’t write this psalm from the perspective of a royal king, but rather from the perspective of a lowly sheep.  That changes everything!

As we’ve been following the experience of a sheep and its shepherd, we find ourselves in the high country, in the midst of summer.  The sheep are reveling in the rich tableland, which the shepherd has prepared in advance for his sheep to enjoy.  We know the feeling: a beautiful summer evening, with the merry songs of birds bringing delight to a peaceful walk in the country.

But it doesn’t take long for our bliss to turn to a growing discomfort, and finally misery, as the biting flies and mosquitoes come out in search for their “evening meal,” and we find ourselves on the menu!  These pests can be relentless, and the agony they bring to our bliss can quickly turn a peaceful evening into a chaotic retreat to shelter.

For the sheep, however, these pesky nuisances can be fatal.  One particular pest, called the “nasal fly” or “nose fly” is every bit as excruciating to the sheep as the name suggests.  Without getting into details about how the fly operates, let me just quote from W. Phillip Keller’s book, A Shepherd Looks At Psalm 23, to demonstrate how dreadful this is for the sheep.  “For relief from this agonizing annoyance sheep will deliberately beat their heads against trees, rocks, posts, or brush.  They will rub them in the soil and thrash around against woody growth.  In extreme cases of intense infestation, a sheep may even kill itself in a frenzied endeavor to gain respite from the aggravation.”

But a good shepherd knows what to do.  In Keller’s time as a shepherd, he would whip up a mixture of linseed oil, sulfur, and tar, which he would then apply liberally to the sheep’s head and nose.  (In David’s day, is was most likely olive oil, sulfur, and spices.)  Keller says, “What an incredible transformation this would make among the sheep.  Once the oil had been applied to the sheep’s head, there was an immediate change in behavior.  Gone was the aggravation, gone the frenzy, gone the irritability, and the restlessness.  Instead, the sheep would start to feed quietly again, then soon lie down in peaceful contentment.”

Aggravation.  Frenzy.  Irritability.  Restlessness.  I can’t think of any better words to describe my own reaction when the frustrations of life head my way.  Yes, I may be a Christian, but I still experience times when my work isn’t going well, or I have conflict in my relationships, or the thistles threaten to overrun my garden and choke out my carrots!  Yes, it rains on my camping trips, too.  Frustration and aggravation are the price we pay for living in a fallen world.

But I have a good shepherd.  The Good Shepherd, in fact.  And when He sees me in distress, He whips up a mixture of:

1)      Promises from His Word:

a.        “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5)

b.        “In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

c.       “And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” (Revelation 21:4)

2)      Evidences from His Creation:

a.       The freshness of new life in the Spring.

b.       The beauty of freshly fallen snow.

c.       The majesty of the constellations.  The fact that the Big Dipper and the Little Dipper exist, and work together in navigation, is proof of His presence.

3)      Encouragement from the Fellowship of His Children

a.       How many times has another believer reached out to me at just the right time with a word of encouragement! 

After anointing my head with His remedy of oil, I find that the irritants of life give way to something precious: the peace that passes understanding. (Philippians 4:7).  It is here where I find that “my cup overflows.”  It overflows with blessing, and it overflows with the forgiveness and grace that pours out from His cup, filled with His blood, shed for the forgiveness of my sins.  At last, like Keller’s sheep, I can lie down in peaceful contentment.

As I draw this idea to a close, it is plain to see that this “anointing with oil” may not be what I thought it was, but it is exactly what I needed.

Thanks be to God!

Pastor Bryan

You Prepare A Table Before Me in the Presence of My Enemies

I have to confess that this verse has caused me a lot of confusion over the years.  Whenever I’ve read these words, I’ve imagined myself in a grand banquet hall, sitting at a long table, with all kinds of wonderful delicacies laid out for me. Meanwhile, all of my enemies sat brooding along the walls, jealously watching me feast.  For just a brief moment, the prideful side of me really enjoyed that vision!  But there were always several thoughts that lurked in the back of my mind that made me think there was something wrong with my understanding of this passage:

• If the thought of this feast makes me feel prideful over my enemies, then am I not being sinful in my pride? (Proverbs 16:18)  Am I not going against what Jesus said when He said I was to love my enemies? (Matthew 5:44)

• How much would I relax and enjoy an elaborate feast while surrounded by my enemies?  Who would have my back?  Who would test my food?

Eventually, I understood that my dilemma came because I was thinking of this verse from the perspective of a human.  David, on the other hand, was thinking like a sheep!

You see, the "table" that David is referring to is therefore not a piece of furniture like we eat our dinner off of, but rather, it is a flat plateau in sheep ranges, like "mesas" of today.  In fact, the word "mesa" means "table."  Think of it not like a piece of furniture, but like a "tableland."

The shepherd would prepare the tableland for the sheep by going ahead of the sheep to scout it out, make sure that the water source was good, etc.  He would prepare it "in the presence of my enemies" by removing poisonous weeds, chasing off predators, and guarding against rustlers and thieves. 

The shepherd worked hard to create the ideal environment for the sheep to thrive.  Unfortunately, even in the best environment, sometimes sheep wandered away from the shepherd and hung around too close to the edges of the wild.  That was usually when disaster would strike.  The sheep were always wise to stay close to the shepherd, as we are wise to stay close to Jesus.

