Barbara: Hi everyone- welcome to 40 minutes of faith. My name is Barbara Cox and I host this weekly podcast to explore God's word and our relationship with God.
I recently was speaking with a friend and she shared some kind words with me and some scripture, and I thought, you know, I wish that she could talk to everybody just the way she talked to me.
So I decided to write a letter to each of you mirroring part of what she said to me during our phone call. And some of that includes Bible passages and general encouragement and some information about Bible studies. So let me share a letter out loud to each of you:
Dear You. I talked with a friend on the phone today and she reminded me that God is the stability I needed in my life. Even when earthly things are uncertain.
What if prayers are being answered in an unexpected way? What if something good can come from turmoil and change?
Another friend told me about a Bible study she's currently taking about the 23rd Psalm. The study was written by Jennifer Rothschild. You're probably familiar with Psalm 23. So I'm going to share just verse four with you in a few different translations, starting with the king James version. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: For thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
I want to share some information with you from a Bible commentary, the Africa Bible commentary. The general editor is Tokunboh Adeyemo. And the chapter on Psalms was written by Cyril Okorocha. It was published in 2006 by Zondervan Academic in Nairobi, Kenya. Here is the commentary about this verse. “The valley of the shadow of death may have been a place of danger from wild animals, or may have been a steep valley through which the flock had to clamber when moving from one set of pastures to another.
The Shepherd's rod and staff were the tools used to bring back a string animal or to defend the flock against wild animals. Psalm 23 limits the role of the shepherd to providing protection and provision. But Jesus, the good shepherd goes further. He is even prepared to lay down his life for the sheep.” And this is in the gospel of John chapter 10 verse 11.
My friend sent me one quote from the Jennifer Roth child study, which is, “valley times don't last but valiant women do.” I know there is much more to this study than just that one sentence, but I believe it's intended to encourage when you feel like you are in a stressful valley. How can we remember to tap into the resources we already have?
You are always encouraged to pray as you are able. I've mentioned another study before called Stepping Up by Beth Moore, which is about the Psalms of Ascent. We are reminded to cry out to God from the depths of our souls, with or without words. Even three years later, when I look back on what I wrote in that study workbook, I'm reminded of what I learned, and comforted by the teachings. This study explains that we can bring our true feelings to God. In Psalm 1 42 verses one and two in the message version, it says “I cry out loudly to God, loudly I plead with God for mercy. I spill out all my complaints before him and spell out my troubles in detail.”
After completing this chapter in the study, our group decided that our motto would be “wrecks are welcome here.” By that we meant that we can be honest with each other about our struggles. We don't need to pretend to be perfect and we can pray for each other when we share our needs, struggling and hopes.
Dear you, thank you for asking others to pray for you. It can be as detailed or vague as you like. One group I'm in has a code word for a deeply personal and painful situation. It's called an unspoken prayer request. Sometimes you want to share a need, but you don't want unsolicited advice about the situation or even judgment about your part in the situation.
Another study author gave a helpful recommendation in a recent book and video series titled Forgiving what you can't Forget. The author, Lysa TerKeurst, explained two different ways of interpreting the Bible passage about not letting the sun go down on our anger. In Ephesians chapter four, verse 26 in the new international version we are told, “do not let the sun go down while you are still angry.” I laughed over and appreciated the study author’s explanation that this does not mean we are to talk at the person we're an angry with until they come around to our point of view.
Instead, can we prayerfully turn over our anger and our needs to God. And obviously the whole point of the study is to talk about forgiveness, which I would highly recommend that study also. And she included a really nice quote in the book that's attributed to Martin Luther. He is reported to have said or written, “I have held many things in my hands and I have lost them all, but whatever I have placed in God's hands that I still possess.”
Dear you, I offer you another way to spend time with God. There's a Latin phrase that teaches us a way to hear and receive God's word. The phrase is Lectio Divina. You are invited to pause and let the words from our verse today wash over you. Check in if one particular word or phrase comes to your attention.
