City Life Starter

Written by Blesson Selvanesan

The Word

¹The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. ²He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.³He restores my soul He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

Psalm 23:1-3

Interpretation

This Psalm is recited very often and kids learn this as it’s a comforting Psalm. It talks about God as a caring shepherd who takes care of every need of the sheep. God provides for all the physical, emotional and spiritual need for those under His care. He restores and fills us with peace and security even during fearful and uncertain circumstances. Despite all the circumstances, he leads us towards the paths of righteousness. The only condition is to have The Lord as our shepherd and learn to trust and follow His leadership is by surrendering our cares and embracing all the goodness that He brings.

I am reminded of a story which I learnt when I was a child. Once there was a man who was carrying a heavy load on his head. He had all his treasures packed up and was carrying it on his head to another village. The load was very heavy and it was almost breaking his neck and his back. He was breathing heavily and making progress by walking slowly. After a while, a bullock cart appeared and the man who was driving the cart saw the sad state of this man and offered him a ride. The farmer accepted.

The cart driver stopped and told the farmer to climb on to the cart in the rear and they started moving. After several hours of chit chatting, the cart man turned back to look at the farmer and was shocked. The farmer was sitting in the cart in a weird position, but he was still carrying the heavy load on his head. The cart man called the farmer and asked him, “Hey, put your load on the cart! Why are still keeping it on the head? He heard no response and when he stopped and walked to the back of the cart to see the farmer, he was already dead with a broken neck.

Application

God is the most secure being. There is security and in surrendering all we have to him. Our necks will break and our lives will be lost if we don’t accept the offer for a ‘lift’; even if we accept but don’t give our burdens to Him to carry we will risk losing everything we have including ourselves. There is freedom in surrendering to the most powerful and righteous God.

The Word

Heavenly Father, Help us to lean on You and surrender all our burdens on to You. Help us to be secure in You and to relax in You during difficult times. In Jesus’ name, amen.