Tag: Trust

Patient Beauty

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He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 (ESV)

There are moments in life where everything seems to working against you. Moments where chaos, agony, suffering, hardship, and trials seem to be so overwhelming that it is difficult to see an end to the pain. These times of walking through the deep darkness of the valley where confusion, fear, and doubt are continually pressing in on you. It is in these moments of depression and fatigue that this passage speaks to me in a special way. I need to continually be reminded that this world around me, this life “under the sun” that the Preacher is talking about is not all there is or ever will be. That yearning in my heart is for eternity. A yearning for this life under the sun to give way to the future where all things are made beautiful in the light and glory of Jesus Christ. I yearn to leave this mortal world behind and find my rest in the Beautiful One of heaven who is preparing a room for me in his kingdom.

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Shepherd’s Instruments

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your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

Psalm 23:4b (ESV)

The first part of Psalm 23:4 gives us an encouragement to be fearless as we travel through the valley of the shadow of death because our Good Shepherd is there with us. The second part of verse four points us to the reasons we can be fearless as we are led through the valley by our Shepherd. As we look upon our Shepherd and reflect on his presence before us and among us, we will see his two instruments of leadership: his rod and his staff. As we are led through the valley, the sight of our Good Shepherd going before us with both his rod of discipline and protection along with his staff of gentle care and guidance will bring great joy and encouragement to our hearts. It is the holy use of his rod and staff in our lives that gives us confidence, trust and fearlessness as we follow his leadership down the paths of righteousness for his glory.

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Path Through the Valley

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Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me;

Psalm 23:4a (ESV)

The Shepherd is leading me in paths of righteousness, and this conjures up an image of peace and tranquility in my mind. These paths of righteousness always seem to bring a picture of a mountaintop view and experience. Then verse four follows and rightly corrects my misunderstanding and reminds me that the paths of righteousness are for the name of Christ. And being that these paths are to shape and mold me to be more like my Savior, then I must necessarily walk through the valley beside the mountain where the deep darkness lies. A deep darkness where evil and death lurk. The deep darkness of the valley, which will inevitably bring about a sense of fear and trembling into my heart. Yet, the psalmist proclaims that he will not fear this deep darkness in the valley because his Good Shepherd is with him. His Shepherd is leading him in paths of righteousness that go through the valley of the deep darkness. The Shepherd has designed that he and the psalmist walk through this valley together. And as long as the Shepherd is there with him, the psalmist has no need to fear as he travels.

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The Lord Answers

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Journal Entry // January 8, 2023

Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind and said: (ESV)

Job 38:1

As I sat down to read this next section of Job this morning, I was contemplating my internal comparison to Job over the past month. Job is a difficult book in that it often portrays the true thoughts and misunderstandings of both Job and his friends as they work through this process of grief. As I have read through these different questions, answers, and rebukes it has called to mind all the many times that I have questioned the goodness and justice of God in my own life as well. These past few weeks have been a strenuous exercise to evaluate and understand the conclusions that Job and his friends have come to and then examine my heart for these same false narratives. Now I come to the reading this morning and I am drawn to this first verse and its simple statement that the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind. Where Job challenged God to answer the questions he had, God honored his request and visited Job with the answers he was seeking.

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Furious Enemy

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Journal Entry // December 21, 2022

Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. And he stood on the sand of the sea. (ESV)

Revelation 12:17

I don’t really think about the furious enemy that is making war upon me. I don’t really ever contemplate the schemes and machinations of the evil one as he diligently works to destroy me along with everyone that is obedient to Christ. My great failure in this life is that I have difficulty grasping the truth that there is a mortal enemy seeking to destroy my soul. This enemy is furious, ruthless, and relentless. He only has one objective: to harm and destroy the people of God. He knows his time is short, so he is continually working to undermine and destroy everything and everyone that brings glory to Christ. And it is this hard truth that I find myself being ignorant and dismissive. Wanting to escape from this war and all the trouble that it brings into my life, I ignore it or I medicate it or I allow self-deception to rule my heart. I often want anything that will bring relief and escape from the constant struggle and battle of dealing with the enemy. I want peace and comfort when the enemy only brings pain and heartache.