Thinking about my own life, I can see now the great lengths to which the Good Shepherd has gone to prepare a table for me in the presence of my enemies.  He gave me the Commandments to help me against my own lack of self-control (Exodus 20).  He gave me the Bible, His living Word, to provide a lamp for my feet and a light to my path, that I might avoid the darkness (Psalm 119:105).  He sent the Holy Spirit, that I might have Someone to guide me when I need help to know the way (John 14:26).

Finally, when we receive Communion from the Lord's Table, (switching back to the piece of furniture illustration for just a moment), we can think of how Jesus paid a tremendously dear price to prepare HIS table in the presence of our great enemies, sin and death.  Through His body and blood, even these bitter foes have no power over us.

“A table in the presence of my enemies.”  I will never think of it in the same way again.

Blessings to you all,

Pastor Bryan

Thy Rod and Thy Staff, They Comfort Me

One of my favorite memories as a child takes me back to simpler days, when the Children’s Christmas Pageant was a straightforward re-enactment of the Nativity.  I miss those days.

Somehow, I always ended up being a shepherd!  I loved that role.  I had the bath robe, and the towel to wear on my head.  I was sure I could have passed as an “Official Shepherd of the Nativity” except for one problem:  I had no staff.  In my mind, a long stick just wouldn’t do, because every Christmas card I saw that had a shepherd showed him carrying a long staff with a curved end.  My Grandpa offered up one of his canes, but it would have been too short! 

But my Dad, seizing the opportunity to be my hero one more time, came to my rescue.  Taking a long metal pole, Dad gently curved the end into a hook, and somehow covered the metal with something that made it look like wood.  I was all set!  I don’t remember the pageant, per se, but I do remember that staff!  I don’t have it anymore, except in my memory, but what a treasure it was to a young boy who wanted to be a shepherd!

If anybody knew a thing or two about a shepherd’s tools, it was David.  In this Psalm, referring the Lord as his Shepherd, David says, “Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me.”  This is a beautiful illustration of submission to God’s divine authority.

The Rod

The first instrument that David mentioned was the rod.  The shepherd’s rod was more like a club.  It was thick and was made of a solid piece of wood that had been specially chosen for its purpose.  It had an enlarged base that was smoothed into a rounded head of hard wood.

The shepherd used the rod as a weapon of defense for himself and for his flock.  For a skilled shepherd, the rod was basically an “extension of his right hand.”  It was a symbol of his strength, power, and authority.  Any sheep that foolishly decided to go astray would be met with discipline from the rod before it could get itself into mortal danger.

The Bible says that Moses had been a shepherd in Midian, after he fled from Egypt, and before he returned to Egypt to lead Israel to freedom.  In the process of confronting Pharaoh, Moses used his rod to demonstrate God’s power to Pharaoh.

The rod is symbolic of the Word of God, and represents the authority of divinity.  Thinking of our Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ, the rod in His hand is like His Word.  When He wields it, it is as if He is proclaiming, “Thus saith The Lord!”  There is nothing that can stand in power against that authority!  Our Holy Scriptures are just like God’s rod in that they are an extension of His mind and will.

W. Phillip Keller writes, “In this world of many convincing, yet false ideas, it is not hard to get sidetracked and off-course, like the sheep who is distracted and wanders away from following the shepherd.  The Shepherd uses His rod to turn the sheep back on to the correct path, much like God’s Word guides us back to the correct path when we choose to heed it.”

Like the Shepherd uses the rod of correction, the Holy Spirit uses the Word to discipline us.

It’s an instrument of protection, used to drive off predators.  Remember, David defeated both bears and lions.  In similar fashion, Jesus used the Word as a rod to counter Satan (the wandering lion) during His temptation in the desert.

The Staff

But the shepherd has another instrument as well, which I already touched on: the staff.

If the rod was symbolic of the Word of God, then the staff draws comparison to the Holy Spirit, in that it is used to draw us closer to the Shepherd.  If the rod represents discipline and instruction, then the staff represents concern and compassion.  If the rod represents justice, then the staff represents mercy.

How would a shepherd use his staff?  Going along the path, the shepherd provides guidance by gently laying the staff against the sheep’s side.  The sheep is reassured of its correct path, and so are we.

When a sheep would find itself in trouble, perhaps fallen into a body of water and weighed down by its own saturated wool, the shepherd would use the hooked end of his staff to “grab on” to the sheep, lifting it to safety.  When we find ourselves in despair, weighed down by anxiety and circumstances, it is the Holy Spirit, the Helper, who reaches down to help us find solid ground again.

And in an act of affection, the shepherd uses the staff to draw the sheep closer to himself, displaying a tenderness and an assurance to the sheep that everything is ok.  Likewise for us, while walking along the path with our Good Shepherd, He gently and playfully draws us closer to Himself with the crook of His staff, whispering to us, “I am with you always.  Even to the end of the age.”  (Matthew 28:20)

And so it is for the Shepherd and His instruments.  The Word and The Spirit.  Discipline and concern.  Instruction and compassion.  Justice and mercy.  Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me!

Blessings,

Pastor Bryan 

P.S. Why not take some time today to read a passage from the Bible and spend a bit of time in prayer.  That way, you, too, can experience the comfort of the rod and the staff.

Yea, Though I Walk Through the Valley...

“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me!”

Valleys are beautiful.  At least, in the daylight, they are beautiful.  From the top of the valley you can often see lush meadows, fertile plains, and usually a river rolling along at the bottom of it all. 

