Nae's Notes

In Psalm 23:4 the Lord leads and protects us though the darkness, which is a result of the enemy trying to get us off course. It makes sense that at the end of the trial is a celebration. It is described in verse 5 in the following way.

“You prepare a banquet for me, where all my enemies can see me; you welcome me as an honored guest and fill my cup to the brim.” (GNT)

God rewards us for following Him by celebrating us. This verse is interesting in this version as it mentions that it is where our enemies can see it. He lets the ones against us know that we are protected by Him and rewarded when we choose Him. Some versions mention “anointing our heads with oil”. In Bible times, this was seen as a great honor for guests. It is the highest compliment and honor He can bestow upon us. Then after he honors us for our obedience, He fills us with blessings! Some versions say that the blessings will overflow!

The good news is that the promise of the celebration and the overflow of blessings comes no matter the level of darkness that we go through. It can be a brief period of difficulty or a long period of difficulty. If we are obedient to let God lead and protect us the blessings He promises will come, and we will be thrive in front our enemies instead of just survive!

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Psalm 23:3 ended with those who follow God being led through the right paths. Some might ask why that verse is followed by verse 4, which points to trouble along the way. Several versions of Psalm 23:4 use the word “death”. In searching some other versions, the word “death” is replaced with “darkness”. This change seems to make the verse more relatable because darkness will be experienced more often than death. God doesn’t promise that there won’t be trials on that right path. If you are walking the right path then you will encounter some trials or darkness, as the enemy wants to get you off that path. The good news is God is with you on that path, “close beside me” (Ps. 23:4 NLT). When God is close beside you, you can put aside your fear and lean on Him to help keep you on that path. Why? The Good News Translation says this in the last part of the verse, “Your shepherds rod and staff protect me.” The Lord is our shepherd. Just as sheep rely on the shepherd for protection, we can rely on the Lord our shepherd for leading and protection. Just as wolves comes looking to harm the sheep, the enemy comes to get us off course. The sheep stay close to the shepherd. We need to stay close to God by reading His word and spending time in worship and prayer. When the enemy comes, it’s important to make sure we know God’s voice to follow His leading. We can survive things that come against us when we try to do things ourselves. Getting close to God and letting Him lead and protect us will help us thrive!

As much as we don’t want to pretend fresh starts are around the corner, it’s hard not to use the new year as a way to reflect and reset. A fresh planner, colored pens, vision boards, goal setting and the list goes on for the way we approach a new year. I’d like to pretend that there are some things I started last year that continued beautifully through the year and don’t have to be restarted. Not quite. What are some things that interrupt consistency and progress? Job change, family change, illness, moving-those are all physical changes that can’t be avoided and need to be accounted for when setting goals. What about the other things? Fear, uncertainty, doubt-all thoughts that come but can be managed. I almost used the word conquered. Yes, those thoughts can be conquered, but in today’s world there are so many new challenges coming at us that make conquering those thoughts more difficult. No one can stay in their homes and avoid all the challenges of the world. The best way to help conquer those thoughts is to find some verses that help remind us what God says and wants for us. Psalm 119:68 says, “Be good to your servant, God; be as good as your Word. Train me in good common sense; I’m thoroughly committed to living your way.” (MSG). Spending some daily time with God is the best way to catch His vision for our lives, combat the negative thoughts, and find success with our goals. You can accomplish some things and survive 2023. Being committed to God and doing what He wants us to do will help us thrive in 2023!

“‘Tis the Season”. A popular phrase used during this time of year. It means different things to different people. For some it’s a time to spend with family to catch up on the past year. Others find themselves alone. For some it’s a time to travel. Others don’t go out as much because of the crowds. For some it’s a week or two of time off because their jobs slow down. Others work overtime because it’s their busiest time of the year. Some celebrate Christmas. Others celebrate other holidays or none at all. Some people struggle to find joy during this season. Others find it to be their happiest time of year.

This season does not have to be the only time more joy shows up. Jesus came so that we can experience joy everyday. How? A popular acronym for joy is Jesus, Others, Yourself. We are all coming from different perspectives during this time of year. We can practice experiencing joy by putting Jesus first. Then take a look around and see if there are others around you struggling with something mentioned above and do something that brings joy to them. You may find something that brings you joy not only today but everyday as you look outside of yourself and bring some joy to others. None of this is possible unless you put Jesus first so you can follow Him and what He wants you to do! Don’t just merely survive the holidays. Put Jesus first, and you will thrive!

The last blog addressed Psalm 23:2 where God leads us to the green pastures and still waters. This action leads us to verse 3 and words concerning restoration.

You hear a lot about restoring these days. Restoring old houses and antiques are a popular past time. Many people find joy in returning these items to their original state. Upon investigating the official meaning of restore in the Webster’s 1828 dictionary, I found many definitions that included the following words: replace, return, recover, repair, rebuild, revive, renew. These words all represent restoration in the general sense but have very different meanings when examined individually.

The New King James Version of Psalm 23:3 reads,” He restores my soul; He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.” This is the wording that is most familiar when thinking of Psalm 23. Examination of other versions brought some different wording to light. The New Living Translation says, “He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name.” The Message version says, “True to your word, you let me catch my breath and send me in the right direction.” Each of these versions uses different words in the first sentence: restore my soul; renew my strength; catch my breath. Restore has many different meanings and is the perfect reference word for this verse as every individual needs something different in order to be restored. Restoring individuals is as unique as restoring old houses and antiques. The general steps are the same, but each item requires individual attention in order to achieve the original state.

Catering restoration to each person is essential in achieving the next part of the verse-leading to righteousness for His name’s sake; guiding to bring honor to His name; sending in the right direction. We are here to serve and bring honor to God and fulfill His purpose for our lives. Everything we do should lead to bringing honor to Him. However, our journeys are not all the same and can’t be achieved by following someone else’s path. God caters our restoration to our exact needs at the exact time we need them in order to continue us on the path that leads in the right direction in order to be where He needs us. We could survive and make it through our journey without specific restoration. We can thrive on our journey by letting God give us what we need at the exact right time!

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!