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“He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name. Psalms 23:3
One of the most well-known psalms is the 23rd Psalm. It’s been memorized by Sunday School classes and confirmation groups, put to music and had entire books written on it.
Unfortunately, many know this psalm as a funeral psalm. Virtually every funeral or celebration of life service includes the 23rd psalm somewhere in the service. That’s unfortunate because Psalm 23 has little to do with death and much to do with life and love!
Todays verse is a great example. There are times in our lives, like now, when the trials and fears of life weigh us down. One more news report, one more doctors visit, one more call from the bill collector, one more car breaking down. We need strength! We need the power to push through.
When life gets confusing, and people let us down, by nature we look for someplace to get our strength. God, as our good shepherd, does two things to help us move forward when we don’t think we can.
First of all, he renews our strength. Like a drink of fresh cold water he revives us. Like a strong hug, he encourages us. Like a reassuring word he comforts us. He strengthens us physically, emotionally and spiritually when we rest in his arms.
Secondly he guides us to the path that we should move forward on. The voices of society and culture scream at us and tell us where we should go. But their voices conflict. The way they tell us changes with the wind. There’s no stability, no trust, no truth in what they preach.
With the strength and guidance of our good shepherd we can be strong. We can see the path clearly, although He may only show us a few steps at a time. When we have direction, we feel good about ourselves. And when we feel good about ourselves God is glorified.
“When doubts filled my mind, your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer.” Psalms 94:19
Sometimes when we are challenged with something, difficult we move forward cautiously. There may become a time when we get to the point of no return. We doubt our ability to succeed and worry feeds our heart.
I see doubt and worry like driving into a tunnel. It can be dark and scary, you may question whether or not you’ll make it. And then you see the light at the end of the tunnel. Then you know you can make it to the end.
Jesus is like that light at the end of the tunnel. We may worry about the future. We may fear what is in the shadows. We may question our ability or the motives of others. We may even begin to doubt Gods presence.
But when we look to Jesus we find the comfort we need to move forward. When he was on earth, Jesus constantly reminded us that he would be with us always. He promised us a comforter in the Holy Spirit who empower us through the difficult times.
In the dark shadows of a tunnel, focus on the light at the end. He’ll see you through. He won’t take the darkness away, but he will assure you that you will make it through.
“For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.” Philippians 2:13
A few times every year an event happens that excites every true sports fan. During this event, they may sit glued to their screens in anxious anticipation. Some will leave angry or disappointed. Some will leave excited. All will leave hopeful. This strange event I’m talking about isn’t a football game or baseball game or a hockey game. No one is dressed in team uniforms. There are no officials. If you haven’t figured it out yet, what I’m talking about is the draft. By design, the draft is created to allow teams to add to their rosters players that will best suit their needs. Teams that have bad records get the first choices, teams that have good records get the last choices, unless of course there are trades.
But this devotional isn’t about the draft or athletes. It’s about potential. You see players are drafted with hopes that they will live up to their potential. Sometimes players who are expected to do well, do poorly. Sometimes players who are expected to be average, become superstars. The difference is potential over actual.
In the Christian life it’s no different really. We all have a tremendous amount of potential. Not because of our own abilities, but because of the driving force behind our potential. The difference is that we have God on our side. In fact, the very Spirit of God dwells in us. Think about it. The same power that created the world; the same power that erased Jesus from the dead, lives in you as a Christ-follower.
If we follow him he’ll help us to reach our best potential possible. Relying on him for our strength and our direction will help us each to be a superstar in his eyes. And that’s all that really counts. Potential over actual. God is the difference between being average and reaching your potential. In Jesus you can rise above mediocrity and be awesome.