But valleys can be dangerous.  They are prone to flooding.  Predators like to hang out there.  And if we are talking about mountain valleys, they have sharp cliffs and experience sudden severe weather, avalanches, and rock and mud slides.  And at night, when the deepest shadows fall, valleys are a different story altogether.  Oh, they still have the same physical features, but nighttime is when the predators are active, as well as our imaginations.  There’s something about the darkness that makes people afraid.

As a shepherd, David was well acquainted with guiding flocks through valleys.  You see, in Israel, often the best summer grazing ground was in the high country, and the only way to get there was through the valleys.  It was there, in the valleys, where David developed the skill to fight off the bear and the lion with a slingshot and a staff.  He knew that danger lurked, yet he said confidently, “I will fear no evil.”  And David had a great reason – the BEST reason – to fear no evil.  “For You are with me,” he said, referring to his God.

It’s hard to think of a greater parallel to the Christian life than this one verse of scripture.

Our lives are full of high points and valleys.  We want to experience the high points of life, but we aren’t all that keen to go through the valleys.  I don’t mind looking down at a valley and contemplating life from my vantage point on high, but I’d rather not go through it, if you don’t mind.

But that’s not reality for anybody.  Every single one of us is going to go through the valley.  Like David, it is in the valley where we are going to develop the skill to fight off the lion.  As the Bible says in 1 Peter 5:8, “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”

Yet even knowing this, we can still be confident in the face of evil.  “I will fear no evil; For You are with me!”  Or, as David says in Psalm 121:1-3,

“I lift up my eyes to the hills.

  From where does my help come?

My help comes from the Lord,

    who made heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot be moved;

    He who keeps you will not slumber.

Behold, He who keeps Israel

    will neither slumber nor sleep.

And for the Christian, it is NOT the valley OF DEATH.  We don’t stop there.  We don’t die there.  It is the valley of the SHADOW of death.  Shadows can’t hurt us.  Shadows can’t touch us.  In our mortal minds, shadows may make us uneasy, but we can still recognize a shadow for what it is: shade that is caused when something obstructs our view of the light.  Shadows may seem real, but they aren’t.  That’s why David called this the “Valley of the Shadow of Death.” 

For the one who puts their eternal trust in Jesus Christ, even death isn’t real.  W. Phillip Keller writes, “Death is but the dark valley opening out into an eternity of delight with God.”  My wife likes to say that the death of our physical bodies is actually a blessing, because it sets us free from the curse that arrived in Genesis, and it frees us to be in the presence of Christ.

So, will we go through valleys?  Yes, we will.  Living in a fallen world, we are guaranteed to encounter our share of lions and shadows.  Yet Jesus says to us, “I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

Yes, He has overcome the world.  And He is our Good Shepherd.  Follow Him!

In Christ,

Pastor Bryan

P.S.  As we go through the valleys, we grow in our faith and become equipped to handle the valley experiences.  Don’t forget to look for others who are going through the valley.  It always helps to go through the valley with a friend.

He Leads Me in Paths of Righteousness For His Name's Sake

True story:  When my family and I still lived in the city, I almost always rode the bus downtown to work.  Day in and day out; week in and week out; year after year after year.  I nearly always sat in the same seat, and every day I saw the same people who also nearly always sat in their same seat.  (It’s almost like church!)

One day, for reasons I can’t remember, I drove our minivan to work and parked in the public parking lot.  At the end of my day, I grabbed my coat and did what I always did… I took the bus home.  As I got off the bus and walked the half-block to my house, I noticed that the minivan was not in the driveway.  Puzzled, I wondered where my wife went.  It wasn’t like her to leave without letting me know.  It was a question I was still pondering as I turned the key and stepped into the porch… and was cheerfully greeted by my lovely wife!  And that’s when it hit me.  I came home, but my minivan didn’t.  I was so accustomed to my little routine that I completely forgot to drive my own vehicle home!  So, back downtown I went on the next bus.  I can’t remember if I got a parking ticket or not, but either way, there went a couple of hours of my life that I’ll never get back.  That, my friends, is called a rut!

Sheep are lot like that.  Left unto themselves, they will walk the same paths until they form well-worn ruts… ruts that are hard to get out of when the storms of life make them muddy and sticky.  Sheep will gravitate to the same grazing area, nibbling it bare until they eventually paw at the ground to chew up even the roots.  There may be succulent pasture nearby, but habits are very comfortable, both for sheep and for people.  Even when we know that our habits may destroy our health, our families, our reputations, or our very lives, we still tend to gravitate to what we know when we operate in our own wisdom and will.

In the Old Testament, God frequently referred to the Hebrews as a “stubborn” and a “stiff-necked” people.  And if I’m being honest, I would have been right at home with them.  Proverbs 14:12 says, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.”  These exact words are repeated in Proverbs 16:25. (I guess I’m too sheep-like to get it the first time.)

