a holy shelter – Page 20 – Broken Believers

Psalm 23, Understood

Psalm 23, an annotated version:The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.– That’s relationship
2     He makes me lie down in green pastures.– That’s rest

 He leads me beside still waters.– That’s  refreshment

 3     He restores my soul.– That’s healing

 He leads me in paths of righteousness– That’s guidance

     for his name’s sake.– That’s purpose

⁴Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,– That’s testing
I will fear no evil,– That’s protection
for you are with me;– That’s faithfulness
your rod and your staff, they comfort me.– That’s discipline

5 You prepare a table before me– That’s hope

     in the presence of my enemies;– That’s witness

 you anoint my head with oil;– That’s consecration

     my cup overflows.– That’s abundance

 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,– That’s blessing

 and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord– That’s security

     forever.– That’s eternity
Psalm 23, ESV
We really do live in a world of uncertainty. Anything can happen (and often does) and at times we will struggle. Psalm 23 is something stable that we can latch on. It is a psalm of unparalleled comfort for the turmoil.
It is especially good to those of us who struggle with a suffering or illness. It is a tether for us that holds us in place. For those who fear death it promises us life– forever.
If you’re a broken believer who has issues, I encourage you to memorize this psalm.  As you commit it to memory it will instinctively draw you to reality. It will be something the Holy Spirit will use over and over in your life. I have been crippled with fear many times, and this psalm has protected me. 
I love the Shepherd of Psalm 23. 

An Eternity With God, [Get Ready]

^18″So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.”

2 Corinthians 4:18, (NLT)

This dear ones, is an awesome verse with some pretty profound implications. The more I marinade in it, the better it gets.

But more importantly, it refuses to give in to the temporary. The earthly reality that swirls around us is brief. Its provisional purpose is an exclusive one; it exists to prepare us for an eternity with God. That hope ‘rewires’ us. We must be prepared for this encounter, we must be changed.

The spiritual realities are the ones that are truly real,

And the ‘Bible truths’ are the ones that are really authentic.

Issues must be settled in the temporary ‘here-and-now.’ You might say, without being too audacious, that we’re being groomed to be royals. And maybe we truly are. Perhaps this is the fuller implication of having eternal life? We seem to be destined for a throne. And God is eager enough to make it happen.

C.S. Lewis writes: “We are so little reconciled to time that we are even astonished at it. ‘How he’s grown!’ we exclaim, ‘How time flies!’ It’s as strange as if a fish were repeatedly surprised at the wetness of water. And that would be strange indeed; unless of course, the fish were destined to become, one day, a land animal.”

Eternity is the real world. It is quite unlike anything else. Our present situation is one of preparation: a new ‘language,’ new attitudes, new relationships– in short, a new life. Someday we will shine like a newly minted penny! And some, are starting to shine already.

C.S. Lewis also wrote, “Creatures are not born with desires unless satisfaction for those desires exists. A baby feels hunger: well, there is such a thing as food. A duckling wants to swim: well, there is such a thing as water. If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world. If none of my earthly pleasures satisfy it, that does not prove that the universe is a fraud. Probably earthly pleasures were never meant to satisfy it, but only to arouse it, to suggest the real thing.”

Life in the Desert, [Grace]

“Lord I crawled across the barrenness to you with my empty cup uncertain in asking any small drop of refreshment. If only I had known you better I’d have come running with a bucket.”

-Nancy Spiegelberg

“Come, everyone who thirsts,
come to the waters;
and he who has no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without price.
² Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,
and your labor for that which does not satisfy?
Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good,
and delight yourselves in rich food.

Isaiah 55:1-2, ESV

Despair and despondency will often drive us to extremes, we are compelled to find some kind of help– and we’ll take it wherever. But as human beings we seldom exercise any kind of discernment. Rarely do we ever consider to whom, or at what we are looking to. We often just want relief from the pain.

It really seems we are drawing from poisoned wells, but we unable to discern what we will receive. We come with our tin cup, and will stand in line to accept a meager couple of swallows. Experience has taught us not to get our hopes up too high. After all, the next well will probably be dry.

In contrast, the Spirit of God is a cool, and lush oasis. There is an abundance of fresh water for all who find him. Everything is green, and it is a bit overwhelming to us who have struggled so long, with so little. It seems like we’ve been transported to another world.

But this is what God’s grace and love is like. We’ve searched and scavenged for so long. We have become jaded and cynical by our meager success. Disillusioned by all that life has offered us, we can barely look up to this next possibility. It just seems to be to good to be true, and we don’t want to be taken in again. But know this:

Grace is a wonder.
God Himself is the only One who can satisfy you.

His very character is life-giving and refreshing. He constantly gushes up fresh, sweet water. It is there for us, and he assumes that we will draw on it. Some of us take a lot of it, but some who are hesitant to stretch out their battered tin cups. They receive what they think they just might deserve (or somehow get away with.)

The wonder of it is that God considers himself to be the exclusive source of “water that refreshes.” There are some who will ‘point and shout.’ Some claim, “exclusiveness!” They consider all those who come to the real fount, to be manipulated into coming. But that is seldom the case.

God and His grace is unchanged. There are no tickets to punch, and we can’t generate enough of any kind of righteousness that lets us draw from the well. But the well is a gift– not a reward. It is free, and never a reward for good behavior. We all must come to the water, crippled and thirsty, or we will never come at all.

Dear one, rest in this place of refreshment. Drink your fill. Grace is extravagant, and you can fill your belly. Throw away that battered cup, and get a pail. His presence is all our heart is looking for.

The Real Treasures, [Weaknesses]

As Christians often our theology tells us that mental illness, depression, and bipolar disorder have no place in the believer’s life. So we hide, sneaking into our sessions with our therapists, and change the subject to minimize our exposure to direct questions. We have had to hide our issues really well.

But I would submit to you that it is we who are closest to the Kingdom of God. It is far easier for us to approach the Father, in our brokenness, humility, and general lostness. We have needs; a sound mind, a healthy body and we know it. We have no illusions of wellness, nothing can convince us that we are well. We are not.

We are broken and only our loving creator can mend us.

You might say that the Church needs us. An Archbishop was given an ultimatum by the Huns who surrounded his cathedral. “You have 24 hours to bring your wealth to these steps”, the war-leader demanded. The next morning the Archbishop came out leading the poor, the blind, the lame, and the lunatics. “Where is your treasure? Why have you brought out these… people?” The Archbishop simply and quietly replied, “These are the treasures of the Church, these who are weak are our valuables. They make us rich.”

We often can value giftedness more than weakness.

I am afraid the the Western Church no longer sees its “treasures” like it should. In our pride and self-centeredness we have operated our churches like successful businesses. We value giftedness more than weakness. We definitely have no room for the desperately weak. I suppose it’s time for the Church to begin to act like Jesus.

Church isn’t where you meet. Church isn’t a building. Church is what you do. Church should be a verb. Church is who you are. Church is the human outworking of the person of Jesus Christ. Let’s not go to Church, let’s be the Church.

Psalm 23, an annotated version:

I love the Shepherd of Psalm 23.

Share this:

18″ So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.”

The spiritual realities are the ones that are truly real,

And the ‘Bible truths’ are the ones that are really authentic.

Share this:

“Lord I crawled across the barrenness to you with my empty cup uncertain in asking any small drop of refreshment. If only I had known you better I’d have come running with a bucket.”

Share this:

We are broken and only our loving creator can mend us.

We often can value giftedness more than weakness.

Share this:

^18″So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.”