Green Pastures and Still Waters

This week, we read through Psalm 23. This short Psalm is packed with so many spiritual metaphors revealing necessary truths for us to embrace. For many years, I have heard this Psalm recited at funerals because of its comforting words, but its message is very much about life as well as death. Every time I read the 23rd Psalm, I am reminded of the things that God desires and intends for us; particularly verse 2 which says, “He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, He restores my soul. “ In Phillip Keller’s book, A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23, he sheds some insight on this passage.
He says, “Generally speaking, water for the sheep came from three main sources: dew on the grass, deep wells, or springs and streams. Most people are not aware that sheep can go for months on end, especially if the weather is not too hot, without actually drinking, if there is heavy dew on the grass each morning. Sheep, by habit, rise just before dawn and start to feed. Or if there is bright moonlight they will graze at night. The early hours are when the vegetation is drenched with dew, and sheep can keep fit on the amount of water taken in with their forage when they graze just before and after dawn.
Of course, dew is a clear, clean, pure source of water. And there is no more resplendent picture of still waters than the silver droplets of dew hanging heavy on leaves and grass at break of day. The good shepherd, the diligent manager, makes sure that his sheep can be out and grazing on this dew-drenched vegetation. If necessary, it will mean he himself has to rise early to be out with his flock. ‘”
In the Christian life it is or more than passing significance to observe that those who are often the most serene, most confident, and able to cope with life’s complexities are those who rise early each day to feed on God’s Word. It is in the quiet, early hours of the morning that they are led beside the quiet, still waters where they imbibe the very life of Christ for the day. There alone, still, waiting for the Master’s voice, one is led gently to the place where, as the old hymn puts it, ‘The still dews of His Spirit can be dropped into my life and soul.’”
Our Good Shepherd loves to see us contented, quiet, at rest and relaxed. He delights to know that our souls have been refreshed and satisfied. Unfortunately, we as Christians try to satisfy our thirst by many other substitutes. We try to appease the cravings of our souls while we pursue careers, intellect, money, relationships, etc. only to find dissatisfaction. We do as Jeremiah once declared, “My people…have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.” (Jer. 2:13)

Take Up Your Cross

Mark 8:34-35 Then He called the crowd to Him along with His disciples and said: “If anyone would come after me, He must deny Himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life with lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.”
Take Up Your Cross
Deep in the heart of the Sawatch mountain range near Vail, Colorado is the Mount of the Holy Cross. It is one of the highest peaks in Colorado and it is famous for its East facing facade which fills with snow and forms a well-defined cross within the mountain. The vertical cross beam stands approximately 1100 feet tall and the horizontal cross beam is around 750 long. First discovered in 1869, it was described to be a sign from God and His promise; a beacon upon the very center and height of the continent to all people and all generations. Samuel Bowles referred to this phenomenon when he said, “Here is a supply store and workshop of creation, the fountain of the Earth.” For many years, people saw the Mount of the Holy Cross as a place of healing. One pastor once took 2000 handkerchiefs from his congregation and prayed for healing for each of the members who gave him handkerchiefs symbolizing their particular needs. Near the foot of the cross structure in the mountain is a lake known as the Lake of Tears.

Colorado is known for its 14ers; the mountains with at least 14,000 feet to the summit. Advanced hikers come from all over the world to hike the trails to the top of the 14ers. The Mount of the Holy Cross is a 14er and a very difficult hike. Many 14ers take at least 8-10 hours to hike to the summit. Before hikers can see the cross in this particular mountain, they must take Half Moon Pass and descend into the Holy Cross valley across East Cross Creek. The trail will then head to the Ridge of the Holy Cross and will follow the rest of the way to the summit. As I read about the Mount of the Holy Cross and its particular trail, I saw the incredible parallelism between this mountain trail and the Christian life of someone who “takes up his cross” and follows Jesus. Following the Jesus Way, often involves descending into the valley and walking through treacherous, rocky paths. However, after putting one foot in front of the other, after much toil and sweat and prayer, we eventually reach the summit—the exaltation, the glorious inheritance that is ours for eternity.