But a good shepherd won’t just leave his sheep to suffer the consequences of their stubbornness.  Not without leading them and showing them a better way.  Similarly, The Good Shepherd is not going to leave me to the fate I’ve earned for myself without first showing me a better way and giving me the opportunity to follow Him.  Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6) 

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” (John 10:27)

Where does Jesus lead us?  In paths of righteousness.  Through His word, He teaches us how we ought to live.  He shows us how we ought to relate to one another.  Through His example, He demonstrates to us that “instead of adding to the sorrows and sadness of society we may be called on to help bear some of the burdens of others, to enter into the suffering of others.” (Keller, 1970)

But following Jesus in paths of righteousness isn’t always easy.  It’s not a paved freeway.  It’s more like a rugged trail.  Jesus taught, “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” (Matthew 7:13-14)

What does it take to follow Jesus in the path of righteousness that He desires for us?  It takes self-sacrifice.  In Mark 8:34, Jesus said, “If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.”  That’s why it’s a narrow gate.  It’s not going to be easy.  He never promised it would be.  But it will be worth it in the end.  “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” (1 Corinthians 2:9)

Finally, there’s one other thing we must remember.  The reason that Jesus leads us in paths of righteousness is “for His Name’s sake.”  The reputation of the shepherd is affected by the condition of the sheep.  Philippians 1:11 says that we should be “filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.”

So that’s the ultimate goal of this verse, after all.  The reason Jesus leads us in paths of righteousness isn’t just because He loves us (He does) and wants the best for us (He does that, too.)  But at the end of the day, when we follow Him in the path He chooses for us, we bring Him glory.  And when our lives take on His glory, other sheep (and people) can’t help but follow along.

If you hear Him calling you to follow His lead today, I encourage you to step out of your rut and give His way a try.  I know you’ll be glad you did.

In Christ,

Pastor Bryan

He Restores My Soul

As I work through this study of Psalm 23, I am struck by just how “high-maintenance” sheep are. 

I remember when my children were small, we would watch VeggieTales together.  In the episode, “Dave and the Giant Pickle,” which was a re-telling of the story of David and Goliath, Junior Asparagus played the role of the young shepherd boy, David.  One of the challenges he faced was that his sheep were constantly falling over, and “David” would have to lift them up and put them on their feet again.

We all laughed and thought it was funny, but we really didn’t understand the gag.  What I know now that I didn’t know then is that this is a real, and dangerous, problem among sheep.  When a sheep rolls over on its side and can’t get up, it is called being “cast down”.  In this situation, gases build up in the rumen (part of the sheep’s stomach), and the circulation is cut off to the sheep’s limbs.  Death is certain unless the shepherd comes along and gets the sheep upright again.

But how do sheep become cast down in the first place?  W. Phillip Keller, in his book, “A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23,” (Zondervan, 1970, Grand Rapids), gives us a couple of ways in which this can happen.

First, the sheep may have found a nice, comfortable, hollowed out spot in the ground to lie down in.  It may be comfortable, but the sheep doesn’t recognize the danger.  When it tries to get up, gravity and leverage are against it, and it may end up rolling over on its side and becoming “cast down.”

The parallel here for the Christian is that sometimes we, too, seek the soft, easy spot.  It’s comfortable.  All is well.  Life is good.  We don’t realize the danger we are in because we are not being trained to deal with adversity.  When adversity comes, and it always comes, we are unable to handle it, and we become cast down. 

Romans 5:3-5 says, “… but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”  So, in the grand scheme of things, a little bit of trial is good for us.  It’s like resistance training for our spirits.

Second, the sheep may become cast down because of the weight of its heavy fleece.  As Keller writes, “Often when the fleece becomes very long and heavily matted with mud, manure, burrs, and other debris, it is much easier for a sheep to become cast, literally weighed down with its own wool.” (Keller, 1970)

Again, there is a parallel here for Christians.  We can become weighed down by our own guilt and past failures; unable to break the bonds of sin, bad habits, or addictions.  Satan’s lies can drown out the truth of who we are in Christ.  So, we become cast down, stuck in the mire, until our Shepherd lifts us up.

Suddenly, the following Bible verse makes much more sense, considering it was written by David, the shepherd-king who understood his own tendency to be a sheep in need of a shepherd:  “Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me?“ (Psalm 42:11, emphasis mine.)

David viewed his soul as being “cast down”.  His soul is fallen over; collapsed; dying; and unable to save itself.  His only hope is in God.  To have one’s soul cast down is a very dire situation, indeed.

Thankfully, the story doesn’t end there, for the sheep, for David, or for us.  As David continues in the remainder of Psalm 42:11, “Hope in God; For I shall yet praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God.”  We are not left alone, for our Shepherd runs to us when we are cast down, and helps us back to our feet, if we allow Him. 

“I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” (Psalm 121:1)

So, if you are feeling “cast down” today, remember that you don’t have to go it alone.  There is a Shepherd who is searching for you, and He will find you, lift you up, and restore your soul.

Be blessed,

Pastor Bryan

He Leads Me Beside Still Waters

Is there anything more serene than to find yourself on the bank of a peaceful pond or a gently bubbling brook on a brilliant spring morning?  Just breathing in the purity of the air while being soothed by the flow of the water is like breathing in the fresh aroma of new hope.  You’d think that sheep, or people, for that matter, would diligently seek out such places, wouldn’t you?  But you’d be wrong.

Sheep tend not to be the brightest bulbs on the string, if you know what I mean.  Instead of pursuing the best and most beautiful of water sources, they grow impatient.  Desiring to get all they can as soon as they can, they often drink from the first stagnant puddle they come across, regardless of the filth or poison that lies within.

But a good shepherd knows where the best water source is, and he will lead his sheep to it.  They’re not going to find it on their own.  They are not smart enough, patient enough, or determined enough.  They need the shepherd to lead them.

