Psalms 23: 1-2 (NLT) The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams.
Deuteronomy 8:3 (NIV) He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.
Proverbs 23:5 (NIV) Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle.
The idea I have all that I need (Ps 23:1) in the Lord has had me considering the reality that many people lack so much. So, I often found the thought I have all I need (Ps 23:1) in the Lord irritating and off putting. However, as I have grown, I realize the world is so permeated with brokenness that there is no escaping suffering. How then can I say I have all that I need (Ps 23:1). And I am able to rest (Ps 23:2) in every sense of the word by peaceful streams (Ps 23:2)?
I have observed friends whose childhood offered many luxuries. However, when provided in a dysfunctional environment, they still experienced far-reaching mental and emotional damage. Likewise, I have seen others grow up in poverty but in a more nurturing home and experience a healthier overall outcome. I think it's not unfair to say that our circumstances do not appear as significant to our inner well-being as much as with whom we are sharing them.
Similarly, on a much grander scale, I believe this is a deep truth our Father is sharing with us. Whether we accept it or not, we are His children. God, unlike all our earthly parents, is perfect. Perfect in justice, love, mercy, compassion and giving. Our good circumstances, like riches (Prov 23:5), are fleeting. As the Lord suggests here, peace is not inhabited within a perfect life situation. Peace is given by our Heavenly Father when we turn to Him in every life circumstance.
Like some of you, I have endured many challenges in this life: emotional suffering, financial hardship, chronic physical pain, and the loss of many people I dearly love. Throughout all of these, there were moments where I would turn my heart and mind toward my Heavenly Father. When I did, the pain and grief remained, but a peace appeared beside these and overshadowed them. This peace banished my fear with an incomprehensible hope. I found this to be true if my focus was on God’s truth and not shifting to the fear surrounding my circumstance. Every time the fear popped up, I had to consciously choose to turn my mind heavenward to experience the reality I have all that I need (Ps 23:1).
The broken pieces of our life do not have the final say because we were never meant to endure them alone. We were designed to put them on our Father’s shoulders and take up our rest in His arms. His peace assures us that no situation or life is too broken for Him to redeem. And when death comes to steal away our loved ones; His peace promises not the end but a goodbye until we meet in the Promised Land. Where in our lives are we depending on temporal things to bring us peace? Are we willing to be vulnerable with ourselves and with our Lord to ask for Him to show us how He continually provides all that [we] need (Ps 23:1)?
Recommended Uplifting Songs:
Sparrows by Cory Asbury
Promises by Maverick City Music
Honey In The Rock by Brandon Lake, Brooke Fraser, and Passion
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