This week's Bible Study - January 27, 2008
Breakthrough in Confidence
 Background Scripture:
Psalm 23:1-6
Quote of the Week:
“One should always play fairly when one has the winning cards.”
Oscar Wilde
The 23rd Psalm is perhaps the most well known passage in the Bible, at least for many people. It is quoted often in churches and at other times. Growing up in the church as I did, hearing hymns being sung week after week and scripture passages read week after week, I probably grew very accustomed to them. I know I didn't know all the words, but I suppose I got close with words that sounded the same, but probably had a much different meaning, if any meaning at all.
If you are accustomed to a style of worship or maybe an order of worship, another style or order may seem foreign. I've been to a few Catholic masses in my life and it always seemed that everyone in there knew what was going on except for me. They would stand up, sit down, kneel, all repeat the same words (but I detected the same thing as in my church, being close enough to some people that were speaking, but making no sense whatsoever - just close to sounding the same).
Sometimes, people in church leadership assume that everyone in the church knows what they know. For example, they may think that everyone knows the 23rd Psalm and all four stanzas of an old hymn by memory. When my father passed away a few years ago, we had the graveside ceremony with several folks - family and friends. The minister that was leading it, a long time friend of the family, said that we should all recite together the 23rd Psalm and then sing all four verses of Amazing Grace. Everyone started strong, but it sounded somewhat like the Tower of Babel - everyone speaking in different languages by the time we finished. Even given the circumstances, I found it somewhat humorous.
While the 23rd Psalm may be familiar to many believers and non believers alike, there is a danger in a passage that becomes too familiar. If, indeed, you know the words by heart, you may find yourself merely saying words and not thinking at all about what they mean. The 23rd Psalm is special to many because of the message that it gives us, not because it can be familiar. What does this passage say and how can it impact your life on a daily basis?
Often in the Bible, people are referred to as sheep, in need of a shepherd. Sheep are not the smartest animals in the animal kingdom, and while we may take some offense to that as humans, it is often true for us as well. Sheep wander away from their food and safety, into potential danger and death. There is the sweet spot where there needs are cared for, but they are prone to wander. Sound familiar?
Sheep are innocent, vulnerable for predators. They are very dependent on shepherds and those carrying for them. They don't seem to realize that. Munch, munch, munch.
The sheep know their shepherd. I've not really researched this, but I would imagine this is much as an animal knows its owner. In the midst of a bunch of other shepherds, I would imagine the sheep would be able to identify their guy, and likely the shepherd could identify their sheep. As they all came together with other sheep in a fold, I imagine the scene was much like many nurseries at church.
The Lord is my shepherd. Is this true for you? Some people don't want to follow any shepherd - they want to do it all on their own. They are very much like the sheep, following their own path to wherever, regardless of what is best. We are in dire need of a shepherd to guide us in the paths that we walk each and every day.
We know of the green pastures as Christians and we know of the peace. What do you think of when you think of green pastures? What would the sheep think of? You know they know the difference between a green pasture and one that has been spent. But, I'm not so sure they know where to go. In the green pastures, they have plenty of food, peace and can bask in the sun. As people, what do we see as green pastures? Sadly, even as believers, we buy into the commercials or the tending of society. The blades of grass look more lush, it seems. I seem to recall the book written by Erma Bombeck, "The grass is always greener over the septic tank." We need to know that God provides the green pastures. Don't be like the sheep that wants to wander someplace 'better'.
When we think of quiet waters, it seems to be far apart from where our lives are. Our minds are going a mile a minute - we have issues with jobs, finances, relationships, worries, health issues, etc. Our minds are so easily torn by these things. When we find the quiet waters, we find peace that the world cannot give. For those who are truly outdoors types - they find peace that they can't find elsewhere. I have friends in the Seattle area who are very much into kayaking in the Northwest. They have spoken about the peace that they find in the quiet areas, with no traffic, no people - only watching the water drift by and leaves swirling - and seeing the beauty of nature. Sometimes they can watch the fish in clear water and the bobbing of twigs and the sound that accompanies it - trees rustling in the wind and the sound of the water going past..
You can have a quiet time in your house - on your sofa, but that seems fleeting. There are always the other issues that surround us and bring us back to reality. This is the manmade peace. While you can find that peace in the outdoors, perhaps, it too is fleeting - it may last longer, but eventually you come back to real life. The quiet waters that God leads us beside are meant to calm us at anytime - whether you are outdoors, or at work or in the midst of anything else.