I love how God demonstrates Himself through His creation and tells the very story of the Christian life as a follower of Jesus through a rocky mountain trail. Last week, my family hiked a difficult trail in Colorado. It was not the Mount of the Holy Cross trail, but it was certainly rocky and steep. I had to carefully watch where I took each step so I wouldn’t trip and fall. I became short of breath in the thin mountain air, and even had bouts of altitude sickness. My legs were burning from climbing miles of rocky stairs, but eventually I reached the summit and it was absolutely gorgeous. At the summit there was an incredible waterfall that flowed into a turquoise blue pool of water. As difficult as the hike was, there were also beautiful sights along the way; other waterfalls, rushing rivers and beautiful trees to encourage me to keep going. As we “take up our cross” and follow Jesus, there will be steep inclines, rocky paths and we may run out of breath and have to stop and rest, but He will give us joy in the journey by granting us His presence and He will encourage us as we make our way to the summit. We know that as we follow Jesus, there is no path that He will take us that He hasn’t been before, and we know that our ultimate destination is an eternal summit filled with the glory of God. I am thankful that He does not leave us to walk our life’s journey alone, but He guides us every step of the way.

Take up your cross and follow me
I heard my master say
I gave my life to ransom Thee
Surrender your all today
Wherever He leads I’ll go
Wherever He leads I’ll go
I’ll follow my Christ who loves me so
Wherever He leads I’ll go

Our Great God

Psalm 145 is known as an acrostic of praise written by David. Each verse corresponds with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. I love this Psalm because it gives us accurate descriptions of God’s character and His active interest in our lives. In the English language, we can see this Psalm partially divided into two categories: God is_____________ and God does__________________.
The list begins with these descriptions of God. Each of these phrases appears in pairs and most of them are connected by the word “and”, almost as if to imply a continued explanation.
“Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise.” (v. 3)
“The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.” (v. 8)
“The Lord is good to all and has compassion on all He has made.” (v.9)
“Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom , and your dominion endures through all generations.” (v.13)
“The Lord is righteous in all His ways and loving toward all He has made.” (v. 17)
“The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth.” (v.18)

The next group of phrases describes the activity of the Lord in our lives. Sometimes David talks about the Lord and sometimes he is actually directs His praise to the Lord Himself. This list begins with the statement:
“The Lord is faithful to all His promises and loving toward all He has made.” (v.13) The list continues with how the Lord demonstrates His faithfulness to us:

“The Lord upholds all those fall and lifts up all who are bowed down.” (v.14)
“You give Your people food at the proper time.” (v.15)
“You open Your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing.” (v.16)
“The Lord is near to all who call on Him in truth.” (v.18)
“He fulfills the desires of those who fear Him; He hears their cry and saves them.” (v.19)
“The Lord watches over all who love Him…” (v.20)

Our Lord is an active God who continually works to fulfill His promises to us. He does it in so many ways; upholding us, lifting us up, providing for us, staying near to us, fulfilling our desires and watching over us. I am so thankful that we serve a Great God! “Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; His greatness no one can fathom!” (v. 3)

The Concept of Freedom

2 Cor. 3:17 “Now the Lord is the Spirit and where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom…”

This verse is comforting to me because it means that we can actually achieve freedom in our souls through the power of the Holy Spirit. Freedom means that things are as they should be. Bondage has been eliminated and restoration has occurred. This past week, I did some graduate work at the McClosky Vocal Institute in Georgia, and we discussed at great length how to achieve “freedom of tone” in the voice. As singers, there are so many elements that prohibit freedom of tone: tension in the face, jaw, tongue, neck and shoulders, incorrect posture and breath support. When all of the tension is eliminated, and there is proper posture and breath support, the vocal tone will be free and resonant. This week, I heard phrases such as “Let the breath be in control…” and “Let the sound happen, don’t force it to happen!” Everything should come easily and naturally, and yet we get in the way of our own freedom of sound by all of the bad habits that we develop in singing.

As I thought about 2 Cor. 3:17, I saw a distinct correlation between “freedom of tone” in the voice and “freedom” as it relates to the Christian life. The key to singing freely is to let the breath control the sound. The Spirit of the Lord is often referred to as the “breath of God”. As His Spirit fills us and controls us, our lives will function more productively and we will experience His leadership and peace. Singing with freedom of tone also involves a great amount of relaxation. It is essential to work out as much tension as possible before uttering a single sound. The more tense we become, the more our vocal sound will be “tight and pinched”. Over and over again, God reminds us in Scripture to rest or “relax” in Him. We need to roll our troubles onto Him and rest in His almighty power to handle our problems and situations. This is much easier said than done, and it is difficult for all of us to do! It is equally difficult to keep our neck muscles, tongue and jaw relaxed when singing and may often take years of practice to achieve relaxation in just one of those areas. But I know for a fact that as those muscles begin to relax, a beautiful and free tone emerges. In the same way, we must trust that as we rest in the Lord, we will have a more peaceful state of mind. The Lord promises to restore us and give us freedom in Him.

Another important aspect of singing with a free tone, is to have proper posture. If the body is not aligned properly, the entire sound can be affected. Even the slightest alteration in posture can greatly inhibit the freedom and ease of the vocal tone. This reminded me of how important it is for us to keep a proper posture before the Lord. As we spend time with Him, He gives us a proper perspective of Himself and how we relate to Him. For God’s Spirit to flow freely through us, we must remain yielded and humble before Him. When His Spirit is in control and flowing through us, we will begin to produce fruit that looks like Him; the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness and self-control.

We all love to hear a beautiful, free singing voice. It is pleasant and soothing to us. It thrills me to work with a voice student who is learning to break away from tension to create a beautiful, resonant sound. The Lord wants to work with us as well to achieve freedom in our lives. My prayer is that my life will be pleasing to the Lord and will reflect the freedom that He gives me as I rest in Him and yield to Him. A life of freedom is what He desires for us. It is His ultimate goal for our lives. In fact, it was so important to God for us to have freedom, that Christ died to set us free from Satan’s bondage. Since we have already been set free, let us learn to live and walk in the freedom that is ours!

Less is More

The story of Gideon demonstrates a beautiful picture of God’s heart and motives. We need to pay careful attention to the words of the Lord mentioned in this story. As humans, we tend to look at numbers as a gauge of success and power. In our society, significance is determined by how much money we make, how many employees we have working for us, how well we are known in the public eye, etc. We validate one another by the things that we have and achieve.
I was in London this past week at the time of the Royal Ascot horse races. It was an event for those in high society. Only the most elite people of England were able to attend this event and it was a mark of status to be seen at the Royal Ascot races. The men were required to wear tuxedos with tails and top hats, while the women wore formal dresses with fancy hats. There was entire day devoted to the fashions that were worn, as the men and women paraded around having their pictures taken, much like we do for the Academy awards here in the United States. Of course, the most beautiful dresses and hats were recognized and there was much attention given to those with the highest status. As I watched this event on T.V., I was reminded that the Lord is not impressed at all with the things that we humans think are important.
One of my favorite children’s books is called “You are Special” by Max Lucado. In the book, there was a town full of wooden puppets called the Wemmicks. Each Wemmick had a box of golden stars and a box of gray dot stickers. All day long, the Wemmicks gave stickers of stars and dots to each other. The pretty ones with smooth wood and fine paint received stars, but if the wood was rough and the paint was chipped, the Wemmicks gave dots. The talented ones got stars too. Others, who could do little received dots. Some Wemmicks had stars all over them. Punchinello was a Wemmick who did not have stars, but dots all over him. He was neither the prettiest nor the most talented Wemmick. He had scratches and bumps all over him. After a while, he had received so many dots that he was afraid to go outside. The Wemmicks with stars made Punchinello feel badly about himself, until one day he met Lucia. She had no stars or dots on her body. She told Punchinello that they fell off of her whenever anyone put a star or sticker on her. She did not want anyone’s marks. Punchinello wanted to know her secret and she told him that her stickers didn’t stick because she spent time with Eli, the Woodcarver. Punchinello went to visit Eli and Eli told him how special he was; that stars and dots didn’t matter. What mattered was what Eli thought of Punchinello, because Eli created Punchinello and in Eli’s eyes, Punchinello was special and beautiful to him. Eli told Punchinello that the stickers stuck only if they mattered to him. Eli said, “The more you trust my love, the less you care about their stickers.” Eli reminded Punchinello to come spend time with him every day so that he could let Punchinello know just how much he cared. He said, “You are special because I made you, and I don’t make mistakes.” Punchinello began to believe Eli, and as he did, a dot fell to the ground. Punchinello discovered that the less stars and dots he had on his body, the more he had grown to believe his creator.

