Psalm 21:1 “O Lord, the king rejoices in Your strength. How great is His joy in the victories You give!”
What a beautiful picture of relying on the Lord. The king rejoices in God’s strength, not his own. He recognizes that his successes come from the Lord, not from his own ability. I want to live like that, recognizing that everything good comes from the Father and that my efforts only lead to success because of Him.
It is so easy to be arrogant, and I know that I’m guilty of it. But arrogance suggests that it’s something about me that’s bringing this success. When I recognize that my accomplishments come only by the grace of God, then what have I to be arrogant about? Instead of patting myself on the back, I can rest in the knowledge that God is taking care of everything.
Psalm 22:3 “Yet You are enthroned as the Holy One; You are the praise of Israel.”
David is all over the place emotionally in this chapter. Much like me at times, to be honest. It’s almost like he’s trying to counter the overwhelming emotion, though, by reaffirming a Truth about God. He’s despairing and incredibly morbid at certain points, and then it’s like he takes a deep breath and says, “No, I can focus on other things.” I’ve done this. I’ve made the conscious choice to turn away from my problems and focus instead on an aspect of God. It rarely makes everything rosy just like that. I have discovered, however, that, when I turn my gaze to Him, my worries and frustrations get overshadowed by the Light of His Presence. And they gradually lose their hold on me. When I focus on my worries, I give them power over me. When I focus, instead, on God, His power cleanses my life and washes the worries away.
Psalm 23:2-3 “He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He restores my soul…”
Our God brings rest to the weary and healing to the broken. It’s easy to discount these verses, having heard them so often before. But look at them. They speak of peace. They speak of restoration. And, in a world such as ours, what can be more applicable?
What do you think of these verses? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments!
Psalms 23 will always be special to me.
ReplyDeleteBut how strange that you should mention restoration.
A while ago you mentioned trusting in God, and this was during the time I was thinking deeply about it. Now you mention restoration, just as it's on my mind.
That is so cool, Blue! And it's just how God works, too. :) I love watching Him work. These kind of comments are a huge blessing to me. Thank you!
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