After I read the verse, I'm going to play a short piece of music. So you can meditate on the word or phrase that may have jumped out at you, or just pray in general. If we were sitting together after this quiet time individually, we could share with each other what's the word that kind of came to my attention from this first?
And why is it important? Why is it meaningful? So you're welcome to either journal it in writing or just ponder it in your heart. I'm going to read Psalm 23 verse four from the message, and that will be followed by a one minute and 14, second music clip. “Even when the way goes through death valley, I'm not afraid when you walk at my side. Your trusty Shepherd's crook makes me feel secure.”
I've been familiar with the king James version of this verse for many, many years. And although I tend to prefer more contemporary translations or interpretations, I really liked the 23rd Psalm in the king James version- in this particular translation, I really like the phrase “For thou art with me.” I speak German and conversational Spanish. And in those two languages, there are different words used when you're talking to a person in authority or a person you respect and someone who's a friend or a peer. And to me, this passage, when I see the word “thou”, that means honoring God in a special way. For example, in German, when you speak with someone who is either older than you, or in a position of respect or someone that you've just met, you say “SIE.” And if you're just talking to your friend or your sibling or a classmate or something like that, you say “du,” and the same in Spanish with “usted” and “th”, it's also in French with “vous” and probably other languages that I don't have at my fingertips.
And to me, this biblical language is very honoring of God. Although in the message version, I'm also really grateful for the word you, because that to me brings a sense of closeness with God, but I still like the “for thou art with me,” because it reminds me that even when I'm wondering, where is God in all of this, we are reassured that God is with us. God is with you. Even when we're not necessarily aware of it on a sensory level.
In the message version. I really resonate with the word trusty- your trusty Shepherd's crook, because in other verses of the Bible, sometimes a rod is used for punishment. And the commentary mentioned that briefly, the purpose of the Shepherd's rod was to fend off wild animals that were trying to attack the sheep.
So that's a good thing, not in terms of it's a punitive tool for humans to use on each other. So the word trusty, in this interpretation helps me to feel that the shepherd or God or Jesus, however you want to interpret this right now in your own life, is there as a helpful tool, not to cause harm unless it's to fend off the enemy.
So the shepherd is equipped with tools for my benefit. The commentary references that the rod and the staff could be used to bring back a straying animal, which of course is great. If you're a shepherd and you have some sheep who are straying.
However, if I'm straying, I might not always be too excited about having the rod or the staff nearby. And we have talked about that in previous episodes around pruning and our own behavior and our own life.
Finally, I'm going to read our verse one last time and you are invited to check in if a different word or phrase comes to your attention. As the Lord's prayer is sung, you are invited to meditate on the word or phrase that may have jumped out to you, or just to pray about gratitude for God and your needs as well as the needs of the world.
Here is verse four from the new international version. “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”
In the NIV version, I really appreciate the word comfort. And the Lectio Davinas that I have participated in, in the past, have not used three different translations. It's just something that I really enjoy. So often, if you hear the same passage with the exact same words, several times, you almost know what's coming with the words. And then it's interesting to see if something is brought to your attention or stirs you in a new way, even when it's the same word. So it's almost easier when it's three different sets of words.
I really appreciated the word comfort because there are times in our lives when we feel like we're just wondering what's going on? What is this transition? All three verses reference either the shadow of death, or death valley, or the darkest valley. So how can we feel God's comfort during those times when we either don't know what's going on, or maybe we know exactly what's going on in it, and it's a bad situation, it's a stressful situation?
So knowing that there are trusty tools and that God comforts us, that there is comfort, even if we might be feeling uncertain or afraid. How can I trust that God is providing, even when things are either uncomfortable or when I'm just not feeling any comfort at all? And then to circle around again, to the beginning, when I asked about prayers being answered, sometimes it's really neat when you pray for what you want. As the Psalms of ascent welcome us to pray our deepest prayers. Even if they're just groans, we can't put it into words, but to tell God what it is, the desires of our hearts. And then elsewhere in the Bible, we are really encouraged to align our desires with God's desires. In terms of what it is that we're asking for. So am I praying for God's will to be done and also for my life to be in alignment?
