Tag: Death

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A Psalm for the Living

Have you read the 23rd Psalm lately? Okay, you may have looked at the words, but have you really thought about it? Have you ever become curious enough to dig into it to understand some of its life applications? Let’s read it (KJV), then look at it line-by-line.

IMG_2642The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 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. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely, goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

The LORD is my shepherd. The Shepherd is never in doubt as to who belongs to him. And nothing can take us from Him (Romans 8:35-39).

I shall not want. I will have no lack in my life. All my needs (not talking about desires) will be met.

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures. I will live in peace. I will not have strife in my life for I trust the Shepherd.

He leadeth me beside the still waters. Through the Shepherd’s guidance, I will stay out of trouble and be safe.

He restoreth my soul. If I go astray, disobey, or sin, the Shepherd restores our relationship when I repent.

He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. The gentle Shepherd doesn’t push – He LEADS me in respectable and conscientious living which honors Him.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me. Even though I go through rough and dangerous times, even though I have severe trials and hardships, I will not fear because the Shepherd is by my side watching over me. The Shepherd allows hard times in my life for my benefit. If everything went peachy-smooth all the time, I would never learn to trust him.

Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. The Shepherd uses the staff to rescue, guide, and correct me; the rod is used for my discipline and to beat off predators and enemies.

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies. In the middle of both earthly conflict and spiritual battles, the Shepherd provides everything I need for both this life and in the next life. He never leaves me and shows me how to gain the victory. But I have to watch and listen.

Thou anointest my head with oil. The Shepherd has chosen me for a specific purpose or function, and promised that He will enable me and empower me to fulfill that purpose.

My cup runneth over. My life is complete. I am filled with blessings, friends, joy, and with confidence in the Shepherd that He will do all that He said He would.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. I will live righteously, and will show mercy to all those around me so that they, too, can learn to live for the Lord.

I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. I will live for the Lord, worship Him, and praise Him my entire earthly life, then throughout eternity.

After some study, I identified something that seemed to be missing from the Psalm.DSCN9839B There is an unspoken condition that is inferred after “The Lord is my Shepherd.” Many “sheep” who belong to the True Shepherd may not be enjoying all the benefits that this Psalm lists because they don’t understand or may not be aware of this unspoken condition. What is it?

Please read this next line several times: We must continually stay close to the shepherd and obey him. When sheep wander off, they can get hurt or killed because the shepherd can neither protect nor provide for them. The shepherd trains the sheep to follow him. He does not drive his sheep; he leads them. Therefore, the sheep must watch and stay close. As the sheep cooperate, all the shepherd’s love, care, and benefits are available to the sheep. But we must stay close to Him.

If we have truthfully accepted the leadership of the Shepherd, Jesus Christ, in our lives, this Psalm is applicable for us while we live! Then, if we have stayed close to the Shepherd, the Psalm is ever more comforting at the end of our earthly life. And the totality of its promises is guaranteed in heaven.

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Storms of Life

     Many of nature’s storms are, at least indirectly, caused by heat. Solar radiation heats the atmosphere, the land, and the oceans; and the oceans and land mass release heat back into the atmosphere. The atmosphere, including the jet stream, reacts in a manner that attempts to equalize the heat around the earth. All this may be an over-simplification, but I hope you pick up the idea.

     DSCN4908Ocean water evaporates and massive amounts of warm, moist air rise. As the air rises, surrounding air, also laden with water, moves in to replace it and ascends in the unseen elevator. The invisible water condenses as it cools down in the upper atmosphere and forms a cloudy, swirling mass. Keep in mind that the water is going to be dumped in some form, by some method, somewhere. Also on land, the warm air rises and forms unseen columns of air spiraling into the heavens. Have you seen eagles or hawks circling effortlessly thousands of feet in the air? They ride up the atmospheric elevator and hang out there waiting for a hapless mouse, rabbit, squirrel, or ground hog to move. Then breakfast!

     These thermal activities can produce billowy clouds, kite-flying winds, cool afternoon breezes, gentle rains, and picturesque snow falls; or devastating hail, tornadoes, floods, hurricanes, and massive snow and ice storms – depending on the time of year and the jet stream.

     Did you know that the total number of flash flood deaths has exceeded tornado fatalities during the last several decades? And hail causes more monetary loss than any other type of thunderstorm activity. Annually, the United States alone suffers about one billion dollars in crop damage from hail. Hail rarely kills people, but that didn’t mean much to the Chinese in May of 1986 when 100 people were killed, 9,000 injured, and 35,000 homes destroyed by an intense hailstorm.

     Through the years, man has studied climate all around the world. He has figured out what parts of the earth will get the most rain, the most snow, and what parts will stay mainly dry. Man can figure out when the next hurricane is coming, how big it is, how fast it is moving, and how powerful it is. Man is smart. God made him that way.

     However, man often has a difficult time figuring out where and why personal storms hit. These storms are physical, emotional, psychological, vocational, relational, and spiritual.

     We all have storms in our lives. Did you lose a job or house, a parent, spouse, or a child? Have you been insulted or slandered? Have you lost your reputation, position, or ministry? Have you been hurt by the economic downturn? Do you have a major illness?

     DSCN0676BStorms of all sizes and types are an integral part of life. But as devastating as the storm may be, it is our reaction to the storm that exacerbates the problem. When the heat of life is turned up, many folk take on a negative frame of mind and cannot properly understand the circumstances or assess the situation. Many people have gone into depression, shock, rage, even committed suicide after a major loss. People try hard to regain some sense of control over their lives, and sometimes it seems to be a hopeless attempt.

     So what should we do?

     When a child has a question or a problem, he should turn to a parent or teacher. When an adult has a question or a problem, he should turn to his employer, mentor, doctor, pastor, or sometimes the internet for answers. But a major source for the answers to life’s problems is the Bible. The principles for proper, wholesome living have been there for centuries, and are immediately available at our fingertips. Since we cause many of our own bumps in life, we can learn how to change (Romans 12:1-2, II Timothy 2:16). Psalms and Proverbs provide the principles for handling almost any situation that life can present. You may scoff at that; but when you recognize and admit your need for help, God will be waiting for you. We don’t need to be overcome by the storms of life.

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