by: Nate O’Brien

I can remember the reactions of both of my boys while being out with them as youngsters when encountering a sudden, scary,  and startling sound. One minute they would be walking completely relaxed by their father and the next they would, upon hearing the sound, become wide-eyed and panic.  They would drop the hand they were holding and take matters into their own hands.  Although I was still right there with them, they would momentarily act as if they were no longer there.  They would react as if they were alone and as if they were no longer being given protection or provision. They would act like sheep without a shepherd.   I have seen them freeze.  I have seen them run either away from the sound (and me) or toward it.  Just like a lamb, typically their reaction was not in their best interest.  They needed a reminder that their father had not left them.  Usually, I would use words to remind them.  I would use particular phrases that they were familiar with that I have used their whole lives to comfort them.  In a soft, calm, and deeper voice than normal, I would say “hey, hey.”  Their wide eyes would then find mine, they would remember that I was near, and they would come toward me and be comforted and calmed.

In times like these, we (even adults) can forget that our Good Shepherd is so near.  When we are startled by disaster, illness, death, etc. we can react like sheep and like my sweet boys.  We can freeze, run this way and that, and act as if we are alone without protection or provision.  We are in need of a reminder that our Father has not left us or forsaken us.  We need to hear His words to us.  We are so blessed to have it in the Bible and especially in Psalm 23.  With His words to us in this psalm, He is, in a sense, saying “hey, hey” to His people.  Let us meditate on His words, turn our eyes to Him, and remember that He is near.  Let us move toward Him and be comforted and calmed.  Let us consider the words of our Good Shepherd. 

1. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
In the first verse, we learn the identity of our Shepherd, the eternality of our Shepherd, the personal nature of our Shepherd, and the provision of our Shepherd.  The Shepherd is the One and Only Lord God of Heaven and Earth.  There is no other.  He is the triune God of the bible.  He is Immanuel (Matthew 1:23), Deliverer (2 Corinthians 1:10), Savior (1 John 4:14), and most familiar Jesus (Luke 1:31).  He has so many wonderful names.  In times such as this, it is good to remember that our Shepherd is the Lord.  He is not a man only that He could fail us.  The Shepherd is eternal as we can see with the simple word is. We do not have a Shepherd that was or that will be, but one that is ever-present.  He will never leave us or forsake us.  He is a personal Shepherd as He is “my shepherd”.  What a thought!  Who am I to even have His attention?  It is not who I am, but who He is.  He knows His sheep (John 10:3) and they know Him (v. 4).  The Shepherd provides everything His sheep need and so they “shall not want”.  He is Himself the source of what they require.  Now, it is not always what the sheep want, but it is always what is good and best for them (Romans 8:28-29).

2. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.
In the second and third verses, we learn more of the provision of our Shepherd.  Sheep typically do not lie down unless they are calm and content (they are very similar to little boys).  The Good Shepherd provides the food that His sheep need so that they can rest.  They might not always rest despite having what they need, but they always have what they need to rest.  He provides them physical food and especially the food that their spirits desperately need.  He is the bread from heaven (John 6:51). He is the Word made flesh (John 1:14) .  We cannot live on bread alone, but on every word of God (Matthew 4:4).  Sheep typically do not follow the lead of their shepherd unless they trust Him.  They often have to be driven.  Yet, the words used in the psalm indicate that the Good Shepherd gently leads His sheep "beside still waters". He provides them physical drink and especially the water that their spirits desperately need as well.  He is a fountain of living water (John 7:37-39).  Physical water can run out, yet He is never-ending.  Whenever His sheep are thirsty, they can come to Him for drink.  Yes, His words are food and drink for our spirits.  Not many of us starve our bodies from physical food yet many of us starve our spirits.  We must go to Him and His word in prayer and with thanksgiving so that we have healthy, calm, content, and trusting spirits. 

3. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Our spirits can be wearied by life in a sin-cursed world, as a result of our own sin, and as a result of the sins of others.  They can become downtrodden.  It is why David, the author of this and so many psalms, is constantly telling himself "be lifted up O my soul!"  He usually stated this right before reflecting on who God is and what He has done.  In all three of those circumstances, our Good Shepherd restores our souls.  Remembering Him and what He has done lifts our spirits.  Crying out to Him in sorrow for what we have done brings comfort and forgiveness (Psalm 119:176).  Praying for our enemies brings peace.  He causes us to constantly be more and more like Him.  He promised to finish what He started in our hearts upon His saving of us (Philippians 1:6).  Why does He do this?  For His name's sake.  His name is so precious to Him.  His reputation (His glory) is His first concern.  Over and over throughout the scriptures, we read about it (one of my favorite set of verses on this subject are Ephesians 1:1-14).  That is a sweet comfort to His sheep as we can trust that He will restore us and He will guide us in "paths of righteousness" because His name is at stake.  He will not fail.

