God Cares
“The Lord tends me as a Shepherd, and I shall want for nothing. In a place of green grass, there he has made me dwell: he has nourished me by the water of rest. He has restored my soul: he has guided me into the paths of righteousness, for his name’s sake. Yea, even if I should walk in the midst of the shadow of death, I will not be afraid of evils: for thou art with me: thy rod and thy staff, these have comforted me. Thou hast prepared a table before me in the presence of them that afflict me: thou hast thoroughly anointed my head with oil: and thy cup cheers me like the best wine. Thy mercy also shall follow me all the days of my life: and my dwelling shall be in the house of the Lord for a very long time.” Psalm 23 {LXX}.
Can you make this commitment today? “And my dwelling shall be in the house of the Lord for a very long time.” Eternity is a “Very Long Time,” God really does care about you in ways much wider than we can see. Isaiah 55:8-9 “For my counsels are not as your counsels, nor are my ways as your ways, saith the LORD. But as the heaven is distant from the earth, so is my way distant from your ways, and your thoughts from my mind.” {LXX}. Quote; “Above the distractions of the earth He sits enthroned; all things are open to His divine survey; and from His great and calm eternity He orders that which His providence sees best.” {FLB 42}
Gods sees what you need, he makes up the necessary package and Couriers it quickly right to your door, and it often arrives just before the impending disaster, but how often do we refuse to open the door to receive the package, or even worse, stack it up un-opened along with the other stuff, and then often try to accuse God of “Not Caring” and “Abandonment.” Hebrews 13:5 b “for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” Isaiah 49:16 “Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of [my] hands; thy walls [are] continually before me.” Accusing God of Abandonment sort of falls flat at your feet, and you kinda look silly then.
The Lord desires us to make mention of His goodness and tell of His power. He is honored by the expression of praise and thanksgiving. Quote; “The people of Israel, as they journeyed through the wilderness, praised God in sacred song. The commandments and promises of the Lord were set to music, and all along the journey these were sung by the pilgrim travelers. And in Canaan as they met at their sacred feasts God’s wonderful works were to be recounted, and grateful thanksgiving was to be offered to His name. God desired that the whole life of His people should be a life of praise. Thus His way was to be made “known upon earth,” His “saving health among all nations.” COL 298. The old Hymn Book was full of Hymns that sang out God’s Mercy and Praise, drew our minds back to magnificent events that were experienced where God stepped in, and what was, was stopped in its tracks, as All Things became New.
2 Corinthians 5:14-21 MSG; “Our firm decision is to work from this focused center: One man died for everyone. That puts everyone in the same boat. He included everyone in his death so that everyone could be included in his life, a resurrection life, a far better life than people ever lived on their own. Because of this decision we don’t evaluate people by what they have or how they look. We looked at the Messiah that way once and got it all wrong as you know. We certainly don’t look at him that way anymore. Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone, a new life burgeons! Look at it! All this comes from God who settled that relationship between us and him, and then called us to settle our relationships with each other. God put the world square with himself through the Messiah, giving the world a fresh start by offering forgiveness from sins. God has given us the task of telling everyone what he is doing. We’re Christ’s representatives. God uses us to persuade men and women to drop their differences and enter into God’s work of making things right between them. We’re speaking for Christ himself now: Become friends with God; He’s already a friend with you. How? You ask. In Christ. God put the wrong on him who never did anything wrong, so you could be put right with God.”
In Conclusion; “The Lord tenderly cares for me as my “Personal Shepherd,” and I shall want for nothing. In Heaven’s green pasture, there he has made me to dwell: he tenderly nourishes me by the River of Life. He has completely restored my soul: he has guided me into the paths of righteousness, for his name’s sake. Yea, even when I once walked in the midst of the Earth’s death shadow, I was not afraid of evils: for my Saviour was constantly beside me: His Bible rod and Holy Spirit staff, these have continually comforted me. Thou hast prepared a Wedding Banquet in the New Jerusalem before me, far away from them that once afflicted me: thou hast thoroughly anointed my head with Heavenly Anointing: and thy cup cheers me better than everything left behind on Earth. Thy mercy also shall follow me all the days of my Eternity: and my dwelling shall remain in the house of the Lord for a very, very, long time.” Psalm 23 {LXX – Adapted}. God cares for you, higher than the highest thought can Dream, so why not just trust him, and “Come Home” to being part of God’s Family.
