Get the appLike: A Journey Through Psalm 23Sample
Some days it feels like a rain cloud is literally and figuratively hanging over our heads. It’s borderline comical, but you feel like one of those little cartoons with the person walking around with the rain cloud hovering above them pouring rain and lighting, and we tell ourselves little sayings like “when it rains it pours” just to give ourselves some sense of hope, or at least comic relief, in the middle of a storm.
In his book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey says the people that most have it together are those that “determine their own weather.” These are the people who choose how they are going to see the present and the future. Times might be hard, but they are willing to see the potential in the hard times. Essentially, he is talking about people of hope.
David ends this psalm with his hope for an ideal future. Surely GOD will be with him. Surely love will be his companion. Surely goodness with be his story the rest of his days. David knew God’s promises and chose to hope in those more than the circumstances he could see.
He chose to see all of GOD’s promises instead of all his troubles. What if we could do this too?
What if instead of a storm cloud over our heads, we chose to believe that “goodness and love” can be our traveling partners? What if we believed that He who is able to promise our eternal dwelling is also capable of securing our lives now?
The ups and downs of this psalm tend to be a reflection of how life feels sometimes. It starts with the green pastures and streams, then leads us through the valley, but regardless of the path, the promise of His goodness, love and presence glow brighter.
At the end of the day, we have a choice, however. Do we believe that all we will ever have is what we can currently see? Or are we willing to be hopeful people that believe our Good Shepherd will be with us and guide “all the days” of our lives?
In his book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey says the people that most have it together are those that “determine their own weather.” These are the people who choose how they are going to see the present and the future. Times might be hard, but they are willing to see the potential in the hard times. Essentially, he is talking about people of hope.
David ends this psalm with his hope for an ideal future. Surely GOD will be with him. Surely love will be his companion. Surely goodness with be his story the rest of his days. David knew God’s promises and chose to hope in those more than the circumstances he could see.
He chose to see all of GOD’s promises instead of all his troubles. What if we could do this too?
What if instead of a storm cloud over our heads, we chose to believe that “goodness and love” can be our traveling partners? What if we believed that He who is able to promise our eternal dwelling is also capable of securing our lives now?
The ups and downs of this psalm tend to be a reflection of how life feels sometimes. It starts with the green pastures and streams, then leads us through the valley, but regardless of the path, the promise of His goodness, love and presence glow brighter.
At the end of the day, we have a choice, however. Do we believe that all we will ever have is what we can currently see? Or are we willing to be hopeful people that believe our Good Shepherd will be with us and guide “all the days” of our lives?
Scripture
About this Plan
We live in a world that's fascinated with celebrities. Magazines and the paparazzi have built an entire industry around helping us answer the question, "What is he or she like?” In this devotional from Athens Church, we’ll ask that question about a particular "celebrity" and ask, "What is God like?”, and we’ll focus on one of the most famous Bible passages, Psalm 23, to help us answer it. In doing so, we'll discover that when it comes to God, there is a lot to like!
More
We would like to thank Athens Church for providing this plan. For more information, please visit: http://athenschurch.com
