Rumination

We all experience afflictions in this fleeting life, just as the psalmist did. But we must shift our focus, as we see in Psalm 102:11-12, from our afflictions to our eternal hope. Only when we do this are we able to understand just how light and momentary our afflictions are in comparison with our eternal hope in Christ!

It can be difficult to cry out for help, especially when we are crying out to someone we cannot see or touch. But the writer of Psalm 102 understood prayer correctly. He understood how prayer changed our relationship with God and the circumstances of the world. We can often struggle in our prayer life because we don't understand how prayer works for us, in us and through us. In today's episode, we will look at the first two verses of this chapter, and draw out three reasons why we should pray like the writer of Psalm 102, crying out to God for help when we are afflicted.

As we conclude our study of Psalm 23, we are reminded of an important truth about what it means to follow Christ, and we are encouraged with the truth that His mercy and goodness will always follow us, enabling us to continue in our spiritual growth until we reach the eternity with God that we are promised through salvation.

We know that God has perfect provision for us, but life can be distracting, whether because of trials or triumphs. These can both keep us from prioritizing our walk with God, even to the point of failing to partake in the blessings that God has for us. Let us bring our focus back onto God and the things of God so that we are able to take full advantage of the blessings that God has for us, and so that we are made able to live out our anointing from God in Christ Jesus.

Even as we walk with Jesus, we will experience valleys, struggles, and even discipline. This is something that can catch us off guard in light of the previous verses' mentions of abundance and peace in Christ, yet we know that in this imperfect world, we will inevitably experience hardships. Through all of this, we know that the Lord, our Good Shepherd is with us, and we do not have to fear whatever valley, shadow, or discipline we experience in life here on earth.

Submitting to the Lordship of Jesus means more than following Him with our feet. We will discuss what it means to be led in paths of righteousness in today's episode, focusing on the distinguishing between knowing about Jesus and knowing Jesus.

God has promised us abundance and peace, yet we so often fail to experience that in life. When we fail to follow the leadership of Jesus, we miss out on the benefits of His being Lord over our lives. Walking with God inherently means walking in green pastures and by still waters. David understood this correlation, but the distractions of challenges of life cause us to miss out on this if we are not careful to distinguish between what the world says is abundance and peace and what God says is abundance and peace. 

Jesus is the Lord of Creation, and He is our good Shepherd. He desires that we live in submission to His Lordship and shepherding because He desires fellowship with us. He desires to provide for us and care for us perfectly. We often find ourselves led astray from His fold, with desires and ambitions that are not part of His plan for us, but He is inviting us back in so that He can continue to lead us and care for us.

Once we understand the work that God is accomplishing in the establishing of the Kingdom of Heaven, we are made able to participate in that work. However, we are entirely unqualified to make any kind of positive, eternal contribution to Creation. In our own power and efforts, we cannot do a good work, yet Jesus reminds us in today's scripture that we are given the power we need in the Holy Spirit. Upon receiving salvation, we receive the Holy Spirit. It is by the Spirit's power that we are able to accomplish what God has called us to do. We are unqualified, yet Jesus qualifies us by His sacrifice and His Spirit.

We often lack clarity on the work that God is trying to accomplish in the world. The Why, How, Who, and What are often jumbled in the chaos of our lives, leaving us working to accomplish the wrong goals for the wrong reasons. Jesus redefined the workflow of the Kingdom of Heaven in His last encounter with His disciples before He ascended into Heaven after His resurrection. As we read Luke's recounting of this story, we see how Jesus clarifies for His disciples and for us these four questions about the work of the Kingdom of God.