![]() Psalms 23 How full is your schedule? How much time have you set aside to simply rest in the Lord? Every day is full of busyness and demands that we need to fulfill. Kid's school activities are a real trial to keeping any kind of schedule for family only time. Time to reconnect after a busy day is vital to the health of a family. Even the Lord would take time away from the pressure of His day to seek restoration. He sought time alone with His Father so that He could commune with Him and seek encouragement and reassurance. While Jesus knows the beginning from the end, He still went to His Father for strength and comfort. His time in the garden, His time in the desert, His transfiguration were all examples for us to follow, especially when life around us becomes more than we can handle. Jesus would take His disciples apart for a time of teaching and companionship. He knew His disciples needed His guidance and wisdom for the path that was before them. He knew that they would need to be reminded to take time to rest and regain strength. He knew that when we, His disciples, become task saturated, when we have sensory overload, He wants us to take time with Him alone to renew our strength and clear away the distractions. He wants us to focus on Him alone so that we can once again regain our first love. He even commanded us to set aside a Sabbath day so that we could spend time seeking His face and His will for our lives. His word is filled with promises that He wants us to be familiar with. He desires us to rest in the promise of an eternity spent with Him.
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![]() Psalms 23:1b I have learned in my years of raising my sons how to determine the difference between want and need. Many of their requests and yes, demands, were things they simply could not live without. Their lives would be worthless without whatever their particular 'need' was that week. In trying to be a good parent, I many times made tough choices about wants versus needs. Most of the time, my decisions were not met with gratitude and appreciation. The tough choices were based on finances, safety and appropriateness. Some of the time we can tell the difference between need and want but we don't always make the best choices. There are always those things that we absolutely must have. How many of those 'needs' become just one more thing in the closet that we rarely use or even think about? In the same way, when we go to the Lord with our 'needs', He doesn't always agree with our assessment of want versus need. He doesn't always immediately provide what we ask for and He doesn't always tell us why. Psalm 34:9,10 promises that we, His saints, will lack nothing. We are His saints and His provision is beyond what we could possibly ever want. Matthew 6:33 tells us to seek first the Kingdom of God and all these things will be added unto us. When we fasten our eyes firmly on the Lord and commit our lives to worship and serve Him, all those 'things' of the world that seemed so important tend to fade in comparison to the Creator of the universe. ![]() Psalm 23:1 A shepherd's job is to protect his sheep from dangers in the ground on which they walk and feed as well as from predators. He is required to know the lay of the land and keep his sheep in safe places. At times, he will need to drive them from dangerous areas or bring them back to the paths that will bring them safely home. There are many hidden dangers that we, as the sheep of the great Shepherd, are not aware of. We have to learn to trust our Shepherd to guide us around or through in our Christian walk. At times His guidance will seem harsh or unnecessary. We can't see the dangers of drifting off the path but He is very aware of the enemy's snares and traps and is willing to do what is necessary to keep us safe. When the Lord seems to be refusing us what we want, perhaps He is wanting us to stand still and wait on Him. He knows what is best for His wayward and strong willed sheep. He knows when it is safe to forge ahead and when we need to wait until He clears out the green pastures of dangers. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding." Good words from the psalmist who spent his youth learning how to be a good shepherd. ![]() Mark 10:51,52 "What do you want me to do for you?" Jesus asked him. The blind man said, "Rabbi, I want to see." "Go," said Jesus, "your faith has healed you." Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus down the road. Read Mark 10:46-52 Matthew 20:29-34 Luke 18:35-43 While not listed in Hebrews 11, the chapter on heroes of the faith, I see this man as a hero. He stood against those who would hold him back. He did not bow to political correctness. He cried out right where he was to the One Who could solve his problem. He saw in Jesus the way of redemption for both his spiritual and physical needs. He persisted in crying out to the great Healer. When Jesus ask a specific question, Bartimaeus answered specifically. He wanted to see. He wanted to cast off the cloak of blindness and take up a life of walking in the light. Whether the cloak that we cast off is one of sin causing spiritual blindness or one of poor choices, like Bart, we need to cast it off, jump to our feet and come to Jesus. He can heal our spiritual blindness, our emotional blindness that causes us to not see our sin and our tendency toward stubbornness when we refuse to see our sin. After being healed, Bartimaeus set out to follow Jesus down the road of life. His spiritual growth began as a first step. His journey to salvation and serving the Lord began when he chose to repent and cast off his past. When we choose to follow this man's example, we too can set out on a life time journey of following Jesus. We may not receive instant sight but we will always be able to see the One Who can give us greater sight. ![]() Psalm 57:1-3 Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me, for in You, my soul takes refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of Your wings until the disaster has passed. I cry out to God most high, to God, Who fulfills His purpose for me. He sends from heaven and saves me, rebuking those who hotly pursue me; Selah God sends His love and His faithfulness. Read Psalm 57 Sometimes when all life's trials and challenges come against us, we have only to look at the source of our strength and
our joy. God has given us a promise that He will see His purpose for us to completion. Isaiah 29:11 tells us that He knows the plans He has for us. We know that throughout His word He has proven His faithfulness. Even when we are in the valley or on the path to the valley or when we are climbing to the mountain tops, He is on the path with us. He is guiding us and protecting us from unseen dangers. When I was younger, (much younger), I was responsible for the care of the chickens. We had a mother hen that raised many broods of chicks. I watched as she would protect her young from the dangers that surrounded them. She would spread her wings and gather her little ones under those wings. Whether it was cold or hot or rain or hard winds, the chicks knew where to find their protective covering. They would run to her and trusted her to always be there for them. In the same way, Jesus is our protector and guide. Jesus said on His entry into Jerusalem that He would gather the people under His wings but they would not let Him. He is still spreading His wings over us and offering to be a sanctuary for us. Run to Him. He is the stronghold in our days of trouble. He doesn't always take us out of tribulation, but He always holds us close in His love through the tough times. |
AuthorPlease join us as we grow in Christ through our weekly devotions, written by Catherine Donaldson Archives
June 2021
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