Then and Now: Psalm 23

Today I came across a very beautiful prayer based on Psalm 23, and I immediately felt it was God's leading that I should post both the Psalm AND the Prayer for today's post. After I typed it all up, I thought I should look through the Archives of this blog to verify that I hadn't shared this idea in the past. What I found was interesting: While I had not posted the George Matheson prayer, I had written an article about Psalm 23. So I decided to combine the two posts into one, the first published on July 12, 2010, and the second with today's date: July 27th, 2020. A decade contemplating The Lord Is My Shepherd.

2010: No walk through the Bible on the subject of death or Heaven would be complete without a consideration of Psalm 23. This Psalm is perhaps the best known chapter in the entire Bible - to believers and unbelievers alike. It is quoted most often at funerals or in other situations where death is imminent. It provides assurance and comfort in the most difficult of times.

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul.
He leads 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 mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.

For most people, and in most contexts, this Psalm is particularly poignant and comforting when contemplating one’s own death. Very often this is quoted to those facing a terminal illness or some other end-of-life experience. At least, that’s how I looked at Psalm 23 until faced with the sudden death of my son. Now, I have a different perspective.

Those of us who have undergone the traumatic death of a loved one feel that we are actually living in the “valley of the shadow of death.” In the beginning, our loss pervades nearly every waking moment. As time passes and we work through our grief, the darkness lifts just a little. My own personal experience, and those of others who have walked this road before me, confirm that time in the valley can last for years. How can we survive such a long ordeal?

This Psalm helps us a great deal. We affirm that the Lord is our Shepherd. What do shepherds do? They are in charge of the flock every moment; they protect, shield, guide, and nourish the individual lambs. And that, of course, is what the Lord does for us.

We remind ourselves that we are to fear no evil because God’s rod and staff are there for us. Despite our grief, we can live out the rest of our days with the assurance and confident expectation that at some point our cup will overflow again with many gifts of goodness and mercy from the hand of God. And best of all, we have the sure hope that we will dwell forever in the house of the Lord.  That’s the kind of message we need to hear when the shadows around us seem so dark.

2020:  George Matheson's prayer (1842-1906): "Restore my soul, O God. There are green pastures around me for which my eye has no lens; there are quiet waters beside me for which my ear has no chord; restore my soul. The path on which I go is already the path of your righteousness; open my eyes, that I may behold its windows. The place I call dreadful is even now the house of the Lord; the heavens shall cease to hide you when you have restored my soul. May I be content to know that goodness and mercy shall follow me without waiting to see them in advance of me."

"Dear Refuge Of My Weary Soul"

I have become very fond of a beautiful hymn written by Anne Steele who lived long ago in the 18th Century. It is not very well known now, but is beginning to be back in fashion again because Kevin Twit of Indelible Grace - a traditional worship band begun in the PCA - took the words written by Anne and put them to new music. It is entitled "Dear Refuge Of My Weary Soul."   Click here to listen. 

I have ordered the biography of Anne Steele that is pictured on the right and upon which Kevin Twit has based this short summary of her life: 

"She was born in Broughton, England where her father, who was a fairly well-off timber merchant, preached at the Particular Baptist church for 60 years. She actually lived only 15 miles from the great Isaac Watts. Although it is unlikely that they ever met, she mentions his work with fondness in one of her hymns. Her mother died when she was 3 years old, and by 14 it seems she was bothered by chronic recurring malaria which took a progressive toll on her health. She also had painful stomach problems and severe teeth pain and her health was never very good. She received her education through being sent to boarding schools, even though the local pastor condemned her stepmother for doing this. Her home was one in which reading literature and poems was one of the fondest activities.

She was thrown from a horse and injured when she was 19, but makes no mention of this later in her diary and it is not true (as some have reported) that she was an invalid for life from this injury. It has been widely reported that when she was 21, she was engaged to Robert Elcomb, but that the day before the wedding he was drowned while bathing in a river! However, while he may have been courting her, they were not a day from their wedding when this tragedy occurred. In fact, she had numerous wedding proposals after this (including one from Baptist pastor and hymn writer Benjamin Beddome) but she chose a life of singleness. Her stepsister had a difficult marriage and this may have influenced Anne’s decision, but she also felt that singleness provided her the opportunity to serve the Lord in other ways. Had she chosen to become a busy pastor’s wife she may not have been able to write so many poems and hymns. So, she lived with her father and stepmother, who cared for her health problems, and who fixed her an elegant room with a fireplace to write her poems. She assisted her father in his pastoral labors, although for the last 9 years of her life, she was never able to leave her bed.