As David was writing this psalm, he knew that people have the same tendency as sheep.  However, David wasn’t just writing about physical water as a source of hydration.  He was talking about “living water” and how it refreshes our spirits.  In Psalm 42:1, David wrote, “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for You, my God.”  Our soul desires God so much that David compared it to an intense thirst that revealed itself in panting.  It’s a thirst that must be quenched.

But like sheep, our nature is that we are neither patient nor determined when it comes to satisfying our parched souls.  We tend to take the easy way out and look for fulfillment in that which never fully satisfies: alcohol or other drugs or addictions; sports and entertainment; power and wealth; relationships; self-improvement; you get the hint.  We try to satisfy our thirsty souls with the contaminated puddles of human invention, and it often leaves us sick and tired; and still trying to fill the void.

But there is one Good Shepherd who will lead us beside the still waters; the living waters of true, pure soul refreshment.  His name is Jesus, and in fact He IS the living water.

In John chapter 4, Jesus is speaking with a Samaritan woman at a well.  Jesus asks the woman for a drink.  She is shocked, because it was unheard of for a Jewish man to speak to a Samaritan woman.  Jesus says to the woman, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” (v 10)

Referring to the water in the well, Jesus elaborates, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (v 13-14)

A little later, speaking to a crowd of people, Jesus said, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” (John 7:37-38)

So, an earthly shepherd, who happens to be a good shepherd, will lead his sheep to sources of good, pure water where they can be refreshed.  Christians, on the other hand, have something even better.  We have The Good Shepherd who not only leads us to pure water, but in fact IS the living water.  And when we want Jesus as much as a sheep longs for still waters, or as much as the panting deer wants the thirst-quenching, life-giving water, He will be right there to fill us with His living water, through prayer, through the Bible, and through sweet fellowship with other believers, in person (or on the phone or video chats as the current situation requires).  There, we will find our rest and comfort.

“For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and He will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” – Revelation 7:17

So, take heart.  Seek the Good Shepherd and follow Him wherever He leads you.  There, you will find the still waters, the living waters, that will rejuvenate your soul like nothing else can.

Drink deeply!

Pastor Bryan

He Makes Me Lie Down in Green Pastures

One of the things that I’m learning about sheep as I work through Psalm 23 is that sheep are finicky.  They can be fussy.  They are easily bothered and easily frightened.  Therefore, we can’t just take it for granted that sheep will lie down of their own accord, even in green pastures.

If sheep are afraid, they won’t lie down.  If there is friction or tension in the flock, they won’t rest.  If they are hungry, or if some external influence is bothering them, they won’t settle.  To top it off, sheep are incapable of resolving these issues on their own.  They need their shepherd.

Doesn’t that sound a lot like people?  We have a lot of fears… some real; some imaginary.  We worry about our health.  We worry about our finances.  We worry about our jobs.  We worry about our kids.  We worry about our parents.  We worry about the weather.  And most of it is out of our control.

And we have friction.  With our spouses.  With our families.  With our co-workers.  With other believers.  Sometimes we have some control over that, and sometimes we don’t.

What about the hunger?  We long for so many things, but especially that elusive thing called, “just a little bit more.”  Like a mirage on the road, when we finally get a little bit more, we still need a little bit more.

Afraid, irritated, and hungry.  That pretty much sums up people in general.  And I don’t know about you, but I am never at my best when I am like that.  And I haven’t even talked about green pastures yet.

David, the author of this Psalm, was well acquainted with the dry, arid climate that Israel’s shepherds had to deal with.  A flock of sheep didn’t find itself in green pastures by accident.  It was led there deliberately by the shepherd, who probably played a large part in the nurturing of the pasture in the first place.

One of the most interesting things I learned about sheep during this lesson, however, is that nothing settles a flock more than the presence of the shepherd.  W. Phillip Keller writes, “The presence of their master and owner and protector put them at ease as nothing else could do, and this applied day and night.”[1]

As a Christian, when I truly understand that Christ is there with me, then I can let go of the things that are bothering me and allow the Good Shepherd to do His work.

When I am afraid, He quiets my fear by reminding me that “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7) 

When the circumstances seem overwhelming, He reassures me by promising that “all things work together for good to those who love God…” (Romans 8:28a)

When others are getting on my nerves, He gently turns my focus back to where it needs to be, in that my focus must be to follow the Shepherd, and let the Shepherd be the one who deals with the other sheep.  (“If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!” (John 21:22))  It’s amazing how the friction disappears when we know that the Shepherd is here.

And when I find myself worrying about my position, my possessions, or my pension, He shows me the green pasture that He has already provided, and whispers to me, “Do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.  But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matthew 6:31-33)

At last, with my Shepherd nearby, I can rest peacefully and bask His presence in the extravagance of His green pasture, covered by His promise that “godliness with contentment is great gain.” (1 Timothy 6:6)

May He bless you with great gain today, and may you rest in green pastures.

Pastor Bryan

[1] Keller, W. Phillip. A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23. Zondervan, 1970.

I Shall Not Want

When David wrote these words, he was writing from the perspective of a sheep.  I confess, that sometimes my tendency to be a sheep shows up when I see something I don’t like, and say, “Baaaah!”  Thankfully, that isn’t what David was thinking about when he penned this psalm!

What does it mean to be a sheep who does not want for anything?  Well, it means he has a good shepherd who makes sure he has food and water, shelter from the elements, protection from danger, and someone to go find him and lead him home when he goes astray.  His hurts and sicknesses are tended to.

