God's Timing

I never realized how amazing the 23rd Psalm is until recently. Not only are the actual words amazing, but if you're like most of the people I grew up with this is THE verse to learn as a child. Now this may not have been the case for you, but I remember growing up and this verse was everywhere. Even today I meet people who can pretty much quote this verse. I think it's incredible that this is the verse that adults chose to teach to children time after time. Maybe it's a coincidence, but I think it was taught with a divine purpose. If you really pay attention to the words and don't take them for granted, this verse can pretty much guide any teenager and/or adult through all of life's phases. To me that is remarkable.

Psalm 23
The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still
waters.
He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of
righteousness
For His name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through
the valley of the shadow
of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and your staff, they
comfort me.
You prepare a table before
me in the presence of my
enemies;
You anoint my head with
oil;
My cup runs over.
Surely goodness and mercy
shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the
house of the Lord
Forever.

God is so good. My words are not even enough to express just how great and awesome our God is. This chapter in Psalm is more profound than I ever realized. I think I most certainly took it for granted every time I read it and heard it. I didn't really pay attention to the words. This is just one more example of how a person can look at the same verse and discover something new with time. God showed me this verse last week. The burden of searching for a job and dealing with rejection was weighing heavy on me. Honestly it has been weighing heavy for over a week. I had been doing so well and had been able to rest in God's peace and joy for a couple of months. Then last Wednesday I just lost it. I received another email explaining the school decided to go in another direction. I was crushed. I allowed worry to come in. It was an ugly break down. Even though I began to doubt, God never left my side. He is just too good to me. While I am still taking it just one day at a time, I know I must rely on God and keep my focus on Him. When He showed me this verse, I almost missed everything AGAIN. Thankfully God helped me to pay closer attention. In the very first line He pretty much sums it all up. As a writer, I appreciate the great topic sentence. God is so smart! The first verse tells us that we will not have to want for anything. God will provide! We just have to depend on Him and be good with his timing. If we trust Him there really is no need to worry. With the next few verses, we read how His peace will bring good, pleasurable things into our lives. He goes on to remind us that in times of weakness and trouble He restores us. Only God can make us truly better when we are down or going through life's trials. Then there is the verse that has even been featured in some secular songs. It may seem that death and destruction are upon us, but with God we have NO reason to fear the evil of this world. God is not only our provider but our protector, as well. He provides, protects, and comforts. We are weak, and when we humbly admit this God WILL comfort us. There is nothing more comforting than His peace. Then we get to the really good part. I mean all of this is good, but this next verse is certainly the climax. If we trust and obey God, He will give us exceedingly abundantly more than we could ever imagine. How amazing is that?! Then it gets even better, because our God is just that awesome! While on earth He grants us His goodness and mercy as we trust Him and wait for His timing. Then we get to spend FOREVER with our Lord and Savior. He is our hope and our future! I am just blown away by how incredible this one chapter is. With all of this said, I know I must rely on God and trust Him, NOT me. I can do nothing without Him. God created me for a purpose. I want to listen and find out what that purpose is. I look forward to the work that God is going to do in my life. I know God's timing is way better than my timing. I am so thankful for the 23rd Psalm. I want my life to glorify God. These verses can be an amazing guide, if we let them.