Psalm 23 & Me Part 2
“He restores my soul” – Jehovah Rapha (my Healer). Many situations in life cause us to lose our answers. But God doesn’t need anyone to defend Him or answer for what He has done or permitted. We need to focus on the fact that God is good, and His grace is sufficient and brought to full revelation in our weakness. (2 Corinthians 12:9) I can’t allow any problem to become the focus of my life. As I focus on Jesus, His mercy and grace are new every morning. God’s grace is there to reveal His glory (character) in my weakness. Living far from proper medical facilities while overseas, has taught me to trust God for my physical well-being.
Three years ago, we were given a wooden plaque that I have hanging in my living room. It says, “He restores my soul.” I look at that every day and have often asked God to restore me. God graciously fulfilled a lifelong desire of mine by allowing me to go to Kenya on a mission trip last April. When I was on a day trip there visiting a school for Deaf children, suddenly, I realized that my soul was excited, at peace and content. I started to pray and told the Lord how my soul felt “restored” and then He spoke into my spirit and reminded me, “Isn’t that what you have been asking Me to do?” Only God can truly restore our brokenness, and He is so faithful. He hears and answers our prayers in His time.
“He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His namesake “– Jehovah Tsidkenu (my Righteousness).
Living and working in foreign countries offers many temptations to compromise in areas of righteousness and integrity. Many situations I have faced have been beyond my ability to explain due to language limitations and cultural norms, but Holy Spirit has been my Advocate and Defense. He has kept me out of trouble and aware of those who would try to trick me and cause me to stumble. When we first went to the Philippines, we knew God had spoken to Bob when he served in the Vietnam war about going back to Vietnam someday, but we had no idea of the opportunities we would have to go and share the gospel. God opened doors that no one could shut and led us to nations all over Asia. We were invited into the Asian nations to share the gospel through seminars, producing teaching materials, and building schools and churches. We just kept following Holy Spirit’s direction and walking through the doors He opened for us.
“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for You are with me” – Jehovah Shammah (God is with me). One predawn morning traveling down out of the misty mountain range on the winding dirt road, our vehicle was stopped by a group of NPA insurgents carrying machine guns. We knew that they would often stop people and rob them and shoot them or kidnap them for ransom. As my husband spoke to them in the local dialect, I sat in the vehicle praying for protection and deliverance. To my amazement, I saw the group lower their guns, step aside, and nervously wave us on. Had they seen something that I didn’t? Were God’s angels of protection visible to them at that moment? God has protected me many times and delivered me from evil and is giving me a fresh sense of purpose and an excitement to step into His ongoing plan for my life.
As you reflect on your own life, can you recall situations where God restored you or helped you out of a bad situation?
God is always working on our behalf. We just don’t always recognize His intervention or leading.
I will be sharing the rest of my thoughts on the remainder of this Psalm in my next blog.