4. 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.
In the fourth verse, we learn about the present help and comfort of our Shepherd.  The psalmist spoke of the fact that we will walk through "the valley of the shadow of death."  We will suffer in this world.  We will be given trials and tribulations.  Anyone who tells you that you can have your best life now is contradicting scripture.  The word of God tells us again and again that we will suffer.  It also promises that we will never suffer alone.  Our Shepherd is always with us (Matthew 1:23).  We need not fear anyone but Him rightly.  Even then, He comforts us (Revelation 1:17-18).  There will be evil in the valley.  There will be sin (our sin and the sin of others), illness (to include viruses), the evil one, and even death that we must face.  Yet we do not suffer or grieve as those without hope for our Shepherd is with us in the valley.  He will bring us out one way or the other.  He has promised.  The rod of a shepherd is for protecting the sheep and the staff is for rescuing the sheep.  Yes, the protection and salvation offered by our Shepherd is our present help and comfort today and every day.  Our flesh might feel the real emotion of worry and fear.  We must preach the good news of the gospel to our flesh.  "Be lifted up O my soul!"  We must battle against our feelings with the facts of scripture until our emotions bow the knee to Christ.  Your Shepherd is with you even now.

5. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
In the fifth and sixth verses, we learn of the hope offered by our Shepherd.  Oh, His promises are rich and many!  He gives hope to His sheep with His words.  Despite having to face the shadowy enemies of sin, disease, death, and the devil; we will be victorious over all in Christ.  There is coming a time when we will sit with our Shepherd free from all harm.  Our past enemies will only be left to watch us sup with our God.  We will be free from sin, all disease (especially viruses), death, and the devil.  We will be made members of the household of God (Ephesians 2: 19-22).  Having been hate-filled enemies of the One True King, we will be family by sweet adoption.  We will be sons and daughters of the Most High God.  We will lack no good thing.  And my heart can barely stand reading that He will "prepare a table before me."  Who am I that the Lord of Creation should serve me?  I am a sinful wretch and yet, He will prepare a table before me.  I am not even worthy of cleaning up after Him!  Behold our Humble Shepherd (Philippians 2:5-11).  Who is this King of Glory?  Who is this Creator who serves His creatures?  O, He is your Shepherd!  He leads us with a glorious vision of future Hope.  Let us follow Him.

6. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
But that is not enough for our sweet Shepherd.  He saves us.  He serves us.  He sups with us.  He stays with us forever.  In this life and the next, He is with us.  Even in the midst of suffering, I have known Him to be so good and so full of mercy.  The words of God are true.  My experience does not validate them, however, my experience is possible because they are true.  Christ has been walking with me for 19 years.  He has never lacked in goodness and mercy even in the darkest days in the deepest valleys.  I can echo the psalmist when saying, "surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life."  Perhaps you have not yet experienced His goodness and mercy.  Preach this truth to your spirit and to your flesh.  I have such a hope in this life yet my hope for the one to come is even greater.  Not only will we be free from all evil, but we are also guaranteed eternity with Him forever.  We are to “dwell in the house of the Lord forever”.  That word dwell signifies an intimate fellowship that is permanent.  We will be with Him forever.   

For all of the sheep who belong to the Good Shepherd, be reminded of your Good Shepherd.  He is gently calling out to you "hey, hey" through His words.  Turn your eyes upon Jesus.  Look toward the face of Your Shepherd and the things of this world will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.  Remember that you were dead in your trespasses and sins and you were deserving of hell for your crimes against God.  But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved you saved you by His grace (Ephesians 2:1-5).  The Father sent His Son to live a sinless life, suffer your punishment on the cross, die, and rise again so that you could be saved and forgiven of your sins.  He, by the power of His Holy Spirit, caused you to be born again.  He made you His sheep, gave you a new heart, and is making you more and more like His Son.  Draw near to Him.  Remember that you have a Good Shepherd who provides all you need, offers present help and comfort, and is your hope now and forever.  If you, like me, have been anxious and worried, confess your sins to Him.  Obey Him when He says "do not be anxious (Matthew 6:25-34)."  Cry out to Him for a heart that is not anxious.  Ask Him to help you trust Him more and more - especially during this time of dark valleys.  He will hear you and answer your prayers.

