Sometimes life seemd to be a chain of setbacks and disappointments. We don’t achieve what we have been striving towards. We don’t get the job, get the promotion, are misunderstood, or fail at something even when we try our best. We feel like a failure and wonder what to do next. I have felt that, have you? Recently I was listening to a young person telling me about a failure they had experienced even after much prayer and preparation. They felt that God was leading them in a certain way, yet they could not achieve what was expected. I was able to share a truth that someone had shared with me. “God is not surprised at the outcome and God is not disappointed with you.”. Do we feel sometimes that we have let God down? That even when we pray and try our best that God thinks less of us when we falter? Good news!! If we are walking with the Lord, He is right beside us going through the same things and He is not let down ! He see us, through the blood of His own son, and we are precious to Him in Christ. He says “Come unto me all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest……….. Take my yoke on you and learn of me, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 He is yoked to us, beside us, carrying the load also. If our way is blocked in one direction, He will lead us to another path with His easy yoke and light burden. Exchange your personal disappointment with God’s abundant pleasure in you and be encouraged. God is not disappointed in you. You are His precious child!!
My cell phone is amazing. It has replaced so many other “things” that I once carried in my purse, It has a flashlight , a clock, a calendar, a pedometer, music, games, a camera and it functions as a phone and a computer. I can
google” any subject that I want to know and find I know that there are even other functions that I will never use. While I am not addicted to my phone I do rely on it for daily communications and information.
II Timothy 3:15 says that the word of God is “given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the children of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished into all good works.” I need to rely on His Word for those daily communications and information. The multi functions of Scripture cover all our daily needs and have more truths and guidance than we will ever use. There is nothing in life that is not addressed in the Bible in actuality or principle. Being “addicted” to the Bible would be a wonderful circumstance in our lives. The more we read it, the more we want to read it. Psalm 119:11 says, “Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against you.” Are you memorizing God’s word to hide it in your heart? Do you have a special verse that you claim for 2019? Please choose one if you haven’t yet and share it here in the comments. Let’s have some daily communication around God’s word!
I don’t like being a sheep…not at all! Being a sheep doesn’t seem to me to be any kind of achievement, nor do I consider that comparison a compliment. However, the Bible says that I am a sheep. I get lost easily. I’m equally helpless, gullible, and I can’t survive alone. I need a shepherd. The Bible says I have a Shepherd, and the best one out there. My Shepherd is a good shepherd, Jehovah Raah, and because He is my Shepherd, this psalm is my prayer, my comfort through life as much as He was for King David. God is my Shepherd and I shall not want. He cares for me. He provides my every need, and like Paul I can say I know what it is to be in need, I know what it is to have plenty, but I have learned to be content in my Lord. When my soul is battered, tired and weighed down, He leads to green pastures and still waters. When I’m with Him, my soul is restored and I gain strength to move forward. He leads me in the paths of righteousness, because He chooses me to bring glory to His name.
Tough times will come, and unfortunately valleys of death are all around us, but I’m not afraid because my Shepherd is with me. He is my shield and my comfort. He is the One who defends and exalts me in the midst of my enemies. My life is filled with blessings, and that effects everything around me.
How can we live out this psalm in everyday life?
First, we can confess that we are sheep, we can’t do it alone, and that we need a shepherd.
Then we can thank the Lord, because He is our good Shepherd, and we can read this psalm through the coming days thinking about our wonderful Shepherd. This will completely change our perspective, the way we live and how cope with problems of this world.
