The Lord is Your Shepherd

PSALM 23

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

He restoreth my soul: he leadeth 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 thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

Dear Church Family,

Yesterday, I had high hopes for the day. My schedule was open for most of the day, and I had set aside time to work on my sermon and Bible study for next week. And it was only Wednesday! It was going to be a highly productive day.

But it wasn't long before the everyday rhythms of life began to weave their way into my "perfect" plans. The first moment came when I left the house a bit later than I had hoped. Before I knew it, I was stuck in rush hour traffic, and I had chosen the wrong route. I tried to get out of the lane, but there was no turning back. It would be an extra 10 minutes on my drive.

Not to worry, though. I was still going to be in to the office early. Then when I arrived, I received a phone message and a text that created a bit of a quandary for me. You know the kind of message I'm talking about. It's the kind that requires thought, diplomacy, and effort to respond without upsetting the apple cart. My favorite type of messages. (Not!)

After that, it was a quick survey of emails, one of which contained some shocking news. The sort of news that has the added bonus of there being nothing you can do about the situation. This is the perfect kind of thing for someone like me, who would rather have control of things rather than them being out of my control.

I was feeling a bit down. It felt like the perfect day I had planned was going awry. And it was only 1:00 by that point.

There were more surprises throughout the day, but as I drove home, I began to reflect on these moments. And I remembered that there was also a text that contained excellent news. In fact, it was better news than I had hoped for with this situation. Additionally, I was actually able to solve one of the "catastrophes" that fell into my lap. That was a joyous moment as well. We had two great church meetings last night, featuring inspiring ideas for our future ministry here at St. Andrew's. I was reminded how blessed we are to have dedicated leaders and volunteers.

As I thought about all of this, Psalm 23 came to mind. I know we most often hear this at funerals, but I think it's a powerful Psalm about life. And what it reminds me of is that life is a mixture of ups and downs. Life is never a smooth path, no matter how much planning we do. In fact, isn't life what happens while we are busy making other plans?

Yesterday was a blend of dark valleys and green pastures. It wasn't just one or the other. More importantly, whether I recognized it or not, the Lord was and is my shepherd. It's easy to react to the unexpected surprises, challenges, and "catastrophes" that pop up in life. But when we remember that in both the ups and downs, God prepares a table for us — even when we feel surrounded by enemies. God "anoints our heads" with soothing oil, and the love of God in Christ Jesus overflows our cups.

I don't know what kind of day you're having. But I do know that whether it is full of joy or challenge, the Lord is your shepherd. God will not abandon you and you will dwell in the presence of God forever. May you see the goodness of God somewhere in this day. Because regardless of the kind of day you are having, God is with you.

With God's Peace,
Pastor Karl