He leads me beside quiet waters. Psalm 23:2b
INTRO: We are making our way through Psalm 23, noticing how it is the essence of contemplative prayer
Sometimes we come across well-meaning yet misguided Christians who criticize contemplative prayer
– some criticize it for being “Roman Catholic” – as if that in itself were a mark against contemplative prayer
• but it is and it isn’t Roman Catholic
The reformer, John Calvin, argued that Christians need a knowledge of God not as speculation that “flits in the brain” but “takes root in the heart” and “Consequently, we know the most perfect way of seeking God, and the most suitable order, is not fo us to attempt with bold curiosity to penetrate to the investigation of his essence, which we ought more to adore than meticulously to search out, but for us to contemplate him in his works whereby he renders himself near and familiar to us, and in some manner communicates himself.” Institutes of the Christian Religion
– other critics have confused contemplative prayer with new age meditation — it isn’t
Many of the critics are old school, among whom a favorite preacher is Charles H. Spurgeon (19th Century London)
– regarding our verse this morning, Psalm 23:2, Spurgeon said:
“What are these ‘still waters’ but the influences and graces of his blessed Spirit?
‘In sacred silence of the mind
My heaven, and there my God I find.’
That silence is golden indeed in which the Holy Spirit meets with the souls of his saints.”
Draw near to God and He will draw near to youLooking ahead, Jesus predicted a period of suffering and gave his disciples emergency response instructions for specific crises. He knew that many people would be deceived, which is not surprising, for in times of turmoil people prefer to embrace a present lie than a future promise.
Perhaps the most convincing education is personal experience. We tend to believe what we see with our own eyes. But Jesus warned that people would produce “signs and wonders” to trick others into following false Messiahs and false prophets. For those of us who long to witness a genuine miracle, this can be a bitter pill to swallow. But it is better to live without ever seeing a miracle than to live and die holding on to a false god that performs many wonders.
A miracle gives us a connection with God across the gap between heaven and earth, divine reality and human experience. But so does faith, and that is the bridge Jesus wants us to cross. If he repeats the command, “do not believe” (i.e., the false reports of his coming, vv. 23 & 26), it is because he wants us to believe in him and place our trust in him alone.
Thank You, Lord Jesus, for watching out for us. Thank You for looking ahead and then preparing us for the future challenges we will have to face. Thank You for going before us, clearing a path for us to follow. If we go through our entire lives without ever receiving one miraculous answer to our prayers, we are content so long as we have You at our side, now and forever.
He makes me lie down in green pastures . . . Psalm 23:2a
INTRO: A while back, book on prayer was released that became wildly popular
The author focused on one particular prayer in scripture and from it created a formula
– the implication was, people could use the formula to get their prayers to work
– books like this feed our inner desire to use prayer to get what we want
What if prayer is not for getting what we want?
– what if it’s for getting what God wants – what he wants from us, what he wants in the world
This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. (1 Jn. 5:14)
What if “His will” is to use prayer to transform us rather than our circumstances?
When we pray, what is primary in our minds?
– I can be concerned about myself, thinking of others, preoccupied with the world, or focused on God read more…
Draw near to God and He will draw near to youJesus did not predict a happy or blissful future for his disciples. With the world on fire, they could expect to get burned. Jesus described coming events as one world crisis after another. Then, in a matter-of-fact way, he added, “[They] will kill you” (v. 9). Had I been there, I probably would have interrupted him and said, “Excuse me, Lord. What did You just say?”
Jesus never runs out of surprises. In particular, the verses quoted above run counter to what good Evangelical Christians would expect him to say. They would expect something from Jesus like, “Put your trust in Me and you have nothing to fear. Disaster may come to the world, God’s judgment will fall on the nations, and he will bring history to a close, but you will be protected.” In other words, we expect Jesus to say, “The one who is saved will endure to the end” rather than the other way around.
We will probably never understand why God has not make life easy for his children. Jesus did not seem overly concerned that his disciples would go through hard times, but he was very concerned that they remained anchored in him. It was not that Jesus wanted his followers to suffer, he just wanted them to love him more than life.
We confess, O Lord, that we have a small view of life. To us, life means this brief span of mortality. You, however, see a horizon that recedes into infinity. In Your eyes, we are more than the sum total of what we can achieve or acquire in our lifetime. Help us to be less attached to, and enamored with the temporal things of this world and more anchored in the eternal–more anchored in You.
The LORD is my shepherd,
I shall not want. Psalm 23:1
INTRO: In 2004, one of the largest churches in America launched a research project
Its leaders wanted to determine whether their programs were doing what they were designed to do
– that is, promote the spiritual growth of their members
– what they learned from 15,000 people interviewed, was that the answer was No
An assumption many pastors and church leaders make, is that the more a person is involved in church activities, the more they will experience spiritual growth
I met with a couple from New Zealand this week who told me that the evangelistic strategies of the last generation were no longer working
– because people are not being inspired by churches or evangelistic organizations, Christianity is dying in their country
– furthermore, the churches they had attended failed to meet their spiritual needs
This situation is not unique to New Zealand read more…
Draw near to God and He will draw near to youWe can hear sorrow in Jesus’ voice as he looks to the horizon of Jerusalem’s future and predicts disaster (v. 36). Even though he was persecuted and rejected by Israel’s religious leaders, the Lord did not relish the brutal fate that was going to catch up to them. He did not denounce Jerusalem with the fiery vengeance of an angry prophet, but grieved over them as a brokenhearted father who wanted all of his children to run to his home for shelter.