He restores my soul. There is the restoration that we seek following tragedy. When we experience that tragedy - watching the terrible news on the television - or problems that just seem to be so overwhelming, where do we turn? But, there is also the restoration that we can find on a daily basis. Each day we experience troubles and issues with work and friendships and finances and problems - even if they are not tragic. At the end of the day, it often feels like we are wounded. As believers, we need to find the restoration that God can give. For most of us, or most days, we CAN find that restoration by spending the time with the Lord in the mornings - meditating on God's word, clearing our minds and spending time with God. It can bring restoration on a daily basis.
There are other times when we are more wounded - the loss of a loved one, a serious health problem or a broken relationship. There are things that are not going to get totally fixed in a day - and we learn from our hurts and pains - we actually grow closer to God, even if we don't feel like it is happening for a while. But, even in the midst of that, God will give you what you need on a daily basis - if you seek it. Are you seeking restoration - because it can be found.
He guides me - how important is a guide? When you are going through something that you're not comfortable with or you don't understand, having a guide is very important. You probably don't even know what you don't know. Wherever you are as a tourist, there are places that you should not go, or maybe should go (for safety). When you go white water rafting - maybe you've seen it on TV, but having a guide that has been there is very beneficial. When I've been to foreign countries where I didn't know the language, having a native speaker as a guide and translator is very beneficial. Why do we try and handle our lives as if we know where we are going? God wants to guide us into the paths of righteousness. Some think that the life he wants to give them is boring and that it sucks the life out of them. However, God truly wants to guide us into real life.
Why does he do this? It is for his name sake. We lose perspective as we go through life. We think it is about the here and now, while it is really much more than that. Truly, our lives are very short in the whole epic of history. People live for today and forget about eternity. God wants to guide us and give us the confidence we need in life to help point others to that eternal life.
We are going to experience big time problems. There's no getting around it. For some, it becomes so very dire that they even consider ending their lives. Some have to deal with terminal diseases. At some point, we will all have to deal with the loss of a loved one. It may be the death of a loved one (a parent or a child or a sibling or a friend). It may be a divorce where you've either been left or you were the one who caused the problems. As a student, they may put so much pressure on an exam that they blow it. For many people now, who are serving their countries in armies around the world - they live in the face of death each day. Some of these things seem much worse than others, but for the person living it - it is dire while it happens.
These things are common to all people - believers or not. As we know, God never promised us a rose garden - that life would be all about good things. These things will happen and they can be debilitating - paralyzing. However, this passage says that even though these things happen, I will fear no evil - in that valley of the shadow of death.
Why is there no fear? It is because God is with us - the rod and staff of the great shepherd, they comfort us. Have you thought about the presence of God in your life - that he knows you and that he cares? Drive in traffic in a crowded city - walk around in an airport - see the vast humanity on the face of our planet. We wouldn't be able to know all the names, even if they were all in a one world computer. God knows the names - he knows the situations - the tendencies - the pain and heartache. He knows and he cares. For a believer, this is amazing. This gives us the confidence to know that he has prepared a much better place for us. When we keep our eyes on him, we can make it through the things that would normally cause us to lose heart.
Even though we may find ourselves in the midst of those who hate God and may despise us as believers, God still provides for us. A table has been prepared. A table implies a sense of security. And that the table is prepared implies that God gives us sanity, even when life seems to throw something else at us. It is easy for us to lose perspective with the day to day happenings in our world. But, we can take comfort in knowing that God still cares for us and provides for us.
He does much more than provide to meet our basic needs. He prepares a table, as in hosting a banquet. You've probably been to special events where a great banquet has been thrown, in honor of a wedding or an anniversary or some special milestone at work. In a banquet, people feel a bit freer about the concerns of life, even if for just a little while. God provides these periods of respite throughout our lives, even when everything else may seem too much to take. It's not as if he just provides these times for us, but he gives us more of these times than we know that we deserve. When we turn to God, we find that our cup truly does overflow.
As the psalmist began the psalm, he talked about the peace that he found in God and also admitted the many problems that faced him. This is the story of your life - of mine. We, as believers, know of the tremendous peace that we can find in Christ. There are surely many instances that you can look back to, knowing that God has given you a tremendous peace when you could find it in no other way. Even when we go through many things in life, we can find that peace.
Wherever you go in life, you can find the same thing that the psalmist found. Surely goodness and love will follow you throughout your life. You may not be going through the best of times in your life right now, but you know that the goodness and love of God will be with you all the days of your life. No matter what it is that you go with you, God goes with you. We will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Your current place of residence may not be where you prefer to be, but you know what you have coming. And, that house is where you will be forever - throughout all of eternity.
When we read this Psalm, we get all sorts of emotions - comfort and peace. We know that God loves us and we have what we need to live fearlessly, even though we face a lot in life. Know the Lord as your Savior and you can find that ability to walk fearlessly in life.
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