I wrote the following a couple of years ago. This morning, my head and heart were both aching for similar reasons to those described below. Sometimes life has that effect on us. Sometimes we need to look back at how God has handled those situations previously, in order to move forward. This encouraged me. I hope it helps someone else, who may be facing similar feelings of being overwhelmed with life’s frustrations.
Jeff “Listen to my prayer O God, do not ignore my plea; hear me and answer me. “Have you prayed that prayer; feeling that sometimes you have to call God’s attention to the “fact” that He hasn’t been responding as you feel He should?
How about when in frustration you add; “Lead me beside still waters” and Where are the “green pastures”?
That pretty much sums up the way I started my morning. The events of the past several days had stressed my mind and stretched my faith. So, I prayed and not only did God “hear me”; He “answered”! Let me give you just a brief insight….
My knees have been aching; probably a bit of arthritis combined with abuse from my youth. So, I headed of to the gym to see if I could work out a few of the kinks. I hobbled in with a bit of a frown (perhaps to see if I could elicit some sympathy). As I headed for the leg machines, the first person I encountered was a young lady cranking out reps – with a smile and a “good morning!” – and with one leg – having lost the other from the hip down to cancer. Without a single rep, my aches and pains diminished and I thanked God for awareness of my being blessed with physical wholeness. But, I still had a ways to go in extending the “wholeness” to my overall attitude. So, as I worked out, I continued to pray: “LORD, the waters of life have been mighty choppy as of late – I feel like I’m floundering… sometimes even drowning. I’ve been stepping out of the boat like You asked me to – but where’s “the still water”? Every where I look – every way I turn, there’s nothing but waves surrounding me – waves of anger, disappointment, sickness, poverty, … fear!”
That was when another of the “gym rats” interrupted my training and train of thought with; “I’m glad the election is over – but now we have even more to worry about – things are gonna really get tough now.” It was quite apparent that his choice for office didn’t win! I really dislike politics, have a natural distrust of anyone making that many promises and don’t have the slightest idea of why anyone would subject themselves to the stress of seeking public office. So, I hit him with the answer that has stifled arguments from both sides; “As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD”. Since God is unchanging, I’ll continue to trust Him regardless of who is in public office.”. Works every time! But, this time, I heard what I was saying. God opens my mouth often to proclaim His truth to others. This time He opened my ears to hear it as well. God is unchanging! So, why do I allow my vision, my hearing, thoughts and focus to stray to the ever changing world around me?! That’s what caused Peter to sink. Why then should it surprise me that I flounder when I look away from the One Who “rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.”. Jesus doesn’t just “lead me beside still waters”. He stills the waters and walks with me, though the storms rage all around me!
Another piece of life’s puzzle had fallen into place. Still, there was the nagging anxiousness of financial doubts and concerns. Don’t get me wrong; I’ve honestly never wanted to be rich. My Dad was driven from poverty to overachieve in business. Although his motives were to better provide for us, his family, it killed him at the young age of 35. So, striving for the sake of money has never impressed me in a positive way. That said, I do have bills and responsibilities to meet and in all honesty, a few wants in addition to my needs.
Sure enough, on the way home, I saw a flock of wild turkeys strutting about in a field. They certainly seemed content in those surroundings and appeared to be gleaning the seeds and kernels from those very same plants. “Lying down in green pastures” refers to a place of peace and solitude. It also has the connotation of knowing that you are surrounded with an abundance of provision…. ie: shepherd = sheep, sheep’s needs = food, sheep graze in green pastures. Not too hard to figure out. So, when we pray for green pastures, we are in truth looking for God’s provision for our sustenance. But, wait! If you pray the 23rd Psalm, it isn’t looking for, or asking for; but thanking for – “He maketh me lie down in green pastures”. It’s already taken care of. Our problem – my problem too often is that the grass seems greener on the other side! I’m surrounded by God’s provision in a myriad of ways.
Somehow it also finally sunk in that “He maketh me lie down” in the midst of all of the richness of His provision. It is not by my efforts, although as His servant, He expects me to work how, when and where He leads. He promised to take care of my needs and in doing so He wishes me to enjoy the fruits of His labors. I have nothing of worth which has not come from God.
So, I guess the bottom line is that if I would open my eyes as often as my mouth, I’d be thankful for already having so much more than I was asking for!