My plan for the next several days is to lay out a basic theological concept of the 23rd Psalm. This isn't going to be an in depth study...more of an overview of one of my absolute favorite passages in the entire Bible. I hope it blesses you!
Enough pain and anguish exist in this world to fill all of eternity if God didn’t send his son to give us a shot at hope. For many, the ultimate pain is death, either one’s own or that of a loved one. For others, the pain of being rejected for their faith is enough sting to keep them from sharing with those around them. Our personal histories as Christians are marred with pain of all kinds, a lot of which is excruciatingly stunting to our growth as believers. So we seek this hope God promises and we desperately, I hope, cling to the idea that God will come through for us. One of the areas we search is the Bible since believers should still believe that God wrote down his thoughts in the Bible.
I think we often see the 23rd Psalm as a cute peaceful piece of poetry written by some poor shepherd three thousand years ago. If we leave these writings there, and don’t try to make sense of them in our own lives, then I believe we miss the blessing that God intends for us.
We begin in verse 1: This shows God’s care of the believer. It is David’s introduction for his Psalm, and he begins by pointing out that the believers are first and foremost belonging to God. This sentence may be rephrased, “I want nothing.” We can be without need if we believe. Note carefully the lack of mention of successful relationships or a promotion at work. God will take care of our spiritual needs. If we are in tune with his will, we want only what we need. As the shepherd is over the sheep, so is our Lord over us. This shows God’s care of the believer. It is David’s introduction for his Psalm, and he begins by pointing out that the believers are first and foremost belonging to God. This sentence may be rephrased, “I want nothing.” We can be without need if we believe. Note carefully the lack of mention of successful relationships or a promotion at work. God will take care of our spiritual needs. If we are in tune with his will, we want only what we need. As the shepherd is over the sheep, so is our Lord over us.
That is not a dictatorship as he also takes on the responsibility to care for our every need. For those who are not yet Christians, there can be some confusion about the above discussion point. On one hand, I promise that God will care for those who believe in him. On the other hand, I say that you shouldn’t be demanding of God for your wants. It seems like a guessing game, doesn’t it? And some believers have trouble with the concept as well.
The underlying theme in Psalm 23 is that God cares. He really, really cares. Even though it might be hard to understand that, it doesn’t make it any less true. Whether I have struggled with my children’s needs, or a loved-one’s death, nothing I can do or Satan can do has changed the fact that God cares, even if I can’t always see him working through the issue.
Enough pain and anguish exist in this world to fill all of eternity if God didn’t send his son to give us a shot at hope. For many, the ultimate pain is death, either one’s own or that of a loved one. For others, the pain of being rejected for their faith is enough sting to keep them from sharing with those around them. Our personal histories as Christians are marred with pain of all kinds, a lot of which is excruciatingly stunting to our growth as believers. So we seek this hope God promises and we desperately, I hope, cling to the idea that God will come through for us. One of the areas we search is the Bible since believers should still believe that God wrote down his thoughts in the Bible.
I think we often see the 23rd Psalm as a cute peaceful piece of poetry written by some poor shepherd three thousand years ago. If we leave these writings there, and don’t try to make sense of them in our own lives, then I believe we miss the blessing that God intends for us.
We begin in verse 1: This shows God’s care of the believer. It is David’s introduction for his Psalm, and he begins by pointing out that the believers are first and foremost belonging to God. This sentence may be rephrased, “I want nothing.” We can be without need if we believe. Note carefully the lack of mention of successful relationships or a promotion at work. God will take care of our spiritual needs. If we are in tune with his will, we want only what we need. As the shepherd is over the sheep, so is our Lord over us. This shows God’s care of the believer. It is David’s introduction for his Psalm, and he begins by pointing out that the believers are first and foremost belonging to God. This sentence may be rephrased, “I want nothing.” We can be without need if we believe. Note carefully the lack of mention of successful relationships or a promotion at work. God will take care of our spiritual needs. If we are in tune with his will, we want only what we need. As the shepherd is over the sheep, so is our Lord over us.
That is not a dictatorship as he also takes on the responsibility to care for our every need. For those who are not yet Christians, there can be some confusion about the above discussion point. On one hand, I promise that God will care for those who believe in him. On the other hand, I say that you shouldn’t be demanding of God for your wants. It seems like a guessing game, doesn’t it? And some believers have trouble with the concept as well.
The underlying theme in Psalm 23 is that God cares. He really, really cares. Even though it might be hard to understand that, it doesn’t make it any less true. Whether I have struggled with my children’s needs, or a loved-one’s death, nothing I can do or Satan can do has changed the fact that God cares, even if I can’t always see him working through the issue.
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