S - "Even
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. (Psalm 23:4 ESV)
O - The presence of evil is, in fact, a fear
provoking reality. Death holds its own
intimidation and threat against the living.
Yet, these intense and formidable forces hold no sway over David. He is not oblivious to their presence or
intent. He is not unacquainted with
their activity on earth. Though not impervious to feeling their malevolent nearness he remains
steady and confident. What is the inspiration and source of his
comfort which repels the malevolence so close at hand? It is not his experience
and skill as a fighter. He is not putting his confidence in superior
resources. The brave and seasoned
warrior is put at ease by the presence of his shepherd. The shadow of death is held at bay by the One
he is with … "for you
are with me; your
rod and your
staff, they comfort me."[my emphasis]
A - Children do not rely on their skill, resources, history,
information or planning … they rely on presence for comfort, inspiration,
provision and direction. David was
living the very thing Jesus insisted his disciples embrace: "At that time the disciples came to
Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” And calling to
him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you,
unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of
heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom
of heaven." (Matthew 14:1-4 ESV) My assignment today and every day is to be little,
childlike unto the Kingdom which is near and the life which is really life.
Today I get to join Jesus in his joy about how the Kingdom that is near works
on earth: "In that same hour he
rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and
earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and
revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious
will." (Luke 10:21 ESV)
P - Lord who is near,
I
accept the assessment you give … rather than spending my energies on endless
threat assessments I will spend them on assessing my proximity to you. Thank for all the hours and days when evil is
far from me. When your way leads to the
valley of the shadow of death, I will stay near, follow and be confident
because I'm with you. Enable, transform
my life so that I will be little today; childlike unto the fullness that you
intend. I want to join you in your joy, Jesus.
No matter where you lead, I am glad to be following according to your
person and presence.
Steve
No comments:
Post a Comment