God continues to use the story of Gideon to teach us that man’s strength and status mean nothing to Him, but only His power and might will be everlasting. The Midianite army was so huge, the men could not be counted, but the Lord used Gideon’s army of 300 men to defeat them. Gideon spent time with his Creator, as Punchinello had done, and he knew and discerned the truth about the battle he was about to face. When Gideon had twenty-two thousand men, the Lord said to Gideon, “You have too many men for me to deliver Midian into their hands. In order that Israel may not boast against me that her own strength has saved her, announce now to the people, ‘Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.’.” So twenty-two thousand men left, while ten thousand remained. (Judges 7: 2-3) According to the Lord, ten thousand men were still too many. Gideon was left with 300 men. Rather than looking at the Midianite army and all of their “stars”, Gideon focused on the words of the Lord, “I will deliver them into your hands.” Miraculously, Gideon’s army, probably covered with “dots” defeated the Midianites. It was the word of the Lord that prevailed. Let us not forget, in our society of “stickers of stars and dots”, that less is often “more” when God is involved. May we not boast about our own strength, but boast in the power of the Lord Almighty.

The Fall of Jericho

There is an old spiritual called “Joshua Fit the Battle at Jericho.” I remember playing a piano arrangement of that particular song when I was in elementary school. However, I really wasn’t aware at that time what the song was about. I just knew it was fun to play and it had a catchy tune. The story of the Fall of Jericho is one of my favorites, especially now that I understand how it relates to our every day lives on the spiritual battlefield. Joshua was fit for the battle at Jericho because he had come face to face with the commander of the Lord’ s army and he was faithful to fight the battle as the Lord commanded him to do. In Joshua 5, we find that Joshua had a personal encounter with the Lord Himself. Joshua 5:13-15 recalls this encounter: Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, ”Are you for us or for our enemies?” “Neither”, he replied, “but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.” Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence and asked him, “What message does my Lord have for his servant?” The commander of the Lord’s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.

The city of Jericho was a closed community and no one could come in or leave from its borders. It may have possibly been the center of worship of the moon-god. God Almighty not only wanted to destroy this Canaanite city but also its pagan religion, so He was going to help Joshua accomplish this. In Joshua 6:2, the Lord promised Joshua that He would deliver Jericho into his hands, along with its king and all of its fighting men. The method that the Lord chose to destroy Jericho was unconventional and probably did not make sense to Joshua, but he did it anyway. The battle plan was for Joshua and his men to march around the city once with armed men and they would do this for six days. Seven priests were to carry trumpets of rams’ horns in front of the Ark of the Covenant. On the seventh day, they were to march around the city seven times with the priests blowing the trumpets. When the trumpet gave a long blast, the people were to give a loud shout and the wall of the city would collapse so that Joshua’s army could attack Jericho and destroy it.

This type of battle wasn’t initially fought with swords and stones, but with perseverance and endurance. I think I would be exhausted after marching around the city just once, but Joshua’s army was to march around the city without stopping for six days. After six days of marching around the city without stopping, I think I would barely have any life left in me. However, Joshua’s army was commanded on the seventh day to march around the city seven times! Surely these men were beyond exhausted and yet somehow, they were going to have the strength to march around the city seven times and then destroy the people of Jericho. It is interesting to me that the wall of Jericho, which was possibly a very strong, double wall did not fall because it was blasted by large boulders, but it fell because the people of God were obedient, and faithful to do what God asked them to do. All they had to do was to shout and the wall fell down. I would have loved to have been there to see that avalanche!

