"I Have All that I Need"
Isn't that a comforting statement? Notice it doesn't say that "if I have lots of money, or cars, or friends, or whatever else people pursue for security." With the Lord as your shepherd, you "have all that [you] need." The key here is that "the Lord is [your] shepherd;" the one you entrust fully to care for you; that is the key to lasting peace. And that's why we, at Nanaimo Lighthouse Ministries are here. Our entire mission is to bring you peace in hard times, the love of God when you're separated from your loved ones, and hope that no matter what situation you're in, God is in control and He will guide you into perfect peace. Look at verse 2 and see how it talks about "rest" and "peace," and then it says, "He renews my strength." Where there is rest and peace there is renewal because the stress of life is removed and put onto the Lord's shoulders. He promises this in Matthew 11: 28-30, "Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” A yoke is a wooden bar that was placed between two oxen for plowing fields. They would put an experienced ox with a new, young ox, so that the younger would learn from the older. In this verse we have the Lord saying that He will carry the heavy burden for you while you learn His ways of surrendering all of your heavy burdens to Him. Andrew Murray has a wonderful series called "Abide in Christ" (see our resources page to read it). In there he says, "cultivate the habit of rejoicing in the assurance that the divine wisdom is guiding you, even where you do not yet see the way," (Chapter 7 - As Your Wisdom). You see, the Lord is eternal; He knows the past and He knows the future, and so only He is qualified to guide us. Nobody on earth can know exactly what will happen in the future, but the Lord does. He knows every thing that will happen and so He also knows how to protect us from what will happen in the future. There are countless examples of this in people's lives; instances where they said that "if I had gone there," or "if I had done such and such," it would have been disaster, "but there was a voice," or "a circumstance that prevented me from disaster."
Verses 4 an 5 speak of the Lord's protection in the darkest times of our lives. The rod and staff were used by shepherds; the rod was for attacking animals that would try to steal the sheep, and the staff (it had a round hook at the top) was for pulling the sheep, like the famous picture of the shepherd rescuing a sheep (Google this and you will see an example). Not only that, but after He has saved you from harm (the valley) He will provide a "feast" for you (God's abundant provision) while your enemies can only look on in frustration; they cannot touch you. He doesn't stop there though, look at this: "you honour me by anointing my head with oil." The oil here is the Holy Spirit, but wait a minute; God will honour us? Really? We are the ones who have sinned against Him, we are the stray sheep, and yet He wants to "honour us?" I find that very humbling, and there's more, much more; "my cup overflows with blessing." Wow! He gives us so many blessings that we can't even hold them, they are just overflowing; more than we can handle.
To wrap all of this wonderful and comforting news up, the Psalm finishes with the assurance that the Lord will never leave us. He doesn't have to put us on "pause" while He takes care of other important things in the world. Nope, He is our constant companion. Look at this; "surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life." Take careful note of those words "will pursue me." We may think that we are the ones who come to God, who seek Him, but nope. Ever since we were born the Lord is pursuing us. Yes, He is shaping our lives to draw us to Him, to point us to Him. Jill Briscoe talks about us having a "permitted past." So, whether we like it or not, God allows things to come into our lives that will eventually make us thirsty for Him, and all of our lives He keep seeking us. He doesn't want a single one of us to pass away without turning to Him for salvation, so isn't it a comfort to know that He wants us no matter what we've done in our past? If you look around at our world that is constantly looking for ways to push God out of every corner of society, isn't it humbling to know that He is pursuing each and every one of us? I think so, and I hope you do too, because it changes the way I look at life. I see things happening and I look for the message, the communication that is expressed through that. If I get anxious, I see that as a signal that I'm trusting in my own abilities and not God. Worry, anxiety, panic are all instances where our "self" is overwhelmed. So whenever I feel anxious I look to scripture, connect with the Lord, and release the anxiety to Him. The apostle Paul said it this way, "do not be anxious (worry) about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done" Philippians 4:6.
Finally, the Psalm ends with the most wonderful, comforting, news of all; "and I will live in the house of the Lord forever." One thing that we all need to remember is that one day, when no one is expecting it, all evil will be done away with. This is a crucial thing to think about, because if we don't know the Lord Jesus Christ as our Saviour, and by Saviour I don't mean that we have just prayed a prayer and gone on living our own life like we did before. To be saved is to be transformed by our new relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. He doesn't just want lip service, "oh yes, I believe in you," and then to be put at the bottom of our "to do" list. No, He requires a change of direction in how we live. Trusting Him as Saviour means that we surrender all that we want to control, into His hands. This change usually comes gradually through what is called "progressive sanctification." Yes, there are those who make a dramatic change and their lives are completely turned around, but for moderate guys like me, the Lord has done a slow progression by leading me in His ways instead of mine. How are we saved? We are saved through faith in what Jesus Christ did for us on the cross; "we are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ . . . For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for our sins . . . and He declares sinners to be right in His sight when they believe in Jesus" Romans 3:22, 25, 26b. What a wonderful God He is; He pursues us all of our lives, He has made a way for sinners like us to be right in His sight, and then "we will live in the house of the Lord forever." This Psalm is a beautiful poem of God's unfailing love for each and every one of us. He describes how much He loves us, protects us, and provides for us, and it is certainly a beautiful way to start your day in quiet meditation on just how good God really is.
