Dictations From The Spirit

Psalm 23:1-3: 1) The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2) He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. 3) He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.

The 23^rd Psalm is one of the most quoted Scriptures in the Bible.  Appropriately, it is most commonly used at funerals. The Scripture is used not for the one who has died, but for those seeking some sense of the concept of death and dealing with the loss of a loved one. However, this Psalm isn’t really about death – it’s about life. It’s about a life lived with a relationship with God.

As with any relationship, there is a process of coming to know someone, and this is no different when it comes to a relationship with God. These first few verses of Psalm 23 outline the process of developing a relationship with Him. Before we review these steps, it is important we understand that the process was designed by God; therefore, His motive behind conveying it should tell us that a close and intimate relationship with Him is something that He wants with each of us.

Without God, if we’re honest, there is always something missing. The world simply cannot meet everything we need. Only our Creator who knew from the beginning of time our needs – since He formed us Himself – can totally fulfill them. The first verse recognizes this, and God establishes His position – a shepherd, and defines His promise as a shepherd – for us not to want. His first statement in this Psalm of comfort is that He alone is what each of us need. The role of a shepherd implies something needs to be tended to – or cared for. That is what a shepherd does – he watches over and protects and cares for his flock.

For many people who come to believe in God, there has been one or even a long series of trials that has left them hurt, broken, alone, and ultimately exhausted. For others, their sinfulness has left them feeling unworthy of a relationship with God and their sins are unforgivable. Again, God knows this, so in the second verse He tells us that He makes us to lie down in green pastures and leads us beside the still waters. This verse recognizes the need for rest and recovery from living in our sins and from living in a world in rebellion against or without the shepherd we always needed.

The fruit of agreeing to come under the loving protection of the Shepherd and being allowed to rest under His care is a restored soul. How long it takes for the fruit to become “ripe” varies from person to person. The depths of our pains and our ability to learn to trust in His desire and ability to heal those pains are all part of what takes time. For most of us, it is easier said than done, but He knows what we need, and He’ll give it to us if we will accept it. Again, He gave us this plan, so it is something He wants to do.

While the restoration of our soul may take a long time, God has more in mind for each of us and seeks to bless us beyond what we can imagine. Verse 3b states, “He leads me in the paths of righteousness.” In the garden of Eden – before sin came into the world, God’s original plan was to walk and commune with us (see Genesis 3:8). This is truly awesome when you think of it, and this verse tells us that His goal is to lead us back to that path where He can walk and fellowship with each of us. What amazing grace!

The 23^rd Psalm is a message of God’s desire for a relationship that begins with His promise of protection and meeting our needs. He then provides time for rest and restoration. As we begin to heal and trust Him more, He seeks to guide us on a new path where He assures us His leadership. In the final part of verse three, He tells us He does all this for His name’s sake. What name is this? Jesus tells us in John 10:11, that He is “the good shepherd”. God is good, and He wants to be our shepherd and build a relationship with each of us. The question each of us must ask ourselves is, “Do we want a relationship with Him.” Given what He promises in these verses, why wouldn’t you?

John 19:30: So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.

What did Jesus mean in His last words before giving up His spirit on the cross, “It is finished!”?  The Lamb of God had been perfectly obedient to His Father and willingly laid down His life as a propitiation for our sins.  He had finished His end of the bargain, or the work the Father had set forth as a result of His great desire for those who believe to enter His kingdom now and fellowship with us throughout eternity.  This is sometimes referred to as God’s plan of redemption.

We have a choice to accept this plan. If we accept, what’s involved in our end of the bargain?  The plan has three critical steps, and the ultimate success of each subsequent step is totally dependent on how complete we have “finished” the previous step.  The first step is dealing with our past.  Romans 3:23 states that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”  Before we can ask Jesus into our hearts, we must come to grips with the truth of our sinful past and present, confess it to God, and then ask for His forgiveness.  Acts 10:43 proclaims, “that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

Before moving on to the next step, do we really believe that we’re forgiven?  Forgiveness through Christ’s shed blood means that our sins are blotted out completely.  In God’s eyes, there’s no reason for us to hold onto the shame, the guilt, the pain, or any other burdens that always come with sin.  He now sees in the image of His Son.  True acceptance of this kind of forgiveness should result in an indescribable freedom and huge load off our shoulders.  Unfortunately, many either do not, or will not, fully accept this truth, so their ability to obtain all that the next steps have to offer is limited.

The first step, dealing with the past, is really a team effort – Jesus and us.  The next step continues as a team effort but our new teammate is the Holy Spirit. We need Him to help us with our wills – dealing with the present, or repentance of our sinful ways.  Repent means “to turn around”.   Imagine two boats are preparing to turn around – one is carrying a full load of cargo and passengers, the other is carrying no passengers and no cargo.  It only makes sense that the ship without the extra load is going to make the easier turn.  This is the case in the relationship between true acceptance of forgiveness (how heavy the load) and one’s ability to turn away from our sinful ways, or repentance.  If we really believe that we’re forgiven, that natural feeling of relief and freedom will overwhelm any desire to return to those sins that so burdened us.  There will be temptations to lure us back, but the person who has truly accepted God’s forgiveness, will find “finishing” the second step – repenting – much easier.

The final step has to do with our future, and once again, it’s a team effort.  Jesus said, “It is finished!” – He did not say, “I am finished.” Jesus was/is a man of action, and He desires that for those who believe in Him. With the aide of the Holy Spirit, we are to step out in faith in serving the Lord.  If we slide back into our old ways, we are restricting the Spirit’s ability to minister to us and, therefore, our ability to minister to others.  On the other hand, if we remain “complete” in steps 1 & 2 – which deal with the issue of holiness, we obtain the power – through the Spirit (Zechariah 4:6) – to serve the Lord in ways we cannot imagine.  So the more “complete” we finish each step of our end of the bargain in God’s plan of redemption, the better we’ll be able get started in getting all that is possible in a right relationship with a loving God. Are you ready to start?