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Every Tear

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Journal Entry // December 12, 2022

For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” (ESV)

Revelation 7:17

There are three things I must remember from this passage. First, that I have a shepherd who is in the midst of the throne. Second, that my shepherd knows exactly where he is leading me. Third, that when I arrive at these springs of living water, my tears will be wiped away by God himself. There is so much comfort in this singular verse. So much to look forward to. This sojourn and journey of faith in this world will be filled with many wolves and predators seeking to devour this simple sheep, but the One who sits on the throne and reigns from on high is my shepherd. He is my protector. He is my redeemer.

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Confident Prayers

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Journal Entry // November 25, 2022

And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. (ESV)

1 John 5:14

Confidence… toward God. John tells us that he is writing these things about the surety of our salvation and the promises of God that we may have a bold confidence toward our great God and Redeemer. We have this confidence toward God in that he has assured us of the testimony of his Son, Jesus. He has assured us that Jesus is in fact the one and only true Son of God who took upon himself all of my sin and paid for it on the cross at the cost of his blood. I can draw this confidence from the shed blood of Christ for me. My confidence rests in the finished work of Jesus, knowing that my salvation is secure.

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Give Back Willingly

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Journal Entry // October 25, 2022

But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able thus to offer willingly? For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you. (ESV)

1 Chronicles 29:14

Why is it that I hold on so tightly to the material blessings and objects of this world? I have been conditioned over these many years through advertisements and cultural pressure to see the accumulation of things as not only the solution to all my problems but the general indicator of success in this world. The gathering of material things is the measuring rod that we are to use as we assign value and worth to people. Now, whether we outwardly acknowledge that as a culture any longer is debatable but the valuation is still there and probably even deeper than it has been in the past. It is so prevalent that it has crept into the church and has become almost like a silent doctrine of sorts. We are losing our understanding that all things come from the Lord. Not just the material items we gather and display for others to see but the relationships, the influence, and the meaning of our lives. The Lord is the One who gives us everything we have and don’t have in this world.

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Gentle Trust

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Journal Entry // August 9, 2022

But if he says, ‘I have no pleasure in you,’ behold, here I am, let him do to me what seems good to him.” (ESV)

2 Samuel 15:26

This is a moving picture of faith and trust in the providence and grace of God moving in the life of David. It’s difficult to really see the rationale for David fleeing Absalom and departing the city, but I understand his desire to not engage in conflict with his son. What I do understand in this passage is that David’s heart is bent on serving the Lord as best he can. David is making decisions based on how best to honor the Lord and be obedient to his calling and God’s Word. Throughout this chapter of his preparation to leave, you can see the care and love he has for all those in his household and the sadness he has in knowing all the hardships they will suffer alongside him on this journey. Yet with all of this on his mind, David simply cares to be obedient and humble before the Lord. He wants to follow the path laid out before him in humble acceptance of God’s good mercy to him. Whether it be for his benefit or not, David simply wants the Lord to do, “what seems good to him.”

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Finish the Course

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Journal Entry // June 4, 2022

But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.

Acts 20:24 ESV

These last few weeks, I have been overly concerned with the current state of my life. For the past 2+ years, God has kept me and my family in a state of unrest, anxiety, struggle, and perplexity. It has been a time of upheaval and transition as the Lord seems to be clearing the stage from our previous life and preparing us for a new stage of life and ministry. I have struggled a lot during this time in different ways, but lately there has been a more intense battle with depression and apathy. As I was reading and thinking through my time in Joshua and Acts, I was intrigued by these words of Paul. This statement of humility and selflessness. A man who understands his mission and calling from Jesus. And it brought into sharp focus that I am not living with this righteous perspective.

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