March 29 , 2007

Step 3: . We made a decision to turn our life and will over to the care of God.

Scripture reading for today: Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 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. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Psalm 23 NIV

“I shall not be in want.” The Hebrew word in this passage for ‘want’ is ‘haser’. Literally, it means “to lack, be without, decrease, be lacking, have a need.” A possible paraphrase is - “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not lack – I shall not be without – I shall not decrease – I shall not be lacking – I shall not have a need.” Wow. That’s a big deal.

Early this morning, long before the sun peaked through my windows, my phone rang. A distraught parent had just heard from the police. Their precious daughter is in jail. This is her third DUI. She’s twenty three years old, a single mother, and an alcoholic. “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not lack.” These parents are wondering how to apply this scripture as they deal with some very tough issues.

Last week a young woman showed up in my office after a busy weekend. She’d wiped out her college fund – no small feat considering the amount saved. This money symbolized the hopes and dreams of her family. For them it spelled future and sacrifice. For her it spelled D-R-U-G-S. Her parents don’t know about the missing money, the drugs, or the ‘wanting’ of this young woman. They’re still thinking that they are a family who is not in want. They’d tell you they have everything they need – the perfect family. “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be without.” Soon these parents are going to wonder how to apply this scripture to their perfectly need-less life.

A few weeks ago my friend was struggling with a son who is driving her to distraction. He’s messing up; she’s trying to get it right as a parent - hard stuff. She says, “I feel so alone.” I know she follows the good shepherd. And yet she wants – her son to straighten out, her husband to continue to offer her support and encouragement, her friends to surround her, her church to uplift her. She’s working hard to figure out how to apply this scripture. Because like the rest of us, she assumes that if Psalm 23 is true, she shouldn’t feel so bad.

“I shall not be in want.” Don’t take it lightly. It’s a simple phrase, but not satisfying if viewed from a simplistic mindset. My friend, the follower of the good shepherd, expressed her perception of want – to her husband, to her friends, and to her church community. As she asked, she received. She was reminded that although she felt alone, the truth was, she was not alone. She had her husband, her friends, and her NorthStar Community. This is one special lady, because her next choice proved pivotal. She still felt alone. But she chose to trust the process of following. She chose to believe that she was not alone. She allowed her community to show her a new way of believing, thinking, and trusting. She was choosing to follow because of her decision (to trust in God) IN SPITE of her feelings.

The story doesn’t end there; just as your story doesn’t end with you! Today, another precious woman called me and said, “I feel so alone.” I listened to her story. The longer I listened, the more I discovered that she was expressing a feeling, not a fact. She was not alone. So with fear and trepidation I ventured an observation, “It sounds to me like you’re feeling alone, but you’ve given me several examples that indicate that in fact, you are not alone.” Silence.
“You are right.” (I love those words.) She proceeded to give me another example. She told me about a girlfriend who had told her, “You are not alone. You have me. You have your NorthStar Community. We’ll get through this together.” Guess who spoke those words of comfort? Yep. My friend who had lived those words.

Was the loneliness real? You bet. Did she have a need, a want, a lacking? If so, could it be that even in the need, the want, the lacking, the Father’s gracious hand was providing? Did God allow her a moment of longing, so that in a few weeks she could experience the joy of compassionate caring for another who also felt alone?

Thought for today: As we conclude our time together, ask God to show you His hand in your life. What we feel, what we want, what we desire, what we perceive we lack, fluctuates. One time I dreamed that a Barbie doll house would satisfy my every longing. But times have changed. What hasn’t changed is the very nature and character of God. Ask Him to reveal His presence to you today. Perhaps today is the day you’ll begin to realize that even your unmet desires are part of a bigger picture, a grander purpose, an epic adventure that yet awaits you. Perhaps all this renewal of mind will aid you in making your decision about step three.

Thought for tomorrow: My God will meet all your needs, according to His riches in glory.

March 29
Teresa McBean