Still in spite of all of this her disposition was described as “cheerful and helpful” and her life as one of “unaffected humility, warm benevolence, sincere friendship, and genuine devotion.” In reading Sharon James’ account of her home-life I am reminded of the settings in some of Jane Austen’s novels. She was a bright and cheerful woman, but one who suffered greatly from her ongoing health problems. Her hymns reveal that her health problems provoked great spiritual struggles as well and she is often wrestling with doubts and assurance of salvation.

Caleb Evans describes her death, “Having been confined to her chamber for some nine years, she had long waited with Christian dignity for the hour of her departure. And when the time came, she welcomed its arrival; and though her feeble body was excruciated with pain, her mind was perfectly serene. She took a most affectionate leave of her weeping friends around her, and at length, the happy moment of her dismission arriving, she closed her eyes, and with these words upon her dying lips, ‘I know that my Redeemer liveth,’ she gently fell asleep in Jesus.”"

Quotables #6

As my faithful readers know, when I come across a good quote I snap a picture of it to save for later use. It's now been about 2 months since the last posting, so here are the ones I found helpful and inspiring since then:

(I also would love to know which are your favorites!  Mine are #1, 6, 7, 9, and 10.)

1.  "Remember this, had any other condition been better for you than the one in which you are, divine love would have put you there."  Charles Spurgeon

2.  "Pray as though everything depended upon God.  Work as though everything depended on you."  Augustine

3.  "While it looks like things are out of control, behind the scenes there is a God who hasn't surrendered His authority."  A. W. Tozer

4.  "The world will let a man go to hell quietly, and never try to stop him. The world will never let a man go to heaven quietly - they will do all they can to turn him back."  JC Ryle

5.  God does not give us everything we want but He does fulfill his promises leading us along the best and straightest paths to Himself."  Dietrich Bonhoeffer

6.  "When a train goes through a tunnel and it gets dark, you don't throw away your ticket and jump off. You sit and trust the engineer."  Corrie ten Boom

7.  "Now as a born again believer, I'm driven by the gospel of Jesus Christ, so I don't look for a black solution or a white solution or a blue solution. I look for a God solution."  Senator Tim Scott

8.  "Prayer isn't about requesting what you need to build your kingdom, but about seeking the grace you need to live for God's kingdom."  Paul Tripp

9.  "Be much in secret prayer. Converse less with man, and more with God."  George Whitefield

10.  "The preacher is not called to share, but to declare. He is not anointed to entertain, but to expound. He is not appointed to coddle, but to confront, convict, convert, and comfort."  Steve Lawson

It's About Time

"But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish but that all should reach repentance."  (2 Peter 3:8-9)

Time is an odd concept. I looked up the word 'time' in Webster's dictionary and found about 15 uses of the word 'time.'  And that was just in the section defining the noun form of the word: there were additional definitions when the word is used as a verb.  Think of the casual phrases we use in our conversations: "We are out of time."  "Please do this in a timely manner." "It's about time that happened."  "I have to work overtime today."  "We had a good time at the party."  "Time's up, put down your pencil" and on and on.

It's clear that in the above two verses Peter wants to inform us about "God's timing."  I have to admit that one day = thousand years just seems similar to the "time flies when you're having fun" sentiment. But Paul is informing us of a different aspect of time. Here is what John Calvin wrote regarding this passage:

"The Lord defers his coming that he might invite all mankind to repentance. For our minds are always prurient, and a doubt often creeps in, why he does not come sooner. But when we hear that the Lord, in delaying, shows a concern for our salvation, and that he defers the time because he has a care for us, there is no reason why we should any longer complain of tardiness. He is tardy who allows an occasion to pass by through slothfulness: there is nothing like this in God, who in the best manner regulates time to promote our salvation. And as to the duration of the whole world, we must think exactly the same as of the life of every individual; for God by prolonging time to each, sustains him that he may repent. In the like manner he does not hasten the end of the world, in order to give to all time to repent."

What a compassionate God we serve!  He is delaying because He wants all His people to repent. What does this mean practically? There have been periods of distress in my life when I have cried out, "Come, Lord Jesus!" and I meant at that very moment. Nevertheless, I really do want all my family and friends to turn to Jesus Christ so that they will be by my side when our Redeemer returns. Time is a precious commodity, and it is in God's hands. We should be patient as we wait for all of the Lord's children to be brought home. It is a good thing that God is not rushing His providence with no concern for others. Instead He is giving everyone "time to repent." Thank you, Lord!