Nae's Notes

The last blog focused on Psalm 23:1 and addressed wanting-or not wanting since the Lord is our shepherd and makes sure we have everything we need. After the wanting ceases, we are to be still. The NKJV states it like this: “He Makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside Still waters.” Ps 23:2 NKJV (emphasis mine). The amplified version replaces “makes” with “lets”. Of course God would let us lie down in green pastures, but how many times do we not heed the gentle calling and almost be forced to take a break? It’s the same with the second part of the verse-he leads us to the water. However, the word “still” really stuck out when I read this. He doesn’t lead us to to dry pastures or rushing waters. He wants us to go to the places where we can find rest and be at peace. We don’t take those hints. Even though God provides everything we need and shepherds us from the things we don’t need, He gives us the opportunity to find rest and be at peace. Most of the time, a gentle leading to the periods of rest in lush pastures and near still waters is ignored either by us finding something new to want or refusing to stop and take the rest He provides for us. He wants us to live in rest and peace, not find a way to be worried and stressed. We can survive our days staying on the perimeter of the peaceful places. Wouldn’t it be better to thrive and enter in to the places of rest He provides?

Psalm 23. A chapter of the Bible most people have heard even if they don’t attend church regularly. For many it is the first group of verses people memorize as it is short and applies to many situations. It covers topics such as comfort, guidance, rest, fear. The problem with scriptures like this is that when they are so well known people tend to gloss over the parts and not examine them individually. It becomes an item to mark off a checklist.

The most common version recited for verse 1 is, “The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want.” (KJV) This seems fairly straightforward and not much need for interpretation or breakdown. The Amplified version begins with, “The Lord is my Shepherd (to feed, to guide, and to shield me). Feed, guide, shield. The 3 basic things people need from God. If you just stop there and think about those words, why would you need the second part of the verse? The NLT writes the second part of the verse as, “I have all that I need.” The Message version says, “I don’t need a thing.” That should be the end of it. Everyone who reads that verse and believes it should live a life full of only contentment. So why is that not the case?

Our humanness takes over and we forget to think about what God being our shepherd really means. Webster’s 1828 dictionary lists one definition of want as “that which is not possessed, but is desired or necessary for use or pleasure”. How many times have we had everything we needed to use and still wrestled with wanting something else? We often feel want for other things because we are seeking those things we don’t possess that we think will bring more pleasure to our lives. In order to live a fulfilling life, the one that God intends us to live, we only need to acknowledge Him as our Shepherd-to feed, guide, and shield us. We will survive our moments of wanting more than we actually need. We will thrive if we can truly be content with what our Shepherd provides.

 

God is like a teacher. He uses His word to teach us what we should do and how we should live. The guideline for our lives is right there in His word. It can be viewed as a resource to help make things easier and get us to the next level. This is not unlike regular teachers and how they teach students what they need to learn to go to the next level. Everything seems great during the instruction period. However, test day comes and the application of what was learned seems less than satisfactory. The test results don’t show exactly what they know or make it look like the hard work was worth the effort. Why is this? From the teacher’s perspective everything has been done to guide the students toward success. The teachers forgot to factor in the human factor-nervous, distracted, forgetful. This is not unlike our daily lives in our relationship with God. He gave us the tools to pass the tests life throws at us. We read, pray, worship, and receive instruction to feel confident to handle whatever comes our way. Then the human factor arrives. We get distracted and allow circumstances to keep us from effectively executing the things we’ve learned. Just as teachers are there to reteach and encourage their students, God is there to reteach and encourage us. Our goal should be to improve the execution of what we learn from God in the instruction times. Proverbs 4:13 says, “Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is life.” (NIV) We can survive the tests of life when distractions come. We will thrive if we hold on to God’s instruction and guard it above everything else.

