There is a lot to get used to lately. You go to the grocery store now, and there is a one way only entrance, and there is a one way only exit. The grocery store is full of people, but empty of the food item you are looking for. Then there are face masks, which we need to get used to since we’ll be wearing them for a while. My husband Kevin is a pastor, and he had made himself a mask out of a t-shirt. He was going to lead a graveside funeral service. He thought he should take a nice mask, so he took one, but part-way through the graveside service it popped off his face! There is a lot to get used to, and a lot of uncertainty that can leave us feeling worried, alone or afraid.
For some people of faith, it’s easy, they turn to God at a time like this. They trust in God. For others, you want to trust God, but you feel so overwhelmed, it’s hard to trust. Will God really take care of me? When so much goes wrong, how do you trust God? How do you do it?
There’s a Nike slogan: “Just do it,” which is not always helpful. It’s easier to tell someone else to do something, than to do it yourself. It’s easier to sell someone else to trust God, that it is to trust him yourself. It’s like the difference between major and minor surgery. A minor surgery is whatever surgery someone else is having. A major surgery is whatever I’m having, right? If I’m not having it, it’s not a big deal. That’s a little bit what it’s like trying to trust God. It’s easy to tell someone, hey, just trust God. But when you don’t have a paycheck or you’re battling depression, or when you feel all alone, or when everything you thought was stable is now unstable, how do you trust in God at the moment?
In a time like this it’s good to turn to the Psalms. The Psalms are a book in the Bible. The Psalms are songs people sang as worship. In the Psalms people are real: they complain to God, “How long O Lord?” There’s also so much comfort there. Like in today’s reading, Psalm 23, “The Lord is my Shepherd.” Maybe you didn’t know you needed a shepherd. It may seem like it is written for goats and sheep. You are neither one of those.
But there’s a verse in another Psalm, Psalm 9:10 that goes: “Those who know your name trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.” That makes sense, because you’re probably not going to trust somebody that you don’t know. If you don’t know their name, you’re not likely to trust them. The question is, what is God’s name? What do you call God? What you call someone really, really matters, because what you call someone tells us a lot about your relationship. What you call someone tells you how well you know someone. I call people in my house “sunshine.” I don’t call anybody else sunshine. I’ll tell you how that started. My brother Joe in college was in the Navy ROTC. And we went to watch a program they held. The cadets all looked like the adults, in their sharp uniforms, I felt kind of wimpy watching them. They were so impressive. After the ceremony, a Mom greeted her son in his uniform and said, “Hi Sunshine.” I loved it. She was such a mom; he was still her sunshine. I call my kids, “sugar lump.” I call my dog, “fuzz buzz.” When someone calls me on the phone and says, “Maureen, Duff-Guy,” or calls me “Elizabeth,” I know from what they call me that they’re probably a telemarketer. If you call me Pastor Maureen, you’re probably a church member. If you call me Maureen, you could be a friend or acquaintance, or the nurse in the doctor’s office. If you call me Mo, you probably knew me when I was a kid. A few people: two to be exact, call me Mom. What you call someone tells you how close you are to them. Now if you call God “the man upstairs,” or “the big guy in the sky,” chances are you don’t know God that well, because what you call someone reflects the depth of your relationship with them.
So this beloved Psalm starts out, “the Lord is my Shepherd.” The Message version of the Bible, it’s a paraphrase, says in vs.1, “God is my Shepherd! I have everything I need.” That means the Lord is the one who really takes care of me. When I am a sheep and there is a lion nearby, and I can’t defend myself, the Shepherd protects me. King David was a shepherd when he was young. He killed lion and bear with his slingshot, to protect the sheep.
How do you grow to trust God? You get to know his name. You get to know what God is like. The Lord is my Shepherd. Vs. 2, “You have bedded me down in lush meadows.” So the Lord finds me the best, most comfortable beds, to lie on. Vs. 4 says, “Even when I walk through a dangerous place, I’m not afraid Lord, when you walk by my side. You protect me with your trusty shepherd’s crook.” The Lord is my protector, he looks out for me.
The Psalm goes on, but now you are not a sheep. Maybe you know vs 5 as “Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies.” The message Bible says this in vs. 5 “You serve me a six-course dinner right in front of my enemies.” Sheep don’t eat 6-course dinners. A 6-course dinner is, (I looked this up) hor doerves, soup, an appetizer, salad, main dish and dessert. That’s not everyday dinner at my house. That’s Thanksgiving. Or watching the Superbowl. That’s LOTS of food. So in the first part of the Psalm, the Lord is my Shepherd, but now, the Lord is something different, the Lord is the host at a big meal. The Lord is my host, serving up a huge, delicious meal! It goes on, “You anoint my head with oil,” the Message Bible says, “You revive my drooping head.” So God helps you feel better, and renews you. “My cup overflows”, in the message Bible it says, “My cup brims with blessings.”
The Lord is my Host. It’s like a wonderful meal that somebody fussed and worked hard to make delicious, and that you were so full after eating, that you waddled away from. Think of a meal grandma made, or that family reunion, or a party. And you felt changed after that: you enjoyed the food and friends and family so much, you realized how silly it was to worry. Suddenly, God is not a distant, far off God that someone else knew, and it’s not hard to trust God. Because God is shepherding, protecting, and providing you an overflowing life.
Call out to God as if He were your God. Say, “I’m God’s sunshine.” You are. He’s not distant. He’s right with you. You can complain to God, and cry out to him. I’m convinced He would rather have you yell at Him, than have you walk away from Him.
My homework for you this week is Call to God as if he were your God, your loving father, involved in your life and deeply compassionate towards you.
How do you trust in God, when everything seems so unstable? How do you trust him when you feel anxious, alone and afraid? Those who know his name find it easier to trust him. God is your faithful shepherd. Your protective guide. God is the host who takes such good care of you, you’re overwhelmed with blessing. God does not treat you as you deserve, and he loves you more than you’ll ever know. So look up, and don’t just talk to the big guy in the sky. Talk to a loving, protecting, faithful God who will give you all you need and more.
If he is your Shepherd, Provider and Protector, you know he is near you. Those who know his name, trust in him, and those who seek God have never been forsaken. Amen.
May 3, 2020
Maureen Duffy-Guy's blog 