Finally, we appear to be getting some honestly warm weather, and its beautiful! With all the rain we've had, the open fields behind us are turning green, and the Scrub Oak (our main tree besides pine) are being venturesome with a few green buds showing through - although I've decided that Aspen aren't very smart, since ours started pushing out little green leaves about a month ago.
Amidst the change in the weather and the almost continuous planning for the next few months, Psalm 23 came to mind in a rather strange way on Sunday. I read it over and over, and looked up some other Psalms that came to mind, and came away with a few interesting thoughts. Hope you find them as interesting as I did.
First, it occurred to me that the first three verses, which are so well known in Christendom, are immediately followed by "the valley of the shadow of death". Odd, isn't it? Good times, once they arrive, are just going to stay, aren't they? After all, if God is having us lie down in green pastures and leading us beside still waters, that means He is pleased with us and "will never forsake us"... to which we add, mentally, "meaning, nothing bad will happen". But, that is not what the Psalmist recounts. In verses four through five he discusses being under the shadow of death, and surrounded by his enemies. Here's the kicker (if I may use the term): This train of events is not represented as something unexpected, or even unfortunate. It is the way things are expected to go when God is leading and teaching you.
Second, another thing struck me about the order of the verses. If you look at the structure, verses one through three and verse six are the ones we would consider "good times". This is about the nice things that we think God should do for us now. Admittedly, they do bookend verses four and five, but even so, are they quite what today's American church usually represents? For one thing, take a second look at the first line of verse three: "He restores my soul." [insert fluffy, pink thoughts emanating from Sunday School posters] Think about it - that implies very clearly that the soul was damaged or worn out. Then, add the second half of the verse (a new sentence): "He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake." This very well could imply that we had first left the path, if we were ever on it at all - and isn't that likely why our soul was in need of restoration in the first place? The picture isn't quite so fluffy anymore. Briefly, take a look at verse six. I love this verse, because it is so full of promise, but the second part of the verse is mainly promise for the future. The first part ("Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life...") is very interesting in that it comes directly off of the discussion about the valley and enemies.
This brings us to the most incredible part of the whole discussion (in my opinion). Clearly, verses one through three and six are proclamations of God's guidance, comfort and mercy. God provides great things there, but doesn't He also provide during the hard times? He causes the Psalmist to not fear, and provides him with sustenance when surrounded by his antagonists. In fact, verses four and five continue the same tone as the other four do - proclaiming the wonderful provisions of God! Two examples of difficulty, or two examples of God's help during the time we are least likely to see it? I believe the latter, and what a difference that makes!
Think of it: this introduces a different way of viewing all the difficulties of life. Instead of simply thanking God for the "good times" and asking Him to remove the "bad" ones, we must recognize and be, perhaps, doubly thankful for God's great gifts of mercy and grace - during those times we tend to see it least. We have all heard someone say that we should "thank God during the bad times". I've never fully understood that, but little by little, through this and other things, I think God is teaching it to me. God is providing, and even though I can't quite see it, I can at least picture what a mess things would be if He left me to myself. "A joyful heart is good medicine..." (Pr. 17:22), and thankfulness for God's greatness is certainly a big part of that.
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