How many times have you heard or even said the following words, “I’m waiting on God,”? Waiting on what? Waiting on God to recognize you are struggling? Waiting for God to recognize you have a problem? Waiting on God to decide He’s going to help us? The reality is that God is waiting on us. God has already done what He needed to do for us to live a healthy, prosperous life. God is actually waiting on us to get out of our own heads and live in the victory He provides. He’s waiting for us to decide we don’t have to live with our own issues and instead walk in His ways. That doesn’t mean you still won’t encounter roadblocks or things that are difficult. We are human and live in a world where Satan works against us. The enemy doesn’t want us to live happy, healthy, victorious lives. That’s where our thoughts come into focus. Our human nature contributes to the problem by spending more time and energy talking about the problem and focusing on the negatives. When there’s something wrong, it’s easier to focus on the negative because that’s what our eyes see. We can’t see God working-we only see the problem. The Bible says, “Come to me, all of you who are tired from carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest.” Matthew‬ ‭11:28‬ ‭GNT‬‬

When we go to God with our problems and focus on Him, we will find rest. We can survive the negatives that come against, but we can thrive when we focus on God and rest on Him.

The current Webster’s dictionary and the 1828 version of Webster’s dictionary both have “a point of concentration” as a definition for the word focus. Interesting that 2 dictionaries from different eras of time both have one of the same definitions for focus. While focusing on something requires concentration, it doesn’t always include a lot of effort. For example, you can on getting your tasks completed, but if you are working alone there are no distractions. However, focusing on completing tasks with others around takes more effort. So your effort to stay focused can be dependent on what distractions surround you.

Distractions can be caused by people or circumstances. When distractions arise, it takes effort to stay focused. That’s where the word “laser” enters the picture. Laser is defined as “something resembling a laser beam in accuracy, speed, or intensity” only in the current Webster’s dictionary, not the 1828 version. This is interesting when you think about how many more distractions are around today than in the past. There are more things pulling for our time and attention. Focus levels of the past are challenged by how many things surround us each day. Without “laser focus” it can be impossible to get anything done.

The same is true when trying to focus on God and what He has for us and wants us to do with our time. So many days the distractions of the world demand our attention. When our attention is off God, it is easy to forget the good things He has for us and get overwhelmed by circumstances. Psalm 119:148 says, “My eyes stay open through the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your promises”.(NIV) To mediate on God’s promises requires watching for them and staying “laser focused” on God and His word. You can survive the distractions and busyness, but you can thrive by staying laser focused on God!

Attitude affects everything. Websters Dictionary of 1828 gives 2 definitions for this word: one concerning the posture of a person in a figure or sculpture and one referring to the overall posture or position of a person. For example, it describes one having a firm attitude when faced with trouble. The current Websters Dictionary has many more definitions, including references to the ones listed above. There were two related to each other that drew my attention: a mental position and a feeling or emotion with regard to a fact or state. For example, an optimistic attitude. Together “attitude” can be interpreted as the thoughts or feelings toward a situation show up in your posture. These attitudes not only show up in our physical state, but also what words are used to address the situation. A positive attitude toward a situation brings about positive words and many times works to ease the attitude of those around us. However, a negative attitude toward a situation brings negative words and puts others on edge as well, affective their attitude toward the situation. It’s at these times that it’s challenging to not hurt others with our words. Proverbs 18:21 says” Death and life are in the power of the tongue and those who love it will eat its fruit.” (NRSV) Actual physical death is not going to strike when chosen words bring hurt to others. Harshly spoken words will bring distance between you and that person and more importantly, distance between you and God. Distance from God is where the destruction comes for those who don’t control their words and attitudes. Choosing the right words and keeping attitudes in check is a daily struggle. It is possible to survive giving and receiving harsh words, but wouldn’t it be better to thrive by working to control our words and attitudes?

Out of the box thinking. Not something that comes easily to some, including myself. When faced with situations it’s easy to resort to the way of thinking that is familiar and the actions that are comfortable. Seeing situations in a new light is difficult based on a few things.

1. Past history-“This is the way I’ve always done it.” Eventually it worked in the past, so why change the course of action.
2. Doubt-“Nothing turns out right for me.” When it appears others get something that you want, it’s easy to make yourself believe that it will always be that way.
3. Fear-“I’m afraid to try new things.” The unknown is a scary place where many people won’t go because of fear.

