Reminder - After the Valley

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

Psalm 23:4 NKJV

Christian or cretin - the Twenty-third Psalm is one of the most well-known passages of Scripture in the world today. Children and adults alike can recite it for you. It's similar to a Christmas carol in that respect. We all know the words, but when was the last time we paid close attention to what the words really say?

I've always been partial to God preparing a table before me in the presence of my enemies... (take that, devil!), but next to verse 1 - The Lord is my Shepherd... - I think our text, verse 4, is the second most well-known phrasing. Two important things to note here - it's the shadow of death not Death Valley, and we're walking THROUGH. We're not staying. We're not setting up camp or a souvenir stand. We may have "been there done that" but we don't need to sell tickets for the side show or sell postcards of it. We're walking through. Keep moving...

Yessiree, keep moving because it's AFTER the valley that we find the goodness and mercy following us all the days of our lives. Praise His Holy Name!

Prayer;

Father,
          I never cease to be amazed at Your goodness and mercy toward us. Thank You for comforting us as we walk through the valley. Thank You for bringing us through to the other side. Giving You all praise - In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

From Now Until Easter - Green Pastures, Still Waters

From Ash Wednesday until Easter, I will post from Lent and Easter devotionals offered online. Tonight's post features excerpts written by John Boyer, an active duty wing chaplain (Lt. Col.) for the largest fighter wing in the Air Force, located at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona. John has been an RCA chaplain since 2003, serving both in the Army and in the Air Force.

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The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me;  your rod and your staff - they comfort me.

Psalm 23:1-4

Let’s be honest: life can be full of so much noise—so many distractions, so much busyness—and the temptation for many can be to just get swept away by all of it. There are meetings to be at, functions to attend, demands to be met, and if we’re not careful, we can be in danger of drifting away from our Lord. Though we live in a society that seems to continually clamor in both speed and noise, our passage today reminds us of a bygone era when the pace was a bit slower and the noise was a bit less. The psalmist’s words invoke an image of peace, rest, and tranquility - an image that has resonated with souls over millennia.

I count myself blessed, having experienced in nature my soul being rejuvenated next to peaceful pastures and streams of quiet waters. And though I don’t always have the means of picking up and physically traveling to [such] a location... I do have the ability of reading the passage, closing my eyes (wherever I am), and imagining myself in this place Scripture reveals. On many occasions, even in the midst of the busyness and distractions of life, I have recalled the words of the psalmist, imagining myself in this place of tremendous beauty and peace, and there I center my spirit and quiet my soul.

I encourage you, in this season of Lent, to take a moment today and ask our Good Shepherd to lead your spirit next to a place of green pastures and quiet waters—so that He may restore your soul.

Prayer: 

Good Shepherd, 

                         Today would You help to quiet the noise and limit the distractions so I can hear Your still, small voice? Lead me in the way of green pastures and quiet waters, and guide me in Your paths of righteousness—for Your kingdom and Your glory. Amen.

Make Me

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul...
Psalm 23:1-3a NKJM

Linda Stone is a former Apple and Microsoft executive who identified a specific phenomenon about 25 years ago and called it "continuous partial attention". It is defined as "paying partial attention, continuously". So... how many people came to your mind when you read that? 

We all know someone or several someones or maybe it's us who buzz through life in this hyper-alert mode, trying to stay keyed in to everything that's going on around us. We delude ourselves into thinking that if we know everything that's going on we can better control our environment or be better prepared for perceived disaster or avert it altogether. It's a false sense of security. A lie.

The truth of the matter is that by and large, as a society we have lost the ability to sit quietly. We are constantly interrupted by pings and rings and things that buzz and vibrate to get our attention. We live in a heightened sense of stress from overstimulation and/or of being overwhelmed by the constant barrage of information. 

In Mark 6:31 NLT, Jesus said to His disciples, “Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile.” He said this because there were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his apostles didn’t even have time to eat. You know there are numerous verses about Jesus going off into the wilderness to pray and be alone to hear from the Father.

When we don't get away to rest, when we don't take time to clear our minds, we lose our ability to reflect, to make decisions, and to think creatively. We cannot do anything wholeheartedly when our attention is so divided. How often do we sit with pen and paper by our side while praying or reading or worshiping - not to write what the Holy Spirit might say to us - but to jot down what we don't want to forget we have to do later? Selah... What can you turn off? 

Prayer:

Father,

          Make us to lie down in green pastures. Lead us beside the still waters. Restore our souls. Forgive us for all the busyness. Teach us how to rest in You, how to rest with You. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need.

He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams.

He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name.

Even when I walk through the darkest valley,  I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.

You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies.

You honor me by anointing my head with oil.

My cup overflows with blessings.

Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.

In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen

*After the Valley

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
Psalm 23:4 NKJV

Christian or cretin - the Twenty-third Psalm is one of the most well-known passages of Scripture in the world today. Children and adults alike can recite it for you. It's similar to a Christmas carol in that respect. We all know the words, but when was the last time we actually paid attention to what the words really say?

I've always been partial to God preparing a table before me in the presence of my enemies... (take that, devil!), but next to verse 1 - The Lord is my Shepherd... - I think our text, verse 4, is the 2nd most well-known phrasing. Two important things to note here - it's the shadow of death not Death Valley, and we're walking THROUGH. We're not staying. We're not setting up camp or a souvenir stand. We may have "been there done that" but we don't need to sell tickets for the side show or sell postcards of it. We're walking through. Keep moving...

Yessiree, keep moving because it's AFTER the valley that we find the goodness and mercy following us all the days of our lives. Praise His Holy Name!

Prayer;

Father,
          I never cease to be amazed at Your goodness and mercy toward us. Thank You for comforting us as we walk through the valley. Thank You for bringing us through to the other side. Giving You all praise - In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

* Managing Your Stress

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

1^st Peter 5:7 NIV

Recently, I received an email about stress management. It was one I had seen before, but this particular version had been modified from the one I had read previously. It started with an illustration. You may have seen it before, too.

A lecturer, when explaining stress management to an audience, raised a glass of water and asked, "How heavy is this glass of water?" Answers called out ranged from 20g to 500g.  
The lecturer replied, "The absolute weight doesn't matter.  It depends on how long you try to hold it.  If I hold it for a minute, that's not a problem.  If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm.  If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance.  In each case, it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes."

He continued, "And that's the way it is with stress management.  If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won't be able to carry on...”

I immediately thought of our text for today. Of course, the secular world has all kinds of suggestions on how to make it better, and I thought about doing a comparison of the original suggestions to see how many of them were based on Scripture, but I thought I’d just rather do this.

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul...Psalm 23:2-3 KJV

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 NLT

Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows… Isaiah 53:4a NKJV

The chastisement for our peace was upon Him… Isaiah 53:5c NKJV

The syllabus for our stress management course is called The Bible… Pay close attention to what is written in red.

 Prayer:

 Father,

          We pray according to Your Word in Psalm 25,  Show us the right path, O Lord; point out the road for us to follow.  Lead us by Your truth and teach us, for You are the God who saves us. All day long we put our hope in You. Remember, O Lord, Your compassion and unfailing love, which You have shown from long ages past.  Do not remember the rebellious sins of our youth. Remember us in the light of Your unfailing love, for You are merciful, O Lord. In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen