WHEN GOD GUIDES, GOD PROVIDES

"The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want." - Psalm 23:1

Our society emphasizes independence and self-sufficiency.  Most believe the myth that the future is in our hands.  The reality is that God is in control.  That fact bothers many, but it is a comfort to God's people.

King David may have been king of Israel, but he never forgot his humble roots.  Early in life, he served as a shepherd, tending his father's flocks.  As he wrote Psalm 23, he probably drew upon his intimate knowledge of shepherding as he reflected upon the Lord's goodness. 

There is much that we learn about the Lord from David's short psalm.  David was inspired to write powerful descriptions of our Lord's care for His people.  For many of us, the twenty-third psalm is a chapter that we memorized when we were young.  We hear it read at funerals.  We see it inscribed in artwork.  Yet the message of the psalm still comforts us.

The very first verse of Psalm 23 teaches us a valuable lesson:  When God guides, He provides.  David wrote, "The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want."

Notice first that David referred to the Lord as "my shepherd."  David knew that God was a personal shepherd to him.  God was personally leading and helping him.  Without a good shepherd, sheep are doomed.  Sheep are dumb animals.  They get themselves in dangerous situations without realizing it.  They are helpless when danger arises. 

The Bible repeatedly refers to us as sheep.  Yes, we are dumb.  Despite all the education we've received, we are spiritually dumb.  We are helpless.  We need a shepherd.  Those who feel that they are self-sufficient are only fooling themselves.  They are wandering out on a ledge without realizing their peril. 

A shepherd is responsible to guide and protect the sheep entrusted to him.  The Father has entrusted His people to the care of His dear Son.  Jesus referred to Himself as the Good Shepherd, One who cares enough to sacrifice everything for the sake of His sheep.  For David, the Lord was a personal shepherd.  Is He your shepherd?

Finally, David wrote, "I shall not want."  In other words, I'll never be in real need.  As Americans, we tend to confuse our wants with our needs.  God will provide for the needs of His children.  He'll provide for our needs, not our greed. 

The Good Shepherd provides for His sheep.  He takes care of them.  He supplies for their every need.  In Psalm 37:15, David wrote, "I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread."  Over a lifetime, David observed God's dealings with His people and concluded that truly, the Lord provides.  When God guides, He provides.   

Two of the basic needs of life are the need for protection and the need for provisions.  The Lord takes care of them both for us.  Yes, we are responsible for our decisions, but as we follow the Good Shepherd, it is good to know that He is watching out for us.

As I grow older, I realize more and more my need for such a shepherd.  The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 

If the Lord is your shepherd, what more could you want?

 

WHAT IS IN YOUR HAND?

“And the LORD said unto him, What is that in thine hand?” - Exodus 4:2

Moses responded to God’s call with excuses.  Just like many people today, Moses could not see how the Lord could ever use a person like himself.  As a result, he responded to God’s challenge with a series of empty excuses.  In Exodus 2:1, Moses complains, “... they will not believe me, nor harken unto my voice ...”.  In response to this excuse, God asked Moses, “... what is that in thine hand?” 

           

Just like Moses, every Christian is called to serve in some capacity.   When it comes to serving God, most Christians offer excuses by mentioning all the things they cannot do.  They speak about the talents and gifts they don’t have.  When prompted with an opportunity to serve, do you, like Moses, ask, Who am I to serve?   I’m not very great.  I’m not all that talented.  Yet God is asking you, What is that in thine hand?  In other words, what do you have and what can you do?   You see, God is asking you to use what you do have, not what you don’t have.  He is asking to do the things you can do, not the things you can’t do. 

As we look at Moses’ situation, we learn several things.  First, we cannot serve God in our strength.  Without God’s help, our efforts will be in vain.  All of Moses’ excuses hinged on his own ability, not God’s.  While it was true that Moses couldn’t do anything by himself, he was forgetting that God has the power to use unworthy, weak people in a great way.  Excuses actually reveal doubt in God and emphasize serving in the flesh.  We can only serve as He leads and by His Spirit.  Thru His power, a weak, unworthy person can be used in a dynamic way. 

The second lesson we learn is, God can use anything to accomplish His work.  In Moses’ situation, all he had was a rod.  The simple staff that he held would one day be used of God to perform miracles.  Isn’t it great that God can powerfully use the simple things in your life? 

Third we realize, God uses the things that we surrender to Him and His work.  God asked Moses to cast down his staff.  God began to use the rod when Moses released it to God’s will.  In Exodus 4:20, the same rod was called, “... the rod of God...”  Possession of the rod transferred from Moses to God.  Is there anything that you’re unwilling to give to the Lord? 

Next we learn, what we have should be used faithfully for God.   Moses took the rod and used it regularly.  He used it at his first meeting before Pharaoh (Ex. 7:9-10, 12).  The rod was used when the water of Egypt was turned to blood (Ex. 7:19-20).   The rod was further used in bringing frogs (Ex. 8:5), lice (Ex. 8:16-17), & locusts (Ex. 10:13).  The rod was used to bring water from a rock (Ex.17:4-6) & was lifted high as the Israelites defeated the Amalekites (Ex. 17:8-13).  Moses faithfully used the rod.  God expects you to faithfully use the talents, gifts, and opportunities He gives you. 

Here's a final lesson we learn:  obey the Lord as He leads.  Moses used the rod in response to God’s command.  Happy is the person who uses all he has as God commands. 

Maybe you’ll never preach.  Possibly you can’t sing as well as others.  Maybe you’re not a gifted teacher.  God is not asking, what don’t you have?   Instead of making excuses (and regretting every one of them), honestly give the Lord what you do have.  Serve Him faithfully.  God is asking you, “What is that in thine hand?”

THORNS

"And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure." - 2 Corinthians 12:7

Life is not easy or simple.  Often life consists of deep valleys, long nights and painful days.  We yearn for the simple life, a life free from pain and problems.  Such a life will not be found here on earth --- at least, not now.

There are some who believe that if you have faith in God, all problems will melt away.  The Bible, as well as real life, refutes this belief.  The fact is that being a follower of Jesus does not make us immune to pain or problems.  Our faith can actually make us targets for the enemy, which may create even more pain. 

The Apostle Paul knew about pain.  When he was converted, his life was destined to endure sufferings for the sake of Christ.  As he was writing an epistle to the Corinthians, he shared a personal struggle he had faced.  Paul referred to this problem as a "thorn in the flesh."  A thorn in the flesh is a very painful thing.  When a thorn stabs you, you quickly seek to pull it out.  As long as the thorn remains implanted in your flesh, the pain seems to get worse.

The thorn that Paul referred to was not an actual thorn, but something in his life that caused him great personal pain.  He did not elaborate on the thorn's true identity.  Instead, Paul focused on the purpose and the product of the thorn

1.  THE PURPOSE FOR PAUL'S THORN

Paul's thorn came from the devil.  I do believe the devil exists.  We see spiritual warfare raging before our eyes.  The devil is at work.  Paul referred to his thorn as being a messenger of Satan sent "to buffet me."  Yet the Lord permitted this thorn to inflict Paul.  Through his experience, Paul realized that "... lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh..."  Paul had exception spiritual experiences.  But with these experiences came the great temptation to be proud and gloat over these experiences.  God permitted this thorn to penetrate Paul's life so that he may remain humble and usable. 

2.  THE PRODUCT OF PAUL'S THORN

Paul prayed three times for the thorn to be removed.  After his third request, God answered Paul:  "And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."  Paul experienced God's power in a great dimension as he suffered with the thorn.  The humility produced by the thorn had caused Paul to stay close to God & experience His power. 

Paul's conclusion is a startling statement:  "Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong."  How many Christians do you know would prefer pain to pleasure?  Paul recognized something in his pain that most of us never do.  Painful experiences draw us closer to the One who endured great pain for us.  When Paul wrote to the Philippians, he mentioned that he longed for "the fellowship of His sufferings."  There is a special bond between the Savior and the suffering saint.  This depth of fellowship cannot be enjoyed or appreciated apart from pain.  For Paul, such an experience made a connection between pain and power. 

I have met many saints through the years.  The ones who inspire me most are the ones who suffered the most.  They had a spiritual glow about their lives.  They were walking through deep valleys, but they were not walking the valleys alone. 

Walking a valley of pain is a shattering experience for some.  For others, it is a time to walk with God in a greater way than ever.

Thorns do come our way.  Sometimes the Lord graciously removes the thorns, in His time.  Then there are thorns he permits to remain.  If these thorns bring you closer to Jesus, perhaps, like Paul, you should thank God for them.

When thorns come your way, just remember that your Savior wore a crown of thorns before His crucifixion.  You're in good company with Him!

Perhaps thorns aren't so bad after all.

MYSTERIES & THE MASTER

"The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law." - Deuteronomy 29:29

When I was growing up, I loved mysteries.  My fascination with mysteries began in middle school, when I read Hardy Boys' mysteries.  In high school, I moved to more traditional mysteries, like Agatha Christie novels.  Even now, I will occasionally read a mystery.

In a novel, a mystery is solved in the last chapter, but in real life there are mysteries that go unsolved.  Despite their best efforts, police detectives finally have to put some crimes away for lack of evidence.  They are later referred to as "cold cases."  In real life, the guilty are not always caught and punished.  Sometimes they are not even arrested.

More perplexing to us are the mysterious events of life.  There are things that happen that leave us speechless.  We can't explain why school children are brutally killed or a very young housewife dies of cancer.  We see good people die young while wicked people grow old without many ailments.  We read about accidents that claim the lives of an entire family.  We witness crimes of terror like 9-11 or read about the atrocities of genocide that occurs in other countries.  There are many things in life that remain mysterious to us.

Then there is God.  Sometimes His actions seem mysterious to us.  In fact, He Himself is mysterious.  We can't fully comprehend an issue like the Trinity.  We find it hard to sometimes balance the issue of God's sovereignty with man's responsibility. 

There are some who won't believe in God because they refuse to believe in Someone they can't understand.  I, on the other hand, have a problem believing in a Supreme Being that I could fully understand.  Because if I, a mere human, can fully understand God, that would make me God.  God cannot be fully understood by us.  Through His Word, He has given us much to know, if we will simply read and believe it. 

Moses wrote that the secret things belong unto God.  I may never solve the mysteries of life, but God understands them & I'm okay with that.  I may never understand why He permits certain things to occur.  I'm okay with that, too.  I am fully aware that if He stopped evil on the earth, there wouldn't be any humans left.  We all have sin within us.  His mercy permits us to exist. 

Several years ago, a movie coined the famous phrase, "You can't handle the truth!"  The fact is that we can't always handle the truth.  God knows that.  We can trust Him with the things we don't understand.  We can rely on Him to ultimately work everything out right.  The verse, Romans 8:28, is a promise we can depend on during the times of confusion.

While I may reflect on on the mysteries of life, I must recognize that I am responsible for the things I do understand.  I understand enough to keep me busy the rest of my life.  I don't have to solve the world's problems.  I'm leaving them in the hands of God.  One day, He'll straighten everything out.

Yes, there are things that God does in my life that I don't understand.  He does things in the lives of family and friends that I can't comprehend.  It may not make sense to me, but it does to Him.  He knows what is best and works accordingly.  He doesn't owe me an explanation when He does things.  He certainly doesn't need my permission. 

When it comes to the mysteries of God & His will, I will simply trust Him.  When I get to heaven, I believe it will all make perfect sense.  

BULLYING

"And when Haman saw that Mordecai bowed not, nor did him reverence, then was Haman full of wrath.  And he thought scorn to lay hands on Mordecai alone; for they had shewed him the people of Mordecai: wherefore Haman sought to destroy all the Jews that were throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus, even the people of Mordecai." - Esther 3:5-6

I am both amazed and troubled at events that are going on these days.  Among the things I see happening is the bullying of people.  While our society has tried to bring a spotlight to this problem, the issue is actually worse now than ever.  In fact, some who condemn bullying the most are actually guilty of it themselves.

In this age of political correctness, everything is tolerated accept for beliefs that are opposite to popular belief.  For instance, religion is tolerated by most, but not Biblical Christianity.  We've seen Christians bullied because of their stand for Biblical truth.

We are seeing political bullying, from the White House to houses of Congress.  We have witnessed bullying from those who turn rallies into riots.  Economic bullying is obvious as the poor are often abused for the sake of financial gain. Social bullying occurs regular on social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook.  Anyone expressing an opinion on social media may be subject to hateful and ugly responses.  Finally, there is spiritual bullying as religious leaders abuse their position by using guilt as a means to extract money from well-meaning followers.

The Bible has many examples of bullies.  From Goliath to Herod, we read about men who tried to use their size or position to selfishly get what they wanted.  One notable example of bullying was Haman.  In the book of Esther, we learn that Haman was a wicked man who was driven by hatred.  As a result, Haman sought to exterminate the entire Jewish population.  Very much like Hitler, Haman tried to use his political position to wipe out God's chosen people.  In the end, Haman's hatred led to his own doom.  

From the story of Haman's crusade of evil, we learn several things about bullies and bullying.

1.  BULLIES ARE OFTEN INSECURE

Bullies tend to pick on those that they feel are weak and vulnerable.  They rarely pick on anyone their size or bigger.  The reason is that bullies find pleasure in feeling superior.  Haman was insecure.  Every time a something happened in his life, he ran to his wife and friends for support.  On one hand, all of us need the support of those close to us, but Haman apparently was not secure in himself.  Secondly, he was insecure in his leadership.  Although he was granted a position, the position itself was all the influence Haman had.  People respected his position, but not Haman himself.  Mordecai refused to bow to Haman because he did not respect Haman as a man.  Third, we know Haman was insecure because he allowed his emotions to overrule common sense.  He had uncontrolled anger.  Perhaps he felt that his anger generated more respect by those under his leadership.  Subordinates, because of the leader's emotional instability, fear an insecure leader.  Insecure leaders like to be feared, but they do so because they confuse fear and respect.  You may fear a man who may cause you physical harm, but that is not the same as respecting him.  Haman was an insecure man & insecure men look for security by oppressing others.

2.  BULLIES ARE OFTEN DESTRUCTIVE

Bullies create havoc and harm.  If Haman had gotten his way, he would have destroyed the entire Jewish race --- and he nearly did!   These days, it isn't uncommon to hear of young people committing suicide after being victims to bullying.  Bullies create chaos wherever they go. 

3.  BULLIES END UP DEFEATED

Bullies end up reaping what they've sown.  Haman died on the very gallows he built to hang his enemy, Mordecai.  Hitler took his own life.  David beheads Goliath with his own sword.  Soon the devil will be cast into the lake of fire.  Bullies may seem to win at times, but they will always end up losers. 

While it is easy to condemn the bullies around us, we need to see if there is a bully within us.  We need to examine our hearts and lives. Any attempt to manipulate or control someone else is a form of bullying.  We need to recognize our tendency to bully others and repent of it.  We need to stop it. 

Finally, we need to remember that God will not be bullied.  The devil and his demons will not remove God from His throne.  Human bullies may deny or ridicule Him, but God will have the final say so.  Those who seemed so invincible here on earth will be at the mercy of the One who sits on the throne. 

Its not how many people obey you, but how well you obey God that will ultimately matter.