The Pause Button

I have hit the pause button because this verse
is so critical to every Christian.

"Even though I walk through the valley of
      the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
For You are with me."

Yesterday I asked a question: Does God turn
His face away in disgust when you fail? Do
you turn your face away when your teenager
fails? Well, yes, that happens. But God is not
like us. He says very clearly in Hebrews:

"I will never leave you or forsake you."
(Hebrews 13:5)

Forsake: to quit, leave entirely, desert, abandon, 
depart from, renounce, reject.

Several years ago I met a woman who had just
moved into Assisted Living. She was confused
and bereft. But, her heart remembered that verse,
"only would someone show her where it was in
her Bible?" I just "happened" to have that
particular verse on a card.

David speaks of fleeing to the uttermost parts of
the sea, "If I say, surely the darkness shall cover 
me and the light about me, be night, even the 
darkness is not dark to You...for darkness is as 
light to You." (Ps 139:9-12)

So, you see, dear reader, you cannot hide from
God, and God will never hide from you! So many
believers think that God will not be with them,
rescue them, care for them, unless they get all
their ducks in a row. NO! His faithfulness, His
presence, is not dependent on us. Believe it--
and the darkness will begin to fade.

Thankfulness Corner:
The sunset began with gold, drifted into dazzling pink,
then outlined the clouds in salmon. Be still my heart...

The Question

"Even though I walk through the valley of
         deepest darkness,
I will fear no evil--no harm."

Why? "For Thou art with me."

Several months ago I explored the deep dark
valleys of David's life. I do not believe that
David wrote this psalm early in his life. No,
he wrote it looking back on the faithfulness
of his God in every horrible situation. David
experienced the presence of his God by faith,
and the presence of his God without faith. It
was not his faith that kept God near, but
God's promise to David.

Dearest reader, is it not the fear of losing God
through unbelief that makes your valley's so
dark? What if you have been neglecting God,
do you think that He will reciprocate by
neglecting you? If you slip and slide down
into a dark pit through your own choices,
do you feel you deserve His back instead
of His face? Is that true? This brings me to
the question: Does God turn His face away in
disgust when you don't measure up?

Thankfulness Corner:
A dog who loves to play--even at age ten

Deepest Darkness

"Even though I walk through the valley of the
shadow of death--or valley of deepest darkness..."

David speaks of the walk through a valley so dark
and so deep that it feels like death. Deepest
darkness: no light at all, can't see your hand in
front of your face, or the person standing next
to you. Separate and alone. Even if he can see
you, the darkness hides him. Who has not been
there? CS Lewis had something to say over the
death of his wife in A Grief Observed. He
called out to God and instead of an answer "he
heard the door slam and a bolt fall into place."
Sometimes the darkness falls suddenly but leaves
ever so slowly. These valleys sometimes seem
to run together, no light behind, and none ahead.
Every one of you reading this post has been there.
Where is God when you need Him the most?

Thankfulness Corner:
Shadows mixed with sunshine

The Indwelling

"He restores my soul and leads me in paths
of righteousness, for His Names sake."

His Names Sake? Yes! For His honor and
glory. But which or what Name is this?
Well, here are a just a few:

"Savior, Provider, Comforter, Peace, Redeemer,
Shepherd, Beautiful One, Righteous One, 
Faithful One, Holy One, Eternal One, Creator,
God!"

Now David knew God as the One who dwelt
near him, as the One he dwelt in. But he did
not know God as the One who dwelt in him.
How outrageous that God would live in him!
It was unheard of--before the cross. But, oh,
dear reader, since the cross, the Mighty God,
the Beautiful One, the Holy One--dwells in
us. He leads from within, and His righteous
Life flows out from each of us as we walk the
path given to us.

Oh, that I might grasp this and hold on. The
Faithful One abides in me even when I am
faithless. The wonder of it all. I am undone!

Thankfulness Corner:
Deep Blue Sky!

The Initiator

"He leads me in paths of righteousness..."

As I ponder this sentence today, I am stopped by
one thing: God is the initiator. I am the responder.
It has been this way from the very beginning:

I did not choose God; He chose me. I did not
"accept Jesus as my Savior," no, He accepted me!
I only responded to what He had all ready done
for me. Don't you see, reader, we get it backwards
when we focus on what we are doing for God
instead of on what God has all ready done for us.

He leads me, but how?

Thankfulness Corner:
A low of 58.

Restore

"He restores my soul."

Restore: To revive, to resuscitate, to renew,
               to bring back to life

David begins Psalm 23 by saying:
"The Lord is my Shepherd, I will not lack."

Why will I not lack? Because He provides
green pastures, and still water in the
darkest of times; in times of failure. God
initiates everything. I am the dumb sheep
and cannot turn to Him when needy. I
certainly cannot provide for my own lack,
though I tend to try--harder.

If I know Whose I am, I will stop trying
to figure out all the angles when life goes
south. He Himself is my restoration. He
restores my soul!

Dearest reader, hang out with Him besides
still waters and see if He will not restore
your soul.

Refresh

"He leads me beside still waters."

Refresh: To cool, give strength to, to revive
               what is drooping.

Sheep will not drink from fast moving water,
so the shepherd takes them to water that is
both shallow and still.

But, why does He lead me to quiet water?
I like the sound of a babbling brook and I
love to sit and watch the surf crash against
the rocks in the ocean.

Quiet, still, clean water reflects the sky, the
trees, the surroundings. As I wait on Him
His heart is reflected. As I sit beside Living
Water, the Living God refreshes my soul.

O, Living Water, refresh my soul today!