Father in heaven. Thank You for this beautiful Psalm that shows me how much You really care for me. I stand in awe as I read Your Word, and I praise You that You are showing me Your nature, your love, Your care, and how You want me to live with you for eternity. There truly is none like you in all the earth. As I read your Word, and meditate on it, You draw me closer to you and bring peace, rest, and renewal to me. I surrender more and more of my life into Your loving, capable hands, and pray that You will be my shepherd all the days of my life. Amen!
Verses 4 an 5 speak of the Lord's protection in the darkest times of our lives. The rod and staff were used by shepherds; the rod was for attacking animals that would try to steal the sheep, and the staff (it had a round hook at the top) was for pulling the sheep, like the famous picture of the shepherd rescuing a sheep (Google this and you will see an example). Not only that, but after He has saved you from harm (the valley) He will provide a "feast" for you (God's abundant provision) while your enemies can only look on in frustration; they cannot touch you. He doesn't stop there though, look at this: "you honour me by anointing my head with oil." The oil here is the Holy Spirit, but wait a minute; God will honour us? Really? We are the ones who have sinned against Him, we are the stray sheep, and yet He wants to "honour us?" I find that very humbling, and there's more, much more; "my cup overflows with blessing." Wow! He gives us so many blessings that we can't even hold them, they are just overflowing; more than we can handle.
To wrap all of this wonderful and comforting news up, the Psalm finishes with the assurance that the Lord will never leave us. He doesn't have to put us on "pause" while He takes care of other important things in the world. Nope, He is our constant companion. Look at this; "surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life." Take careful note of those words "will pursue me." We may think that we are the ones who come to God, who seek Him, but nope. Ever since we were born the Lord is pursuing us. Yes, He is shaping our lives to draw us to Him, to point us to Him. Jill Briscoe talks about us having a "permitted past." So, whether we like it or not, God allows things to come into our lives that will eventually make us thirsty for Him, and all of our lives He keep seeking us. He doesn't want a single one of us to pass away without turning to Him for salvation, so isn't it a comfort to know that He wants us no matter what we've done in our past? If you look around at our world that is constantly looking for ways to push God out of every corner of society, isn't it humbling to know that He is pursuing each and every one of us? I think so, and I hope you do too, because it changes the way I look at life. I see things happening and I look for the message, the communication that is expressed through that. If I get anxious, I see that as a signal that I'm trusting in my own abilities and not God. Worry, anxiety, panic are all instances where our "self" is overwhelmed. So whenever I feel anxious I look to scripture, connect with the Lord, and release the anxiety to Him. The apostle Paul said it this way, "do not be anxious (worry) about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done" Philippians 4:6.
Finally, the Psalm ends with the most wonderful, comforting, news of all; "and I will live in the house of the Lord forever." One thing that we all need to remember is that one day, when no one is expecting it, all evil will be done away with. This is a crucial thing to think about, because if we don't know the Lord Jesus Christ as our Saviour, and by Saviour I don't mean that we have just prayed a prayer and gone on living our own life like we did before. To be saved is to be transformed by our new relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. He doesn't just want lip service, "oh yes, I believe in you," and then to be put at the bottom of our "to do" list. No, He requires a change of direction in how we live. Trusting Him as Saviour means that we surrender all that we want to control, into His hands. This change usually comes gradually through what is called "progressive sanctification." Yes, there are those who make a dramatic change and their lives are completely turned around, but for moderate guys like me, the Lord has done a slow progression by leading me in His ways instead of mine. How are we saved? We are saved through faith in what Jesus Christ did for us on the cross; "we are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ . . . For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for our sins . . . and He declares sinners to be right in His sight when they believe in Jesus" Romans 3:22, 25, 26b. What a wonderful God He is; He pursues us all of our lives, He has made a way for sinners like us to be right in His sight, and then "we will live in the house of the Lord forever." This Psalm is a beautiful poem of God's unfailing love for each and every one of us. He describes how much He loves us, protects us, and provides for us, and it is certainly a beautiful way to start your day in quiet meditation on just how good God really is.
Father in heaven. Thank You for this beautiful Psalm that shows me how much You really care for me. I stand in awe as I read Your Word, and I praise You that You are showing me Your nature, your love, Your care, and how You want me to live with you for eternity. There truly is none like you in all the earth. As I read your Word, and meditate on it, You draw me closer to you and bring peace, rest, and renewal to me. I surrender more and more of my life into Your loving, capable hands, and pray that You will be my shepherd all the days of my life. Amen!