Psalm 23 King James Version (KJV)
23 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
Life is tough. Becoming a Christian does not change this fact. To hear many of the modern scholars tell it, if you're a Christian and you're having troubles, then you have either sinned, or your faith isn't where it should be.
While it is true that, when we sin, we do bring extra trials on ourselves, it is not true that all our trials are as a result of our own sin. In fact, Peter tells us to:
" think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:
13 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy." (1 Peter 4:12-13)
In spite of today's "fell good" false prophets, Peter tells us that life- even with Jesus- is going to be a long, hard journey. There will be hard times. There will be battles. There will be times where you want to throw in the proverbial towel and walk away.
All along the way the enemy of our souls is trying to get us to do just that. He fights us directly. He lays traps for us. He makes other paths that cross ours look larger, easier, and nicer- tempting us to step off the path God has placed us on.
But, remember, our attitude is to be one of thankfulness. Thankfulness for our salvation. Thankfulness for his provision. Thankfulness for the strength to make just the next mile stone, or even the next step. "And whatsoever ye do, do it heartlily, as to the Lord..." (Colossians 3:23).
God is watching. God is waiting. God is our ever present help in times of trouble. Notice here in Psalms 23: "4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me."
In the midst of our trials, God is there to help. He brings comfort to our souls. How? Because he is our shepherd. Much has been made of how the shepherd uses his staffs to discipline wayward sheep- and he does. But, in this context, the staffs he uses are not sticks of discipline. Rather, they are weapons to ward off and defeat the attacks of our enemies!
Yes, we do have to go through hard times, but we can take comfort in knowing that our shepherd only allows us to face what we can handle. He fights off what we cannot. He allows us to be pushed beyond what we think are our limits.
But, there comes a point where he will step in and put everything on hold:
"5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over." He stops the enemies in their tracks, looks at our tired and wounded souls and says, "You need a break."
And right there in the midst of our enemies (who are still chomping at the bit to finish us off), he prepares a feast for us. He takes time to kill the fatted calf and feed us what we need. He allows us time to rest and heal. He spends time encouraging and strengthening us. He holds us in his arms and mends our wounds.
Isaiah 61 puts it this way:
" 3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified."
This is not an exchange program. He doesn't sweep away the burned out ashes left from our fiery trials. He is not taking away our mourning. He's not dispelling the spirit of heaviness.
Rather, while we are still in the ashes, he allows us to behold his beauty as a quiet balm to our bruised spirit. He pours that oil of joy on us to relieve some of our pressure and encourage us to fight on. He reminds us that we have things to be thankful for: his love and mercy, our families and friends, the provisions he gives us along the way. And we find ourselves throwing aside our dirty and tattered garments and replacing them with beautiful garments of praise.
Why does he do all this? So, that the world will see that we are his planting. That we are strong trees of righteousness, standing tall in the storms, for all the world. Why? So that the worlds attention will be pointed squarely on the face of our God and he may be glorified.
When we are going through a trial, remember he is watching and the world is watching. Know that at some point, in the midst of our storms, he will provide us with shelter, new strength, and rest.
And when others say to you, "I can't believe you made it through all that." Just smile and point your finger to heaven and say, "Because HE lives, I can face tomorrow. Because he lives, all fear is gone. Because I know HE holds the future. And life is worth the living just because he lives!"