We are more resistant to God than we realize. If he comes to us in an unfamiliar form, if he says things we do not want to hear, if he challenges our cherished dogma, or wants to teach us something new, we dig in our heels and push against him. Only we do not realize we are pushing against God. We think we are driving away that annoying, crazy prophet. We may not kill and stone those who try to awaken us to God’s message for today, but we do reject, malign, and blackball them.
How sad for Jerusalem! They would effectively run Jesus out of the temple and then have all to themselves an empty shell. “Behold, your house is being left to you desolate!” In winning this battle, they would lose everything.
Forgive us, Lord, for our smug criticism of the Pharisees and scribes because in their determination to preserve a religious tradition they lost sight of the God they claimed to serve. We have followed in their footsteps. We have drifted toward peripheral concerns rather than the “weightier provisions” of Your will. We have put more energy into defending what we believe than becoming the kind of people whose good works glorify You. We have learned so much and understood so little. Forgive us, and, for the sake of our Savior’s tears, draw us under Your wings.
Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” And when He had said this, He showed them both His hands and His side. The disciples then rejoiced when they saw the Lord. John 20:19-20 (read verses 19-23)
INTRO: The day after Easter 2004, I had an impression as if God were speaking to me
Church attendance swells on Easter–more than any other day of the year
– so there was always a lot of preparation for Easter weekend and we treated Easter Day as a big event
– then, like all big events, the day after we would experience an emotional let down
• but that year, I felt that God was saying, “Don’t draw an ‘X’ through that box on calendar–Easter isn’t over”
The following weekend I visited the Camadoli hermitage near Big Sur for first time
– there I met Fr. Romuald, and through his love and wisdom I discovered a new level of intimacy with God
– one morning that same weekend, while meditating in scripture, I received another impression, as though God was saying, “I am bringing something new to birth in you”
– this coincided with Easter, which they celebrate, not for a day, but all through April and May read more…
Draw near to God and He will draw near to youThe role of the media in our culture has resulted in a blurring of image and identity, of surface and substance. Public personalities who have created scandals do not try to live with greater integrity, they work on improving their image. How much can we learn about a product in fifteen seconds or analyze a political debate in one hour of television time? We know only the surface of things and that is all we want to know. It is also all we want to know about ourselves.
Jesus raised a bold and courageous protest against superficiality–notice the number of times he used the word hypocrites in this chapter! “Go to work on the inside,” he told his audience, “and the outside will take care of itself.”
Jesus had not given up on the Pharisees, but made an appeal to them to wake up to what they had missed, yet was so obvious. At least four times in this speech Jesus accused the Pharisees of being blind (vv. 16, 17, 19, 26). Their blindness was a typical trait of human nature: We cannot learn what we think we already know–our prejudice gets in the way. Unfortunately, what they had not seen would cost them everything (vv. 32-33).
O Lord, may You ever find us open to seeing new things and learning new ideas. May we be teachable. We are wrong about many things, but we cannot see how we are wrong. Patiently show us, enlighten us, and disciple us into Your truth. May we always remember that what God sees is different from what humans see, because we look only on the appearance whereas God looks into the heart. Lord, Jesus, make our hearts beautiful for Him.
As soon as He was approaching, near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the miracles which they had seen, shouting:
“Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord
Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”
Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, rebuke Your disciples.” But Jesus answered, “I tell you, if these become silent, the stones will cry out!” Luke 19:37-40
INTRO: Almost everyone says they feel closer to God in nature
So why don’t we go into country, desert, forest, or walk by the ocean more often?
– beside having schedules that are overbooked, we add to them unnecessary responsibilities
When Jesus entered Jerusalem, some Pharisees told him to restrain his disciples
– but as it was, the voice of the people was restraining the rocks — all nature was ready to breakout in praise
Religion is supposed to prepare us for life on this planet, but instead it sometimes declares war on nature
– for example, a practice of silence and solitude can be spiritually refreshing and make us better listeners, etc.
– but to never speak or interact with others goes against both nature and scripture
Ecc. 3:7, there’s “a time to be silent and a time to speak” read more…
Draw near to God and He will draw near to youRemarkably, Jesus told the crowds and disciples to do as the Pharisees taught when they took the teacher’s chair in the synagogue, yet the point of Jesus’ conflict with the Pharisees was precisely their interpretation of the Law of Moses–for example, Sabbath-keeping, purification rituals, fasting, and so on. On a positive note, however, the scribes and Pharisees did demonstrate a great devotion to the Scriptures.
The first of Jesus’ criticism of the scribes and Pharisees was that they did not live up to what they taught and, furthermore, they placed heavy burdens on people they themselves were unwilling to help carry. Religion will always have its people who say the right words, but do not live the truth, people who play for a human audience and love positions and official titles, people who are more image than substance.
Is living for God a heavy burden? Is a righteous life a heavy burden? Is it not sin and guilt that are the heavy burdens? But there is a way that some people define Christian duties and obligations that make it a burden–a bundle of rules.
We give You thanks, Lord God, for what this teaching tells us about the Teacher. There are times when we are bent over with a great burden that we must carry–and we have enough of them without the added load that religious people would place on us. Jesus, who invites those who are “heavy laden” to come to Him, gets under our burdens with us and carries them as if they belonged to Him. Yoked with Him, Jesus is forever with us, our closest Companion, our Savior.
Daily Meditations From the Scriptures