Lenten Devotions - Day 03
“You, Yahweh, are my shepherd; I will never be in need.” Psalm 23:1
As the psalmist reflected, God as shepherd cares for our needs. All too often, however, we live and talk as though our needs are provided by some other means—those means we can measure, quantify, and compare in a modern economy. We teach our children that it is through hard work, diligent preparation, and a persevering struggle to get ahead that our needs will be met. This is the message of our society, yet it is not the message of God.
With the fluctuations of markets, the closing of corporations, rising costs of healthcare, and the pressures of foreclosures, we are tempted to believe the message that God has little to do with the provision of our needs. We are tempted to read the names on paychecks as the sources of our provision. It was perhaps easier in an agrarian society to understand one's dependence upon the God who sends rain, bring fertility to the flocks and crops, and makes the sun to shine.
Yet we are still dependent upon wind and rain, tides and seasons, sun and snow to provide for our needs. God's ways of provision may not be as visible or traceable in an industrial, technical, and electronic society, yet the truth of God's provision is still the same.
For generations upon generations, we have fought this truth expressed by the psalmist. We have struggled with the interpretation of wants versus needs. We have struggled to understand how God uses our efforts as part of the means of provision, yet providing beyond the limits of our abilities and possibilities. We have struggled against the very idea of this dependence. We want to be less dependent and in greater control.
The psalmist, however, found comfort in God's provision. The psalmist learned to rest in God's provision and relish that he did not need to be in control. When we can arrive at that point in our own lives, there is true refreshment and rest in the character of this Shepherd who does indeed care for our needs.
Do I consciously rely on God to meet my needs as the shepherd of his sheep?
While you continue finding ways to demonstrate love for God and focus your attention on God’s character, look for a source of your worry in regard to the provision of your needs. Turn that over to God—the One who loves you and cares to meet your needs. Trust God enough to be God’s provision for someone else today.
“Lord, help me to let go of my need to be in control, that I might rest in your provision, finding the freedom I need to serve you.”
—©Copyright 2009 Christopher B. Harbin http://www.sermonsearch.com/contributors/104427/
As the psalmist reflected, God as shepherd cares for our needs. All too often, however, we live and talk as though our needs are provided by some other means—those means we can measure, quantify, and compare in a modern economy. We teach our children that it is through hard work, diligent preparation, and a persevering struggle to get ahead that our needs will be met. This is the message of our society, yet it is not the message of God.
With the fluctuations of markets, the closing of corporations, rising costs of healthcare, and the pressures of foreclosures, we are tempted to believe the message that God has little to do with the provision of our needs. We are tempted to read the names on paychecks as the sources of our provision. It was perhaps easier in an agrarian society to understand one's dependence upon the God who sends rain, bring fertility to the flocks and crops, and makes the sun to shine.
Yet we are still dependent upon wind and rain, tides and seasons, sun and snow to provide for our needs. God's ways of provision may not be as visible or traceable in an industrial, technical, and electronic society, yet the truth of God's provision is still the same.
For generations upon generations, we have fought this truth expressed by the psalmist. We have struggled with the interpretation of wants versus needs. We have struggled to understand how God uses our efforts as part of the means of provision, yet providing beyond the limits of our abilities and possibilities. We have struggled against the very idea of this dependence. We want to be less dependent and in greater control.
The psalmist, however, found comfort in God's provision. The psalmist learned to rest in God's provision and relish that he did not need to be in control. When we can arrive at that point in our own lives, there is true refreshment and rest in the character of this Shepherd who does indeed care for our needs.
Do I consciously rely on God to meet my needs as the shepherd of his sheep?
While you continue finding ways to demonstrate love for God and focus your attention on God’s character, look for a source of your worry in regard to the provision of your needs. Turn that over to God—the One who loves you and cares to meet your needs. Trust God enough to be God’s provision for someone else today.
“Lord, help me to let go of my need to be in control, that I might rest in your provision, finding the freedom I need to serve you.”
—©Copyright 2009 Christopher B. Harbin http://www.sermonsearch.com/contributors/104427/
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