Most people resort to familiar ways and ways of thinking due to a combination of all three things listed above. What if you could move past that? Even though we live in this world, we have a God who does not operate on the principals of this world or under the restraint of the things listed. A few weeks ago was Easter. This is the time many people celebrate Jesus dying then being raised from the dead. The principals of this world dictated that when Jesus died he be placed in a tomb. However, God saw to it that Jesus not be restrained by the principals of this world or common human thinking. To everyone who witnessed the event, the tomb was permanent because that’s how it worked. Jesus didn’t stay in that tomb. God went against what was supposed to happen and brought Jesus out of the tomb. We serve a God who doesn’t operate under the principals of this world or our in the box thinking. God is an out of the box thinker. He can take whatever you are facing today and provide a solution that goes against what “should” happen and make it better than you expected. You can survive each day with in the box thinking. However, you can thrive by letting God out of the box, so he can show up in a way that is better than you expected!

We’ve all had days and times where we wonder if those around us hear what we’re saying. Parents to children, children to parents, bosses to employees, employees to bosses, co-worker to co-worker just to name a few. Most people just want to be heard and know someone is listening to them no matter the situation-in good, bad and normal everyday occurrences. Sometimes we get irritated if we think we’re not being heard and give up on trying to communicate the point.

That can happen in our relationship with God. Where we can just text, email or call people to communicate, those are not options when it comes to God. There’s no instant feedback or recognition of the communication. Silence-that can seem like the worst thing depending on the current situation. However, something happens in what we call silence. For a moment, our words aren’t messing with the purpose and plan God has for us. Our earthly brains only see so much of a situation and calculate what seems to be reasonable answers to our situations. We tend to insert those words and outcomes into our prayers because we can’t comprehend any other way through the circumstances. However, God sees everything-the beginning, the ending, and everything in between. What we interpret as unwanted silence should really be viewed as us taking our limited thinking out of the equation, which allows God’s infinite wisdom to take over the situation.

Don’t be afraid of the silence. God hears everything we say every time we say it. We can survive by trying to dictate our own outcomes, but we will thrive when we let the silence show us God’s way!

Each day comes with challenges-some are new challenges and some are the same things that have been hanging around for awhile. Some days it seems the challenges stack themselves up against us and form walls that can’t be penetrated. Feelings of isolation and despair set in, take over, and seem to be unending much like the multiple cloudy days experienced in winter in some places. When will the sun shine again? When will the light break through the walls?

When this happens, remember a few things that are listed in Isaiah 49.

1. We are God’s creation and He cannot forget us-v. 15.
2. God is faithful and chose us as His own-v. 7
3. God is our strength-v. 5
4. God comforts and has compassion on His people- v. 13
5. God will save and vindicate His people from those who try to put them down-v. 25
6. Those who wait hopefully for God will not be put to shame-v. 23

There are so many things coming at us from all directions every day. It’s so easy to get caught up in what we see, kind of like the cloudy winter. The sun is actually shining-we just can’t see it because of the clouds. When you can get above the clouds, you can see the sun. Instead of just trying to survive the cloudy days, remember the 6 things listed above and you will begin to thrive again and see the sun!

Today’s world brings many trials and troubles. Things that can’t be explained trip us up from time to time causing us to doubt or lose our way temporarily. This is not unlike the Israelites in the Bible. Their lives took many twists and turns. They encountered things they wish they could have avoided. Some of it probably could have been avoided if they had not gone astray, like worshipping the idols of the nations around them. No matter the reason for the trials, the Bible reminds us that it doesn’t have to stay that way. Isaiah 48:11 says, ”For the sake of my reputation, for my own sake, I will act…I won’t give my glory to another.” (CEB) The “my” and ”I” in this verse are God speaking. God started good works in all of us, and He is not going to let that go to waste. He wants us to know that He’s going to finish what He started. Verses 17-18 tell us how. ”He’s our Redeemer, the Holy One, and the Lord our God, who teaches us to profit and leads us in the way we should go when we follow His commands.” (paraphrased from NRSV)

It all comes back to obedience and trying everyday not just to survive but to thrive by seeking the one who made the plan and will see it through!