But when David wrote this psalm, he knew that it was also about something far deeper than having his physical needs fulfilled.  Most scholars believe that David wrote this psalm later in life, and therefore he is writing from experience.  Consider some of the experience that David went through in his life:

• At the beginning of his leadership career, he was hunted down by his boss and former mentor, King Saul.  David was on the run for several years of his life. 

• David experienced the tragic loss of his best friend, Jonathan, whom he loved dearly. 

• David lost a son in infancy as the heartbreaking outcome of his act of adultery with Bathsheba and murder of her husband.

• Later on, David experienced the painful betrayal of a son, Absalom, who tried to seize the throne through a coup.

• At the end of his life, yet another son, Adonijah, tried to seize the throne against David’s wishes.

In all this, David came to realize that none of us, not even Israel’s greatest king, is immune from hardship and struggle.  Yet he could say, “I shall not want.”  How can this be?

One word: Trust.

You see, through all of these difficult experiences, David found that God was always there to see him through.  In another psalm, David penned these beautiful words: “He will not let your foot slip- He who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, He who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.” (Psalm 121:3-4).  What a peace that David proclaimed amid physical trial, that his God, the one to whom David belonged, would keep watch over David without interruption and without fail.  David trusted God because God had proven to be trustworthy.

We can have this same confidence, provided we have put ourselves under the care and direction of the Good Shepherd!  W. Phillip Keller writes, “Contentment should be the hallmark of the man or woman who has put his or her affairs in the hands of God.”

From our perspective, we are contented in the Good Shepherd’s care.  The retirement package is nice to have, and it may or may not come to fruition, but our assurance in Christ is so solid that the fate of the retirement package does not consume us.  Our physical health is a beautiful thing if we have it, but even if we don’t, we are at peace, because we know that “to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” (Philippians 1:21).  In that moment when we draw our final breath, we are going home to Jesus, so we win no matter what!

The Apostle Paul lived out this faith in an exemplary way.  “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.  I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:12-13)

I should add that Paul also knew what it was like to live in isolation and still be content in the Lord, given his time spent in a Roman prison, where he wrote several books of the Bible!

Jesus said to Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9).  It is Him who gives us strength.  We don’t get it from ourselves.  Our contentment comes from Jesus.  I shall not want, because He gives me the strength and grace to be at peace in all situations, including this pandemic.

So, as we continue to move forward into the days ahead, although we don’t know exactly how each day will unfold, let our focus be this: “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 4:19

The Lord is my Shepherd.  I shall not want.  Therefore, it is well with my soul.

Be blessed,

Pastor Bryan

The Lord Is My Shepherd

I am currently taking a class on Psalm 23.  Eventually, I plan to preach this as a sermon, but I thought that since we all have a little time on our hands for reading, I’d like to invite you along the journey with me.  I plan to write a blog post for each phrase in the Psalm.  So, pour yourself a cup of coffee or tea, grab your Bibles, and let’s look at Psalm 23 together over the next couple of weeks.

“The Lord is my Shepherd.”  This statement opens one of the greatest and most well-known (and well-loved) Psalms of David.  And who better to know this than David, the shepherd who was the son of a shepherd? 

If anybody knows the nature of sheep, it is David.  And if anybody knows the character traits required of a shepherd, it is David!  Where was David when Samuel came to anoint him King of Israel?  He was out tending his sheep.  When David was about to battle the giant Goliath, he recalled how God had helped him defend his sheep by killing a lion and a bear.  Yes, David is the right person to draw the parallel between how a shepherd relates to his sheep, and how the Lord relates to His people.

This Psalm gives us a rich look into the character of God and His attitude toward us.  And this first phrase lays the foundation for all the rest that follow.

THE LORD is my Shepherd.

Not just any lord.  THE LORD.  The ONLY LORD. 

As God is speaking to Moses, He clearly identifies how unique He is.  “See now that I, even I, am He, and there is no god beside Me;” – Deuteronomy 32:39.

Furthermore, as God is delivering the Ten Commandments, He clarifies again, “I am the Lord your God… You shall have no other gods before me.” – Exodus 20:2-3

He is the One True God, and there is no other like Him.

The LORD is my Shepherd.

This is not just a casual title.  If you notice in your Bibles, each letter in this word is capitalized… LORD.  When used this way, it refers to God’s proper name, “YHWH”, or Yahweh.  This identifies that it is the Supreme Being, the Creator of the Universe, the Most High God who is our shepherd.  This should give us a lot of confidence, because who else would we want leading us and caring for us right now? 

Because of who He is, there is nothing that matches Him in power.  As we read in Jeremiah 32:37, “Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me?”

The LORD IS my Shepherd.

It’s not that He was my shepherd, and now He is not.  He is my Shepherd.  Even in the midst of trial and tragedy, He is my Shepherd.  God doesn’t stop being God in the face of a pandemic.  In fact, that is when the shepherd is most important to the sheep: when life gets dark, and the path becomes hard, and the enemy prowls, the shepherd is never more needed than he is at that time. 

Because our shepherd is the One True God, we can have confidence that He knows what to do and has the ability to do it.

The LORD is MY Shepherd.

Before I believed in Jesus and accepted His free gift of salvation, He was a shepherd, but He wasn’t my Shepherd.  But once I believed, He became my shepherd, and all of the promises contained in the rest of the Psalm became promises intended for me.  If you are a Christian, then these promises are for you, too, because you can also say, “The LORD is my shepherd.”

