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Psalm 23 - A Slight Return

July 1, 2020

I hope you have enjoyed reading my blog posts on my favorite Psalm.  I wanted to return to it today as I was thinking about being content.  In my life, the picture of peace is when my mind is content.  I watch my pups, Kona and Kailua as they nap on the floor.  Kailua often sleeps on her back, legs sticking up breathing softly.  Kona sleeps curled up almost cat-like.  They are the picture of contentment.  Jesus told us, “Don’t worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or your body, what you will put on.” (Matthew 6:25).  Being content is not having what you want, but wanting what you have.  Gratitude turns what we have into enough.  If the Lord is our Shepherd and we are under His care, He will see to it that every one of our real needs are met.  All of our material needs, our emotional needs, our relational needs, and our spiritual needs.  It may not be in our way or timetable, but His delays are not denials.  His promises are unfailing.  Thus we walk by faith not by sight.

Lying down in green pastures is the picture of provision – our needs are met and we are indeed content.  Sheep won’t lie down if they are scared, agitated, or frightened; only when they are at peace.  When God is our Shepherd and we are spiritually with Him, our minds can relax.  Anxious thoughts retreat in God’s presents and as we think about His word.  Contentment comes when we realize that He is all we really need and He meets all our needs.  We might think of contentment as something we can achieve if we only had ___________. Truthfully, being content with what you have, who you are, and where you are in life has little to do with what you put in that blank; perhaps nothing at all.  The world around us may seem to be coming apart at the seams, but I’m holding together because of Jesus and His promises.  Though sometimes confused and occasionally distressed, I still have a fortress of contentment in His compassion and power.

Finally, instead of reminding yourself of what you crave, remind yourself of what you have.  Build some time to sit quietly in God’s presents.  Learn the sounds of silence so you can hear God’s voice speaking to your soul.  Make time to rest your weary mind and body.  Take time for prayer and meditation.  Reduce your wants and increase your joys.  Be thankful!  By the grace of God - Being content is a decision, a choice that comes from within. Being content is declaring and believing that what I have is enough, who I am is enough, and where I am is enough. 

-Phil Anderson

Posted by Phil Anderson at 12:00 am
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1050 Peninsula Drive
Traverse City, MI 49686-2799
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