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Psalm 23 is about promise, hope, encouragement, and peace. Typing in "Psalm 23" on an internet search engine will yield over 3,000,000 hits! Psalm 23 is a favorite as it gives comfort to the reader. God is with us when we are surrounded by ’enemies’. God comforts us during times of distress. God walks with us through our valleys so that we do not have to fear anything. God promises us His children will dwell in his house forever! No wonder this chapter is so well known by so many.
One of the favorite songs in the inner city is "I Can Only Imagine". When we perform this song, at the end the music continues to play and while the vocalists continue to sing, I narrate something like the following: "Imagine waking up dead. You remember crossing the street one second but the next second you are ’floating’ above a crystal green sea. You’ve never seen anything like it! As you look at the approaching horizon, it is a golden glow. You can hear millions of voices repeating ’Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty’. You realize you are approaching God’s throne. As you enter His presence, Jesus is at God’s right hand. As you bow down, Jesus says ’Welcome Home My good and faithful servant. You were faithful with the things given to you and you served Me well. Welcome Home!"
When we look at our lives honestly, it is difficult to imagine being accepted by a Holy God. Psalm 23 not only tells us that we can have a real relationship with God but we can spend eternity with Him in Heaven. That is comfort and hope. Faith is the belief things unseen will come to be. Hope is the belief things wanted can be had. These two terms are closely related. We have faith in Jesus and believe He was the ultimate sacrifice. Our hope is that He will take us to live with Him forever. This is built on assurance; not on minimum reason. Our hopes are not idle hopes. They are built on the firm foundation of God. He is the rock that sustains. Psalm 23 is an awesome summary of all God’s promises: relationship, protection, abundance of life, hope, healing, guidance, purpose.....the implications of this chapter in Scripture are limitless.
No other feeling brings the peace, joy, and happiness that ’going home’ does. I remember the times when I would visit my parent’s house. My parents had a small, wood framed house and not fancy. What the house did contain was the aroma of chicken and dumplings coming from the kitchen, memories, my parents, and love. I have traveled extensively, but that little wood-framed house was an earthly refuge for me. It was a place where I was welcome and loved and never rejected. I could return from a trip having stayed in some of the finest hotels but nothing compared to the nights spent in that little wood framed house!
When visiting ’home’, my parents would anticipate the time of my arrival. As I came up the walk the front door of the house would open and there were my parents to welcome me home! What a wonderful feeling! My Mom would hug me and kiss me. My Dad would shake my hand and place his hand on my shoulder. "Welcome home, son!" How I value those memories! Both of my parents have passed away and that ’earthly’ home is no longer a refuge for me. The house is still there but now, it’s only a structure. However, as I enter this season of my life, I realize that this earth and the things of it are not my eternal home; not my refuge. Praise God that He has a plan for His children! As Psalm 23 so beautifully proclaims, the Lord is our Shepherd and He is our eternal hope. Our eternal home is with Him!
As a Christian, my faith is hope unseen. Faith in the Lord allows Christians to cope with things of this earth because we realize death has no sting but is only a doorway to heaven! Death is something that all of us are totally helpless against. It holds us in its grasp, looms before all of us and none of us will escape.
But be encouraged! Are you in a ’valley’? Are you going through difficult times now? With God by your side, the trip through the valley will be a short one. We learn about trusting God during our trips through the valleys; not on the ’mountain tops’. But, what if you do not have God in your life? What if you have not placed your life in the hands of Jesus? Fear of death is then a certainty. Without God in your life, there is no hope; only fear! Hope cannot be placed in "stuff". Our hope can only be placed in the nail scarred hands of Jesus!
All earthly things fade away. But God is eternal! Won’t you place your trust in Him today? He won’t reject you or forsake you. And when death comes, then you’ll be welcomed home by the Son of God himself!
Papa Joe Mac's Commentary:
Psalm 23 is about promise, hope, encouragement, and peace. Typing in "Psalm 23" on an internet search engine will yield over 3,000,000 hits! Psalm 23 is a favorite as it gives comfort to the reader. God is with us when we are surrounded by ’enemies’. God comforts us during times of distress. God walks with us through our valleys so that we do not have to fear anything. God promises us His children will dwell in his house forever! No wonder this chapter is so well known by so many.
One of the favorite songs in the inner city is "I Can Only Imagine". When we perform this song, at the end the music continues to play and while the vocalists continue to sing, I narrate something like the following: "Imagine waking up dead. You remember crossing the street one second but the next second you are ’floating’ above a crystal green sea. You’ve never seen anything like it! As you look at the approaching horizon, it is a golden glow. You can hear millions of voices repeating ’Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty’. You realize you are approaching God’s throne. As you enter His presence, Jesus is at God’s right hand. As you bow down, Jesus says ’Welcome Home My good and faithful servant. You were faithful with the things given to you and you served Me well. Welcome Home!"
When we look at our lives honestly, it is difficult to imagine being accepted by a Holy God. Psalm 23 not only tells us that we can have a real relationship with God but we can spend eternity with Him in Heaven. That is comfort and hope. Faith is the belief things unseen will come to be. Hope is the belief things wanted can be had. These two terms are closely related. We have faith in Jesus and believe He was the ultimate sacrifice. Our hope is that He will take us to live with Him forever. This is built on assurance; not on minimum reason. Our hopes are not idle hopes. They are built on the firm foundation of God. He is the rock that sustains. Psalm 23 is an awesome summary of all God’s promises: relationship, protection, abundance of life, hope, healing, guidance, purpose.....the implications of this chapter in Scripture are limitless.
No other feeling brings the peace, joy, and happiness that ’going home’ does. I remember the times when I would visit my parent’s house. My parents had a small, wood framed house and not fancy. What the house did contain was the aroma of chicken and dumplings coming from the kitchen, memories, my parents, and love. I have traveled extensively, but that little wood-framed house was an earthly refuge for me. It was a place where I was welcome and loved and never rejected. I could return from a trip having stayed in some of the finest hotels but nothing compared to the nights spent in that little wood framed house!
When visiting ’home’, my parents would anticipate the time of my arrival. As I came up the walk the front door of the house would open and there were my parents to welcome me home! What a wonderful feeling! My Mom would hug me and kiss me. My Dad would shake my hand and place his hand on my shoulder. "Welcome home, son!" How I value those memories! Both of my parents have passed away and that ’earthly’ home is no longer a refuge for me. The house is still there but now, it’s only a structure. However, as I enter this season of my life, I realize that this earth and the things of it are not my eternal home; not my refuge. Praise God that He has a plan for His children! As Psalm 23 so beautifully proclaims, the Lord is our Shepherd and He is our eternal hope. Our eternal home is with Him!
As a Christian, my faith is hope unseen. Faith in the Lord allows Christians to cope with things of this earth because we realize death has no sting but is only a doorway to heaven! Death is something that all of us are totally helpless against. It holds us in its grasp, looms before all of us and none of us will escape.
But be encouraged! Are you in a ’valley’? Are you going through difficult times now? With God by your side, the trip through the valley will be a short one. We learn about trusting God during our trips through the valleys; not on the ’mountain tops’. But, what if you do not have God in your life? What if you have not placed your life in the hands of Jesus? Fear of death is then a certainty. Without God in your life, there is no hope; only fear! Hope cannot be placed in "stuff". Our hope can only be placed in the nail scarred hands of Jesus!
All earthly things fade away. But God is eternal! Won’t you place your trust in Him today? He won’t reject you or forsake you. And when death comes, then you’ll be welcomed home by the Son of God himself!