And if He is our Shepherd, then that means that we are His sheep.  By way of the fact that He created us, we belong to Him.  And by way of the fact that through His blood He bought us, we belong to Him.  Through Creation and Salvation, we doubly belong to Jesus!

But in saying that He is our shepherd, we are acknowledging His right to us, and we are respecting His authority and ownership.

And if, in your life, He is merely a shepherd and not your Shepherd, know that you can make that change this very day by believing in Jesus and accepting Him as Lord of your life.  I invite you to reach out via our contact page if you want to know more about that.

The LORD is my SHEPHERD.

Now we come to the crux of the matter.  The LORD is my Shepherd!  He is the one who cares for us, who provides for us, who loves us, who protects us. 

Sheep do not just take care of themselves.  They have a flock (or mob) mentality.  They can be fearful and timid.  They can be stubborn and stupid.  They get down and then can’t get up again without the shepherd.  Any way you look at it, it’s not surprising that this parallel between sheep and people, and a shepherd and Jesus, is so prominent in the Bible. 

Yet still Christ takes us as His own and cares for us.

If sheep have a poor shepherd, they will be gaunt, and week, and full of parasites.  They will look through the fence and long for the green grass of the meadows that are tended by the good shepherd. 

But if sheep have a good shepherd, they will be healthy and well-nourished, protected and watered, grazing peacefully in lush meadows where they are safe from predators.  The good shepherd will spend his life caring for his sheep in all ways.

I am so happy that my Shepherd is The Good Shepherd.  Jesus said in John 10:11, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”  And in John 10:14, He said again, “I am the good shepherd. I know My own and My own know Me…”

During this time of confusion and fear, we can be assured that we have a Good Shepherd who is watching out for us, and will guide us through this challenge with wisdom that only He has.

Over the next couple of weeks, we will be studying the character of the Good Shepherd, as described in Psalm 23.  I hope you’ll come along with me for the journey.

Pastor Bryan

God Ignores Quarantine - Is Still Everywhere!

Full disclosure: this is not my headline.  I found this on The Babylon Bee, and it immediately brought a smile to my face, so I wanted to share it with you, including this little nugget… “Hospitals, nursing homes, prisons -- wherever He is needed, God is going.”

While I enjoyed a lighthearted chuckle over my morning coffee, this reminded me of the transcendent nature of God.  (Transcendent = “superior or supreme in excellence; surpassing others”). 

First of all, as the headline alludes to, God is omnipresent.  That means He is everywhere.  He is with us in our isolation.  He is with our friends and loved ones in their isolation.  His presence is reflected in the very nature of His name, “I AM.”  In Matthew 28:20, Jesus said, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Secondly, God is omniscient.  That means He is all-knowing.  Coronavirus didn’t catch God by surprise.  He’s not shocked by the turbulence of the stock market.  He knew before it started how it would end.  Although we may still be anxious about the unknown, God is not anxious at all.  For the Christian, that means we can take our cares to Him and trust Him, because He knows all about it.  Literally.  1 Peter 5:6-7 says, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time.  Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.”

Third, God is omnipotent.  That means He is all-powerful.  Regardless of what we hear in the media, God is in complete control over the coronavirus, as He is with everything else in the universe.  I don’t profess to know why God has allowed the pandemic to take place.  I’ll let others debate that.  But here is what I know from the Bible:

• Luke 12:22-26 - “Do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?”

• Psalm 27:1 - “The Lord is my light and my salvation – whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life – of whom shall I be afraid?”

• Revelation 1:17-18 - “Then He placed His right hand on me and said: Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last.  I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.”

• Romans 8:28 – “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

So remember, God is with us, He knows all about our situation, and He is still in control.  Amen.

Be blessed and stay safe.

Our Eyes Are On You!

One of my favourite prayers in the Bible was given by a man named Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles 20.

For context, Jehoshaphat was the King of Judah when the Moabites formed a large alliance with other enemies of Israel and marched against Jehoshaphat.  The situation was bleak.  Listen to verse 3: “Then Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his face to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.”

Jehoshaphat was clearly outnumbered, and under normal circumstances, Judah’s doom seemed imminent.

But circumstances are never normal when God is engaged!

Jehoshaphat gathered the people together and led them in prayer in verses 6 through 12.

1. Jehoshaphat Acknowledged God’s Power

“O Lord, God of our fathers, are you not God in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. In your hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand you.”

We know that God never changes.  He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.  He is still God in Heaven.  He still rules over all the countries and nations.  He still holds power and might in His hand.  And nothing, not even coronavirus, is able to withstand Him.

2. Jehoshaphat Remembered God’s Help In Past Times

“Did you not, our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel, and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend? And they have lived in it and have built for you in it a sanctuary for your name, saying, ‘If disaster comes upon us, the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we will stand before this house and before you—for your name is in this house—and cry out to you in our affliction, and you will hear and save.’”

Jehoshaphat remembered how God had previously defeated their enemies and settled His people in the promised land.  Jehoshaphat remembered that the people could come to God and seek His help, and He would hear them and save them.

Even so today, we need to remember all of the things that God has done for us in the past.  We can all think of ways that He has helped us, or healed us, or guided us, or sustained us.  We have come through wars, plagues, famines, depressions, and recessions, and He has always been by our side.  So we can be confident that He will be by our sides now, too.  Take a moment to write down some of the ways in which God has been there for you in the past.

