The worries of life were circling in for the kill this morning, so I went to read the 23rd Psalm for a bit of soul solace. The 23rd Psalm is at heart the joyful song of a person who knows that they are safe in the care of a perfect guardian. The Lord is my shepherd... Does life get better than this? I don't think so. These are comforting words for a troubled soul.
But as I finished reading Psalm 23, my eyes fell upon the opening verse of Psalm 24.
Psalm 24:1
The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it...
The more I stared at this opening verse, the more it seemed to me that in order to live in the peace of the 23rd Psalm I must first make my peace with this first verse of the 24th Psalm.
The picture is clear enough when I consider my own home. My wife and I own both it and all the children who live in it — an echo of Psalm 24:1.
Our children are well cared for. Each child eats three meals a day and sleeps each night in a warm bed. We keep them healthy. We try to shower them with regular expressions of love — An echo of Psalm 23.
Do my kids feel like they're living a Psalm 23 existence? Mmmmm... Sometimes. Maybe. But on a regular basis the answer is No. My kids cannot help but worry and fret...
About stuff they want...
About stuff they broke...
About stuff a sibling took...
About stuff a sibling broke...
About what a sibling said...
About what a sibling did...
I occasionally point out to my fractious children that when push comes to shove — perhaps especially then! — everything in the house belongs to me and to Mom. "What's mine is mine," I remind them, "and what's yours is mine, too." They don't like to hear that. And they continue to fight over a pile of petty and cheap plastic that they do not, in the end, even own.
I repeatedly remind the kids that it's my job to worry about the shortcomings of their siblings. Parenting is hard enough without their "help", so I ask them to leave that job to me. They don't like to hear that. And they "help" me anyway.
But if only they would hear me. And take me at my word. Such freedom! A Psalm 23 existence awaits them! Yes, it's all so obvious to me when I think about my kids.
But then God speaks to me. "Pilgrim," he gently whispers, "you haven't been trusting me any more than your children trust you."
And, annoyingly, God is right.
Nothing I "own" adds up to anything. Not in God's economy. He created the universe. Why exactly do I worry about what few small things God does or does not entrust to my care? But I do.
God intimately knows, loves, and deals with seven billion people. He doesn't need my flawed and ham-fisted help. But I give it to him anyway. I have advice for God on how to fix a few people I happen to know. Sometimes, when it seems God is not moving fast enough, I try to fix them on his behalf.
Yes, I'm just like my kids. I think I can imagine what God is saying...
There's nothing you can do to put my house in jeopardy.
There's nothing anyone else can do to put my house in jeopardy.
There's nothing you have this not really mine.
There's nothing you have lost that is not still mine.
"Remain mine," God whispers, "and there's nothing and no one in the universe that can keep me from blessing you. I'll take care of you. Don't worry about stuff. Don't worry about the others. They are my concern."
I would wish that kind of peace for my children.
God wishes it for me.
Psalm 23 doesn't have a whole lot to say about stuff and people. It's almost entirely about God, our good shepherd, and the joys of simply living with Him. Its carefree attitude about "the world, and all who live in it" is precisely why the 23rd Psalm exudes such a pervasive attitude of peace and quiet joy.
The pastures of Psalm 23 await me. Am I willing to pass under the gates of Psalm 24:1 to enter in?
Psalm 24:1
The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it...
Psalm 23:6
Surely goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.
Really, really was touched by this post. Thank you.
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