09252021 Two Constants

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings in the name of our Good Shepherd. Lately it has been my habit to meditate on Psalm 23 at night, and this has been a blessing to me. There are two thoughts in particular that have caught my attention, and I thought I would share them with you.

The first three verses are a beautiful picture of peace – not lacking anything, green pastures, still waters, restored soul, paths of righteousness. Don’t we wish life could be more of those and less of what comes in the later verses? But that’s not reality. Reality is that we do find ourselves (far more often than we would prefer) in the valley of the shadow of death or in the presence of our enemies.

The first thing I realized is that we are not in those dark places by accident. There is a constant in this psalm, and it is God’s leading. That’s what being a shepherd is all about. God leads us into green pastures. God leads us beside still waters. God leads us in the paths of righteousness. Then sometimes we find ourselves walking through the valley of the shadow of death, or we find ourselves in the presence of our enemies.

How did we get there? Our Shepherd has been leading us, right? The verses give no indication that He has stopped leading us, and there is no reason to think that He has. In fact, those darker verses clearly indicate the continued presence of our Shepherd. He is walking through the valley with us. He still has His guiding staff, which He utilizes to comfort us. He is preparing a table in the presence of our enemies, so again He continues with us, close at hand.

Not only is God’s guidance a constant, but God’s provision is a constant. In the beginning it was green grass and quiet waters. In the darker places He still provides. He gives the comfort we need in those trying hours. He prepares a feast for us, to the extent that our cup runs over. The situations are harder, but the provision of God is still sufficient and even abundant.

David is so confident in the Shepherd’s constant presence and guidance that he concludes in verse 6 that goodness and mercy will follow him all the days of his life. All the days. Easy days. Hard days. Days of blessing. Days of challenge. Days of light. Days of darkness. Whether walking in the beautiful pastoral scene of green pastures and still waters or through the darkest and most dangerous valley, God still shows His goodness, and God still displays His mercy. All the days – until that wonderful day when He takes us to live with Him forever.

Constant leading and constant provision. May God encourage you with those truths today.

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt

member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA