The Hallucination of Order

 

Thursday, May 5, 2022

The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need.  He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams.  He renews my strength.  He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name.  Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me.  Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.  You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies.  You honor me by anointing my head with oil.  My cup overflows with blessings.  Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.  Psalm 23:1-6

The Psalm King David wrote is loved by untold millions.  What is not to love about peaceful streams, lush green meadows, and having your strength and soul restored?  Yet, human experience tells us that life is chaotic, messy, even at best.  Is David’s picture of a peace-filled life with God a realistic expectation, or a cruel hallucination…merely a form of wish-thinking, chasing after the perfect life in a chaotic universe?

A hallucination is a distortion of a real image or event.  Expecting perfect order in a chaotic universe is a disconnect with reality.  So, does that mean David’s image of God’s unfailing love is a pipe dream?  Not by any means.  One simply has to see it in correct perspective; David’s picture of what God provides is virtually proven by the chaos of our world.

Consider the provisions and the problems:

#1. Rest beside peaceful streams presupposes there are raging (chaotic) rivers.

#2. Renewed strength presupposes your personal strength can fail.

#3. Right paths announce that there are some wrong ones to avoid.

#4. Dark valleys instill fear while God’s presence brings courage.

….and the list is much longer.

Chaos, weakness, wrong choices, and fearful realities are not hallucinations, they are the reality of a fallen world.  Rest, renewal, corrected (forgiven) wrong choices, and courage to go on are just as real for the inner person. 

When the reality of life’s harshness meets the goodness of God’s grace, the follower of Jesus Christ has – as David wrote to begin the Psalm – all I need.

For You Today

You might be facing some tough decisions, chaotic storms, or a mind-numbing shortness of courage and other resources.  If so, take some time right now to give God great praise for the opportunity you are facing.  Just like David, facing Goliath the giant, you’re going to see you lack nothing you really need, because those promises never fail.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road with Jesus; have a blessed day!  

[1] Title image: Pixabay.com & Pixabay.com   Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©