3. Jehoshaphat Brought the Current Situation Before God

“And now behold, the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir, whom you would not let Israel invade when they came from the land of Egypt, and whom they avoided and did not destroy—behold, they reward us by coming to drive us out of your possession, which you have given us to inherit. O our God, will you not execute judgment on them? For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us.”

We can be confident that God is able to hear and understand our concerns:  the threat of illness; the fear and doubt of the unknown; the anxiety of seeing empty shelves at the grocery store.  We don’t have to pretend that everything is ok.  We don’t have to pretend that this isn’t stressful.  Of course it is!  But God is able to understand, and He is able to deal with it all.  It’s ok to tell God about our feelings.  Even this good King of Judah brought his concerns fully to God.

4. Jehoshaphat Acknowledged His Weakness and Placed His Trust In God

“We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on You.”

If I’m being honest, I really don’t know what to do, other than take each day as it comes right now.  But by giving it up to God, and not trying to mentally cross bridges that may never exist, I can trust God to deal with the situation in His way, and I can be better prepared to hear and understand His instructions.  Our eyes are on Him.  We don’t know what to do, but He does, and that makes all the difference.

So today, turn your eyes to God.  Use Jehoshaphat’s prayer as a model for your own.  God is in control, and He knows what to do.

Thanks for reading, and thanks for praying.

Be Still And Know...

For reasons I don’t claim to understand fully, I’ve had a tune rolling around in my head all morning.  It’s a Jeremy Camp song, called “Be Still.”  It’s based on Psalm 46:10  “Be still, and know that I am God.  I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”

The first part of this verse tells us to “be still.”  That’s a concept that is hard to grasp sometimes.  In this crazy world, I often don’t know what it means to be still.  I need to “be doing.”  I’m a fixer.  I fix problems.  At work, at home, at church.  It doesn’t really matter if I don’t have the technical skill, because I have the organization skill to get stuff done.  “Being still” drives me nuts.

But now, for the most part, the world is being told to “be still.”  Yes, there is still work to be done.  But as far as running errands, and living our lives, for the time being we must “be still.”

But there are strawberries in the situation… There are opportunities to be had in “being still.”  How many of us have had a real conversation with our spouses and children?  When is the last time we played a game, or watched a movie that made us laugh so hard our sides hurt?  When is the last time we truly read a good book, or… wait for it… the Bible?  When is the last time we truly took some time to “know God?”

The reality is that God gives us the strength to get through difficult times. 

Consider Isaiah 40:31 – “but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”

He isn’t saying they “might”.  He is saying they “will”.  It is a promise that those of us who are waiting for the Lord, as we are right now, will have our strength renewed.  We will!

During the first Passover, the Hebrews had to wait inside their homes, with the lamb’s blood marking their doorposts, while the angel of death passed over them.  Eventually, their waiting was complete, and the angel of death had passed over, and the Hebrews left Egypt on their way to the Promised Land.  They had to be still and know that He is God!  And He certainly was God!

The second part of Psalm 46:10 reminds us that God will be exalted among the nations, God will be exalted in the earth!”  The earth is still His.  And it will remain so, even while we are waiting.  Waiting out coronavirus.  Waiting out the economy.  Waiting for the Lord. 

So be still… talk, pray, read, play, and find reasons to laugh.  You aren’t alone.  We are all in this together, and God will be exalted. 

Thanks for reading, and thanks for praying.

Pastor Bryan

Oh, and PS: the phone lines don’t have be “self-isolated.”  And neither does email.  Reach out and let someone know you care!

The One Who Is Still In Control

As Captain Obvious would say, “These are uncertain times.”  You don’t need me to tell you that.  Think of the words that now mark our daily vocabulary:  protests; corruption; hatred; market crashes; and now, pandemics.  This all adds up to a lot of anxiety because we live in uncertain times, and we don’t deal well with uncertainty.

Let me tell you about another time of uncertainty.  Consider the Book of Esther, which is in the Old Testament in the Bible.  In this time of history, there was a lot of uncertainty for Esther’s people, the Jews.  Many of them were still living in Persia (modern-day Iran).  Persia was the world’s most powerful empire at that time.  The Persian King, Xerxes, was ramping up his war machine to try to suppress the rising Greeks.  His right-hand man, Haman, was developing a plot to exterminate the Jews from the empire entirely.  So, the Jews faced a rising enemy empire on the outside, and a genocidal threat on the inside.  Uncertainty, indeed!

While everything seemed uncertain at the human level, God had a plan, and He was still in control.  In His sovereignty, God raised up two ordinary people from within the Jewish community: Esther, who became Queen of Persia, and Mordecai, her cousin and guardian, who eventually became the Prime Minister.  Through their courage and faith, God used them to thwart Haman’s plan and save the Jewish people.  This miraculous intervention had (and still has) eternal impacts for all of us today.  Had Haman’s plan succeeded, the birth line of the Saviour, Jesus Christ, would have been wiped out.  But God had a master plan, as well as a plan to deal with the uncertainty of the times, and His plans always succeed.

As Christians, we can take comfort in Esther’s story.  Esther and Mordecai didn’t know exactly how everything would work out, but they had courage and faith that God was in control, and that He would work things out in the end. 

As for those Greeks?  They eventually did take over from the Persians, just like God said they would in the Book of Daniel.  Because they did, we have the Bible that we have today.  Our uncertainty is God’s certainty.  He knows the end from the beginning. 

Take courage, have faith, and take care of each other.