April 23, 2018 Monday

“« A Psalm of David. » The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. Yea, 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. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the LORD Forever.” (Psalm 23:1-6 NKJV)

            As human beings we live within a linear constraint that makes it hard for us to understand how God is working.  We limit God with our own limitations and fail to see the full glory of what God is doing for us and amongst us.

            Psalm 23 too many may be seen as a quaint statement of David speaking about what it means to be a shepherd.  But David specifically declares that the Lord is his Shepherd and all the references are about what the Lord does for David.

            Since God created linear time it has no limitation for the Creator and thus the order of Psalm 22 and 23 cannot be bound by time or occurrence.  Psalm 23 declares the faithfulness and love of God for the very people Jesus would die for thousands of years later.  Yet the only detailed description of the crucifixion and suffering of Jesus is found in Psalm 22.

            In many ways God reveals to us there is no limit to grace by time or even by position.  The crucifixion which would take place generations after it’s description in Psalm 22 and would be the source and assurance of the care we depend on for the Lord to be our Shepherd.

            Many have gone over the many promises of grace from the Shepherd so please take the time to write what these promises mean to you.  Please take time to fully discover the many ways God promises to shepherd you and ask God to reveal the impact of the promise coming so long before the fulfillment.

            Could God working beyond time be a way to encourage your faith?  How does this change the way you see God?  How does God not being limited by time affect your prayers?

            Sunday was a very busy day as I went to worship, Sunday School and the Vision meeting.  All were very good and Rev Ashley did a great job.  Sarah and Levi came by and we had a good visit.  Crashed for the rest of the day because when I go out two days in a row I get very weary and I must pay for it.  But as I said to someone at Asbury it is worth the trouble.