For those of you who do not belong to the Good Shepherd, I am most saddened for you.  I don't know how you will weather these times or the times to come.  For you do not have a Shepherd.  You will always be in want.  There will be no green pastures or still waters for you.  Your soul will not be restored.  God has set commandments or rules you must obey.  You have disobeyed and broken His laws.  You have not honored God as you ought, you have lied, been disobedient to your parents, hated others, coveted their things, and have taken what was not yours.  If you have done this even once, you are guilty before a Holy God.  You will continue to be lead in the paths of sin and unrighteousness.  You will walk through the valleys of the shadow of death and you will be so afraid.  There will be no comfort for you there.  You will eventually die and stand before the God of the universe.  He will render the guilty verdict.  Instead of serving you, adopting you, and caring for you forever, He will sentence you.  Your sentence will be hell forever.  Criminals must pay the fine for their crimes.  You will be confined into His prison with your enemies forever.  This was the state of my own heart.  This was my own sentencing before He changed me and renewed me by His love and grace. There is good news for you too, if, by God's grace, you will hear it!  The word of God says that if you repent (confess and turn from your sins) and believe (accept and trust) in Jesus (who He is and what He has done for sinners like you), you will be saved.  God commutes your death sentence and renders it paid by His Son.  He forgives your sins, changes you, and adopts you into His family.  Repent therefore and believe this Good News.  We would love for you to join the family and experience all the promises offered by Psalm 23 to His people.

May God bless you all during these times.

by: John Wilbanks

When Janet and I were first married, she was excellent at cross-stitching.  My favorite piece was of Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.”  It has hung in our home for nearly 42 years of marriage and is a constant reminder of our good Father.

What an incredible promise this passage truly is.  We don’t have to rely on our own intellect nor experiences.  We have an omniscient guide to direct our paths or as the verse is otherwise interpreted, “make our paths straight.”  In these days of turmoil and confusion, we  all seek that direction more than ever. 

A few days ago, Matt, my son, Eli, his 8 year old, and I went on a pretty serious hike from the top of Gingercake Mountain to a rock formation called Sitting Bear.  In order to get there, one has to navigate a steep and slightly treacherous drop finding footholds on rocks and roots and grabbing any available trees or limbs.  Eli started down behind his father and having not done this before, became frightened pretty early on in this effort. He began to say, “I’m scared.”  His dad patiently worked him through the process of watching how and where to step and what to grab onto, giving physical assistance as needed.  We made it down to the lookout and were treated to the most amazing views of the Linville Gorge and the mountain vistas around us - God’s magnificent handiwork laid out before us.  What an incredible shared experience it was!

I reflected on that time and thought that it was an apt illustration of the direction part of the passage from Proverbs.  Eli was scared of falling and unsure of his own ability to scale down the narrow and tortuous path.  He could see the challenge right before him, but he wasn’t sure of what lay beyond his vision.  Every slight slip reminded him of the danger he felt.  But through it all, his good father was there, guiding him, encouraging him and “making his paths straight.”  We could have gone back when the fear and doubt crept in, and concluded it was just too hard for Eli (and maybe me too!) but we kept moving and after all the hard work, the payoff was that we together experienced the wonder of creation in a profound way.

So, what does it really mean to trust in the Lord with all your heart?  That truly is a high standard.  All of our hearts?  In order to fully trust, we have to recognize our dependence on God and release control of our lives to Him.  It’s been said that you can have control or you can have trust, but you can’t have both at the same time.  They are opposed to one another.  In verse 5, we are admonished not to lean on our own understanding (be in control ourselves!) but instead to trust God and seek His direction. Only then will we experience the amazing wonders of His grace!

As a side note, when it came time to go up that same path, Eli transformed into a mountain goat and left us in the dust!

“You keep him in perfect peace 
whose mind is stayed on you, 
because he trusts in you. 
Trust in the Lord forever, 
for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.”
Isaiah 26:3-4

What does it mean to have peace? What comes to your mind when you hear the word? My mind takes me back to a vacation in the smoky mountains in Tennessee - sitting on the back porch of our cabin sipping a cup of coffee with nothing on the to-do list. Certainly that is a peaceful setting, but that is also a setting that I can achieve on my own. Jesus said in John 14:27: “ Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you…” We’re talking about a fruit of the Spirit here; something that the world does not offer and that we cannot produce by our own will. So what does this kind of peace look like?

First and foremost, the foundation of our peace is the truth that in Christ we have been reconciled to God. “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1). In the New Testament, the Gospel is often called “The Gospel of Peace.” Think about this for a moment - we could not claim peace in our present circumstances if we did not have a future hope. And that future hope is secured by the blood of Jesus Christ for us. Now the Holy Spirit produces that peace in our lives day by day, allowing us to have peace in the midst of trials.