In our own battles, it seems that we may “march around the city” many times without seeing any results. But because we serve a victorious God who is on our side, one day the walls of the enemy will tumble down because of our faithfulness to pray and persevere. When Christ comes again, we will hear one final blast of the trumpet (1 Thess. 4:16) and all of our battles will be over. All of our walls of sorrow, discouragement, bitterness, disillusionment, etc. will come tumbling down and we will celebrate Christ’s eternal victory. Lord, give us the grace to keep walking…to keep standing….to keep praying until that final day!

Caught in the Storm

I have watched several episodes of “The Deadliest Catch” on the Discovery Channel. I am intrigued by the lives of the deep sea fishermen. They have no fear and they are consumed by one passion: to catch Alaskan king crab. These fishermen endure treacherous journeys across the Behring Sea, while they are beaten with icy, cold waves. Each voyage they take out into the mystic, violent ocean is an opportunity for survival, and a way to earn bountiful wages for their “deadliest catch.”
I have ridden some treacherous and daunting rides at Six Flags, but none can compare to the ride of a ship being tossed to and fro by a powerful storm. Not even a hefty dose of Dramamine would help with the sea-sickness and the disorientation that comes with such an experience. The Apostle Paul and his crew encountered many frightening events at sea. In the book of Acts, Luke documents one of their experiences very explicitly: “When a gentle south wind began to blow, they thought they had obtained what they wanted; so they weighed anchor and sailed along the shore of Crete. Before very long, a wind of hurricane force, called the “northeaster,” swept down from the island. The ship was caught by the storm and could not head into the wind; so we gave way to it and were driven along. As we passed to the lee of a small island called Cauda, we were hardly able to make the lifeboat secure. When the men had hoisted it aboard, they passed ropes under the ship itself to hold it together. Fearing that they would run aground on the sandbars of Syrtis, they lowered the sea anchor and let the ship be driven along. We took such a violent battering from the storm that the next day they began to throw the cargo overboard. On the third day, they threw the ship’s tackle overboard with their own hands. When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved.” (Acts. 27:13-20)

The riders of this ship felt completely out of control. There was nothing more they could do except hope and pray that somehow their lives would be spared. The irony of this is that when we feel we have completely lost control in the storm, God is most at work. In the storm, we see “no results” of our prayers. When the answer is out of our reach, we are not trying to “do it” any more, but we have rolled our burdens onto the Lord. Let us take the comfort out of it and not put our hands on it again. (I‘m talking to myself too!) Oh, what a relief it brings to know that He is already working on the difficulty. If we have truly rolled it onto Jesus, then we are looking to Him to perform the task. In the storms of my own life, God has comforted me with His Word, or He has sent ministering angels to me so that I may endure the trial. God was faithful to Paul in the same way. Paul quotes in Acts 27:23-25: “Last night an angel of the God whose I am and whom I serve stood beside me and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.’ So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as He told me. Nevertheless, we must run aground on some island.” I love Paul’s words, “The God whose I am”. He already placed his trust in the Great Deliverer, for he said, “I have faith in God that it will happen just as He told me.” Even though they would eventually shipwreck, God would be with them and preserve their lives. The moral of the story is: Trust the Calmer of the Storm. Charles Haddon Spurgeon once said, “The Lord will go through with His covenant engagements. Whatever He takes in hand He will accomplish; hence past mercies are guarantees for the future and admirable reasons for continuing to cry unto Him.”

Teach me, Lord to have faith
In what you’re bringing me will
Change my life and bring you glory
There on the storm I am learning to let go
Of the will that I so long to control
There may I be in your arms eternally
I thank you, Lord, you are the Calmer of the storm.
(From the song, “Calmer of the Storm” by Downhere)