Tag Archives: Psalm 23:4

What a Wonderful World

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I was listening to a recording of Louis Armstrong  singing, “What a Wonderful World.” The gentle lilting melody and soothing lyrics comfort an anxious soul. Really, the lyrics are a testimony of a grateful life.

It wasn’t always that way. Being born to a poor family in New Orleans, living in a rough neighborhood known as “the battlefield,” abandoned by his father, and going through troubled marriages, Louie Armstrong knew the bitter side of life but in the end chose to embrace life’s better side.

Instead of dwelling on the hard times of his life, he used it to inspire his music that brought happiness to so many. It was for him, “Something to live for.”  His last hit song, What a Wonderful World, portrays a world of simple beauty and peace:  leafed trees and flowers, passing clouds and colorful rainbows, the friendly smiles and gestures of people going about their daily life, encouraging and loving one another, and the miracle of watching babies grow and learn. What a wonderful world when you’re surrounded by friends and family!

Sure it’s idyllic, maybe a bit of soft shoe schmaltz. But isn’t it also the perspective we need when we’re pressed down by the pressures of life? It’s precisely during difficult moments and trying seasons of life that we need to embrace the power of a grateful heart. It reminds us,

The solution to looking down at our problems is always – always – looking up.

  • Looking up to find beauty and calm and simple joy in the miracle of life that surrounds our pain.
  • Looking up to peer deeply into someone’s eyes and building a bond of understanding.
  • Looking up from the hopeless headlines and committing to one small way to make a big difference in someone else’s life.
  • Looking up to find a loving God who sees you where you are and invites you to rest from your burdens.

But if your world has suddenly and unimaginably fallen apart, or become worn down by the constant pressure of enduring sorrow; if it seems that the whole world is decaying around you, and your enemies, like cancer,  press against you with increasing pressure, is there any beauty and comfort yet to be found?

In his despair and grief and in the face of surrounding evil, the psalmist found hope in finding goodness in the land of the living.  He found beauty and safety and peace in abiding in God’s presence. Though everything around him was in turmoil and threatening his very life, he found a wonderful world in seeking quiet time with his Lord. Eyes off his troubles and gazing into the eyes of his master, he found respite from his fears and pain and sorrows. He could have asked for many things: to be rescued from his enemies, to be vindicated in their presence, to have the pleasures of good health, prosperity, and fame. But instead, he asked this:

“One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.” Psalm 23:4

And with this refreshed perspective, he concludes with this resolution and challenge for us:

“I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” Psalm 23:13-14

We have very many things we’d like to ask of the Lord, including the rescue from our deepest woes. But the one thing we could ask that makes more difference than anything else, is to dwell in the comfort and strength of his presence and catch a glimpse of the wonder of God’s unending love and amazing grace, offered freely to you and me.

Go ahead. Ask. It’s a free gift.

 

Facing Fear

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Fear not, for I am with you. Isaiah 41:0 (ESV)

 

Everyone is afraid of something.

 

As a child I was afraid of the dark, convinced there was a monster under my bed and another in my closet. I was afraid of heights then…and even a bit now. I know it is irrational, but the feeling of fear sometimes overtakes my rational thinking processes and I have to fight it to get over it. You too?

 

What are you afraid of? They say the most common fears include public speaking, rejection, failure, pain and death. The list of our fears is probably a very long one if we are honest with ourselves.  You probably know some of your own fears. God knows all your fears, including the ones you haven’t admitted yet. He knows that fear is a creepy crawly thing that invades your daily life, sometimes paralyzing you in its hypnotic trance. He speaks a lot about this in His Word, and gives us reason to face our fears with confidence. Read these truths slowly out loud. Maybe you’ll want to write some of them down and repeat them later. Memorizing God’s Word is a mighty weapon against fear.

 

  • Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. (Psalm 23:4)
  • For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you. (Isaiah 41:13)
  • Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. (Deuteronomy 31:6)
  • For God gave us not a spirit of fearfulness; but of power and love and discipline. (2 Timothy 1:7)
  • The Lord is my light and my salvation–whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life–of whom shall I be afraid? (Psalm 27:1)
  • So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can Man do to me?” (Hebrews 13:6)
  • Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. (John 14:27)
  • Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:0 (ESV)

 

We can face our fears with the confidence that He who is beside us and in us is greater than all our fears! Fix your eyes on Jesus, the perfecter of your faith. Abide in the Spirit He has given you, the Spirit of power, love and a sound mind.

 

For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity but of power, love, and self-discipline. 2 Timothy 1:7

 

 

Whom then shall I fear?

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The Lord is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear. The Lord is the stronghold of my life.of whom shall I be afraid? psalm 27:1

 

David certainly didn’t lack for woes and reasons to fear. Anointed as King but not yet crowned, he was besought by enemies intent on killing him. And what does he do? He turns to God, the stronghold and fortress of his life. And in this security, he asks, “Whom shall I fear? Of whom shall I be afraid?” Psalm 27:1-2

 

Most of us in the western world don’t face such violent persecution. But we do face enemies, don’t we? Our foes may be of our own doing, thought patterns that lead us away from God’s stronghold and into pits of despair and fear. Careless words or neglectful actions and apathy may cause relational division among the body of believers. The good news is that we can control our own thoughts and actions by consistently and repeatedly submitting them to God.

 

But what about enemies that aren’t of our doing? Chronic physical pain may come against us and wreak havoc with our bodies and soul. A spirit of depression may weigh heavily upon us. We ask God to search our hearts and see if there be anything we need to submit to Him. We pray for grace and deliverance. We wait. And we wait. Sometimes we wait for years, decades, or a lifetime.

 

I think of Marci’s debilitating migraines and her nearly forty years of suffering and waiting for relief. I think of her pain, a lifetime of not being able to work, time away from family, and of the medicines and hospitalizations. But I also remember her indomitable spirit that pressed on in the way Paul describes in Philippians 3. I remember how she would close the blinds and lie down, then get up, then lie down, then get up again. It’s true, a mother’s work is never done, even when Dad helps out; sometimes because Dad helps out. (Sigh)

 

I think back on those times with cancer when I wanted to toss in the towel. I knew God’s grace was sufficient and that His strength is perfected in my weakness. These truths were evident to me, but I didn’t always feel it during those moments of terror. I felt like some days it was a fight to not let my feelings overwhelm me. I knew God was my stronghold and yet it was like the bombs kept exploding around and within me.

 

What do you do when this happens to you? David asked one thing of God: that he may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of his life. If only he could live in God’s presence he was confident that he would see God’s goodness here on earth…if he just take heart and wait on the Lord. (Ps. 27:4,13,14) I wonder how many times he prayed that prayer?

 

There is a transcendent peace that falls upon the believer who turns to God. It doesn’t always dispel the pain but being in God’s presence makes it bearable.

 

Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I WILL FEAR NO EVIL for you are with me. Your rod and your staff, they comfort me. Psalm 23:4