That is why Isaiah was able to write that we have peace when our “mind is stayed on” God. It’s not just the knowledge that God is in control that brings us peace. It’s that truth joined together with the glorious thought that He loves me and I have been reconciled to Him. We love to quote the first part of Romans 8:28 - “All things work together for good…” without remembering the important second half of that verse - “…for those who love God and are called according to His purpose. Those who have been made right with God cannot have the peace that only He can give.

This is why Horatio Spafford was able to write these words at the point of his life’s worst trial:

“Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul”

Peace comes when we fight the trials of this life with the glorious truth of the Gospel of Peace. We “stay” our minds on the One Who is called Prince of Peace - both because He Himself is Peaceful and because he came to bring Peace. This is something you cannot produce by your own efforts to ‘feel’ peaceful. This comes when we fix our minds on the things of the Spirit, and He produces the fruit of peace in our hearts and minds. That peace will “guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7).

by: Jamie Wilbanks

“Be still and know that I am God.”

Psalm 46:10

Be still? What does that mean? Believe me, as someone who most likely has had a mild form of ADHD my entire life, it’s hard! If you know me, you know I’m a 100 percent ball of energy and queen of checklists, getting things done, and doing them quickly and efficiently. We don’t know how to “be still” in this world, and I’m the guiltiest of this.

But perhaps at this moment in history, God has given us an opportunity. Maybe He is giving us a chance to slow down. To enjoy our families. To strip away all the extra activities of life and spend time with Him. Time for unrushed quiet times with God. Time for family devotionals. Time to worship at home, even in an awkward online setting. Time to be, think, pray, read, and be still. (Well, that is unless you have small kids at home, then you may have “a zombie apocalypse,” as one of my friends who is mom to four little ones calls it).

Maybe during this weird time in the world, you have had the thought: “What is my purpose in this life?” As followers of Jesus, our purpose is much simpler than we sometimes like to make it. 1 Corinthians 10:31 says, “So whatever you do, whether you eat or drink, do all to the glory of God.” And this includes how you live your daily life. How can we glorify our Heavenly Father during this strange season?

We certainly have less of the time inhibitors that typically fuel our daily excuses. We can spend time with God. Spend time pouring into our families. Spend time serving others (even a phone call, or dropping off a small gift to a neighbor or friend—and yes, I do know they may Clorox wipe it once they find it at their doorstep). Spend time spreading positive messages instead of the chaos that the whole world is experiencing. If you post on social media, share encouraging stories of our medical workers, grocery store clerks, UPS delivery people, public servants, all those who don’t have the advantage of staying home in social distancing. Share your favorite scriptures and why you love them.

Spend time in God’s creation. If you can, take a walk and observe what the Lord has made. It gives life and peace. Psalm 104:24 says, “How many are your works, Lord! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.” Notice the simple things like spring flowers blooming, the bee (annoyingly!) spreading pollen, the crystal-clear sky, the sunrise, or the sunset. Write down scriptures that talk about the glory of creation. Give God praise for the beauty you see. Or make a list of all you are thankful for in your life and read it aloud.

Being still and focusing on God (instead of ourselves) helps us fight the daily anxiety this bizarre time brings. As a result, we strengthen our faith in God and His Word, believe He is with us and will never leave us, and know He is faithful in all His promises. “The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him” (Psalm 28:7).

Be still, and give glory to your Father in Heaven. There’s nothing that fulfills or gives more peace. Charles Spurgeon said, “Nothing teaches us about the preciousness of the Creator as much as when we learn the emptiness of everything else.”

by: Travis Bennett

"The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord"

Proverbs 16:33

The day was August 19th, 2018. It was like any other day working patrol as a law enforcement officer. I was running between various calls for service while trying to chug my morning cup of coffee down. I was helping another deputy work a hit and run investigation where a teenage boy got hit by a car while skateboarding (the young man was ok). I went to the hospital to take photographs of the young man for Deputy Zirbel. After channeling my inner photographer, Deputy Zirbel and I got to talking about his new BMW motorcycle that the agency had just issued him. "I will be riding this baby for the next ten years!" Zirbel exclaimed. I still remember that conversation vividly.

