Well, one cannot escape the New Year; neither can one escape the yearly reminder to make a resolution. I have usually scoffed at such resolutions – except when they refer to taking the Christmas decorations down by the end of January.
I have a suggestion for those of you who have not yet formulated a NYR: Use Psalm 23.
Let’s see how this would go:
Psalm 23 begins: “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.”
I see this as a declaration – in other words, a resolution. I resolve not to panic as the financial scene in this country gets more and more dismal. In every situation, I will consciously look to my Shepherd and trust in His power to supply everything I need.
The second verse reads: “He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.”
Some people would balk at a suggestion that God would “make” us do anything. I understand this reticence, but I am ready to suggest that the phrase “he maketh me” reflects the action of a true, caring Shepherd. As a widow, I identify with many other widows, who share that they are often fearful of tackling challenges on their own. The certainty that they had to deal with situations when their husbands were alive seems to dissolve into confusion after their husbands’ deaths. Personally, I often relied on Allen’s calm reassurance when I encountered upsetting situations. After he departed for Heaven, I had a very hard time dealing with the daily frustrations that confronted me; it will come as no surprise that I spent many a sleepless night until I began to “[consciously] lie down in [His] green pastures.”
Here is my approach to “green pastures”: I make sure that I do not feed my mind with negative images, especially before sleeping at night. Scripture tells us that love casts out fear (1 John 4:18). I have to consciously dwell on the love of God as the antidote to fear. What many people do not realize is that God’s “green pastures” are always available; the “trick” – if there is one – is to deliberately stay in those pastures!
Now, I have friends who feel fear as a “natural” outgrowth of their personality. But I can also attest that – years ago – I myself was a fear-filled, guilt-ridden individual. Jesus changed all that, but He did not automatically smooth out all the obstacles of life. He showed me that accessing and staying focused on His love was a daily process of studying and affirming this truth in the Word.
Stated simply, I resolve to stay in the “green pastures” of God throughout this year.
Verse three asserts: “He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.”
When I was in the Catholic Church, guilt over sin was a constant companion. Even the rite of confession only gave me a temporary respite from the effects of feeling guilty over my ever-present sin nature. Once I met the Lord, and understood the meaning of His generous sacrifice on the Cross, this constant guilt dissolved. I understood that I did not have to wait until Saturday to confess my sins; repentance could be an immediate action, and God’s forgiveness was just as immediate.
David’s reference to the soul in this verse is a vital detail of the devastation that guilt over sin can bring. It also can refer to the soul-destroying worry that often overcomes us when we feel alone and powerless.
The Shepherd has complete power to restore us; we don’t have to wait for days or months to access this restoration. However, the Shepherd also asks us to follow His direction. That involves deliberate study and decision.
In other words, I resolve in 2023 to allow the Shepherd to deal with any and all situations that threaten my soul living in the freedom that Christ brings.
Verse four tells us: “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.”
This valley that David refers to is not necessarily our encounter with death. Of course, as a widow and as someone who buried her brother in 2022, death is an ever-present reality for me. It can infiltrate everything that happens; it can seem to be a black cloud that may never depart.
However, David was not referring to an event that resulted in the demise of the Shepherd’s flock. Such a dead-end assertion would be pointless within the context of this psalm. After all, a dead sheep cannot trust his or her Shepherd.
The reference to this valley should not give us a fear surrounding our mortality. What I would suggest to you is that the “valley of the shadow of death” is a conduit for change. The Shepherd cannot permanently leave us in every green pasture He takes us to; otherwise, we would become “fat and sassy,” and devour all the good grass until there is only unproductive stubble left. Just as flocks of sheep must be moved from pasture to pasture, our Shepherd moves us from one situation to another, and this movement frequently involves danger.
And so I resolve in 2023 to remind myself that the valley of the shadow of death is a temporary situation. Even if the Shepherd leads me to my own departure from this life, I know that Heaven is my permanent Green Pasture.
The next verse says: “Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.”
Oh, how I wish that this particular verse referred to an easy route to cooking! (Widows and widowers alike will attest that cooking for the single person can be a terrible chore!) It doesn’t. It refers to the amount of nourishment that is available to the sheep of the Shepherd’s flock!
In this day and age, I have discovered that mental nourishment – or nourishment of the soul – does not come easily. However, the Shepherd has given us many avenues of nourishment; I would suggest that even the internet can give us nourishment. One must, of course, read and study the Bible. But finding soul-nourishment also involves seeking out good, thoughtful interpretations and applications of God’s Word.
I want to share with you one thing that I have delved into these past few months. Two Messianic rabbis have informed me and challenged me to think more deeply about familiar Scriptural passages (both Old and New Testaments): Rabbi Jonathan Cahn and Rabbi Jason Sobel. Their books are available on Amazon.com and their messages are easily accessible on YouTube.
Although I still like my old TV standards (read Star Trek and Last Man Standing), I have more and more used YouTube to find interesting and God-affirming podcasts and documentaries. Of course, I have encountered some rubbish in this search, but the “cancel” button is very easy to use! I will also assert one thing: knowledge of God’s world is never wasted; young and old, our brains are designed to access, absorb, and utilize new information – and it is especially important for us to seek out positive information. My wise Granny advised me to “learn something new every day; otherwise, your brain fizzles.” She was right!
Therefore, one of my NYR is: I resolve to keep learning about my Shepherd.
The last verse asserts: “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 Jews had a beautiful Temple where our God directed their attention and drew their worship. I have read in numerous books that it was a beautiful place to visit. Of course, the Temple no longer stands; however, I believe that beauty is a natural outgrowth of God’s grace and blessing. I do believe that the places where we pray (both publicly and privately) should manifest beauty in all its attributes – color, order, and balance being chiefly evident.
But God’s beauty does not stop merely at the visible. When we experience God’s peace, we can appreciate beauty in its invisible forms. We can “dwell” in God’s house wherever we are – at work, at the market, at church, at home. The beauty that inhabits our souls cannot help but manifest itself in our outward expression and attempts at communication.
My final resolution is: I will be Christ’s hands and feet to a hurting world by living in His continual Presence.
I hope this blog has not been too long – but, obviously, if you have read thus far, you did not think this was an unsurmountable problem! Happy New Year, Friends!
No comments:
Post a Comment