A little bit later in the day, I was working another traffic crash further north on Blanding Boulevard when the dispatcher interrupted the airways by diverting me to another call for service. The call sounded pretty intense. It was a domestic disturbance between a husband and wife, and the wife was currently running around the street hysterical. So, I jumped in my cruiser and popped my emergency lights and sirens on and began tracking south down Blanding Boulevard. Every time I turned on my emergency lights, the adrenaline would start flowing like a raging river heading downstream. It was about 1 o'clock in the afternoon, so I was passing cars like it was the Daytona 500. A thousand different questions about the call for service came knocking on my brain's door, which needed to be answered immediately. Therefore, I picked up my radio to ask one of them, but I was unable to get on the airways because another deputy was already on it. All I remember hearing was an eerie static.

The dispatcher came back over the radio and began to inquire, saying, "Unit 621, is everything under control?" Unit 621 did not answer. I did not have enough time to formulate my take on the matter before I saw it. Right in the middle of the intersection, I observed a familiar BMW motorcycle lying on the ground dismantled. There was a mountain of paperwork and documents which littered the hot pavement as if a suitcase had exploded. Next to the scattered pieces of paper and smashed motorcycle lay, Deputy Benjamin Zirbel.

I panicked. I kept reminding myself to remember my training and practice my breathing. I parked my car and sprinted over to the unresponsive brother in blue. I will spare the details of the incident, but it was terrible. I applied as much aid to him as I could, but there was nothing I could do. I laid my hands on the man that I was holding a conversation with only a few hours earlier and began to pray over him. I begged the Lord of all glory to help. I waited there until the ambulance arrived, and I rode with Ben to the hospital. I was with Ben up to the cold operating table. I was then ushered out of the emergency room.

Ben's brain had been severed from his spinal cord upon impact with the ground. They call it an internal decapitation. Ben was placed on life support, where he would lay in an unresponsive state until his death two days later. The day after the initial incident, I went to his bedside and read the Bible to him. I shared the gospel and prayed the Lord would do the work only He could do. I have peace that the Lord is good when it comes to His sovereign work of salvation and election despite my limited knowledge. Please understand that I do not tell you this story to bring any elusion of glory to myself. I was unable to extend even one second of life to Ben. The Psalmist’s sobering verse of Psalm 31:15 echoed in my ear as real as ever: “My times are in Your Hands…”

At this point, you may be asking yourself how this incident has anything to do with the above-quoted verse. Well, I would submit it has everything to do with it. You see, a "lot" in biblical days was similar to dice. People would cast lots on the ground in games of chance. Roman soldiers actually cast lots with each other to see who would get to keep Jesus' clothes during His crucifixion. So, imagine casting lots to be like a game of random chance.

The truth is, there is no such thing as random chance. There are no coincidences, and there is no luck. The point of this proverb is to remind us that God is in supreme control of even the most granular of situations. Even the results of something as small as a simple game of lots are in the mighty hands of a sovereign God.

What is the point of all of this? If the God of Hosts is in control of something as seemingly meaningless as a game of lots, He too was in complete control of the life and death of Ben Zirbel. God sovereignly rules from each side of the extreme: from the minuscule life events to the massive ones. From the tiny details of everyday life to the tempestuous waves that crash against our lives and shake the very ground we stand on. God is not only in control of it, but every decision comes from Him.

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, please listen to me during this trying time. Many of us have lost our jobs or sources of income due to the Coronavirus. Some of us may have even been impacted personally from the Coronavirus or has had a family member impacted by it. We cannot forget that the same God who placed the stars in the sky and knows them all by name is the same God who is in control of this virus. Yes, the infection cannot spread to even one person unless the great I AM allows it to do so. God is still on His throne and is reigning as Supreme King of all.

What are we to do then? Let us look back to history when pestilence, wars, and famines have struck our world. God has used no few amounts of measures (fiery serpents), agents (Babylonians), or means (10 Plagues) to conduct His business or pour out His perfectly righteous wrath. In every instance, the people were called to repent and turn from their wicked ways. Likewise, let this virus that is uncontained by the power of man but contained in the Hands of God almighty lead us to repentance. Instead of sitting in our fear and doubts, which drives us to disobedience and sin, let us place our faith onto the sovereign shoulders of the God who demands it.  

We will conclude with glorious truth. The same God, who controls every decision from even seemingly random events, commanded the most crucial moment in all of history. Yes, God ordained and predetermined the death of His own Son on the cross by the hands of sinners like us. Why? Because the only way God could reconcile to Himself such worthless sinners deserving of Hell was by the substitutionary death of His own Son on the cross. You see, the blood of Christ has purchased us because of His providential decree. We have been transformed from worthless sinners to beloved saints. We are the children of the Most High King of Kings. We can trust our King and heavenly Father. Please, trust Him today. He will listen to you. That is good news.