Either a plan that I understand, or just my understanding of God in general from the Bible. And then sometimes prayers are answered in unexpected ways. And for me that can bring up anxiety because I would rather have a plan and know what it is. And this is where the whole conversation started in the first place where my friend said, God is the stability in my life.
And I'm really comfortable in my routines and knowing what's going to happen next, but life isn't always like that. By any means. And then sometimes when we're in a routine, then it starts to feel like a rut and then we would wish for some excitement. So everybody feels differently about the predictability of their lives.
So dear you, I offer encouragement that prayers can be answered in different timeframes, in different ways than we ever imagined. Even if it's uncomfortable, even if it feels like the valley of the shadow of death at times.
And we're not promised an easy life all the time. I honor that. And yet I also honor that I wish to support our planet and it's inhabitants. To really advocate for sustainability and for fair and equal treatment for reparation beyond the role of just being a sheep, even though other places in the Bible do call people sheep.
So dear you, I invite you to sit with the 23rd Psalm in your Bible or in an online app, and you can look at different translations. If that's of interest to you, you can do a lectio Divina on your own and just read a passage. It can be more than one verse long, but it also can help for it to be a manageable piece of scripture. So not necessarily a whole chapter.
And you don't have to have music in the background either, but if that's something you enjoy, read the verse either out loud or just on paper. If you speak multiple languages, read it in different languages. And then just sit and be at peace. The music that I played today was less than two minutes, but typically when I've done a lectio Divina in a group setting, It could be two or three or even five minutes, that's up to the group leader or the group to decide.
So you really have time to ponder the word or the phrase and what it means to you and how you're understanding it. And it's also really precious to be able to share that with a group of people. This is what I heard, and this is what it means to me. And this is what I heard. And then do it again. Maybe with the same translation, maybe with a different translation.
There's also various apps where you can listen to someone else read a portion of scripture. If that might help you to hear someone else's words and to journal about it. If you wish to sing about it, to dance about it, to make art around this verse or around the music. And actually there are many beautiful sung versions of the 23rd Psalm as well.
I would love to give credit for all of the music in this podcast. The introductory flute music is played by Maryanne Gould . The piano piece was composed and played by Joanne Hines. And you can hear more of her piano playing in a different episode about music.
The Lord's prayer was composed, played and sung by Eric Haitz and our weekly prayers are written and read by Stephanie Hittle.
Thank you for taking your time to be in a space with God, with God's word and with other people who are putting one foot in front of another and praying for discernment in the world, in their lives and for wisdom around making decisions and trying to understand to the best that we can. And I guess that's another question that I should be honest about facing- is it true that I always need to understand what's happening in my life? Because I sure would like to know what's happening in my life.
I would like to understand and to know what's coming next, but when I ask it that way, yeah, I would like to know what's next. It's not really true that I need to know what's next. I want to know what's next, but that's not a promise, either. So that's my own sense of control, sense of anxiety of just wanting to have that in place in my life.
So where is there room for me to trust God around the future at the same time that I'm using the gifts and talents that God has given me to do my best in my life to serve others, to have a job and things like that? But to know that there are things going on that I don't know about, and some of them are great and some of them might not be great, but that each day is a new day.
And there's plenty of that in the Bible too. This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it. Even if I'm not particularly feeling like rejoicing, this is what friends are for. So I would encourage you to reach out as you are able, as you are willing, with specific prayer requests to people that you trust, or if you have a community where you are able to introduce the concept of an unspoken prayer requests.
Or to just say, I have an unspoken prayer requests, and hopefully that will be honored. It's tremendously comforting to know that people are praying for your situation. So feel free to share comments, thoughts, and questions on the podcast website, or on the Facebook page for the podcast, which is 40 minutes of faith.
Resources:
Psalm 23
John 10:11
Africa Bible Commentary : A One-Volume Commentary Written by 70 African Scholars. Nairobi, Kenya: Zondervan Academic, 2006. general editor, Tokunboh Adeyemo
Stepping Up by Beth Moore
Forgiving What You Can’t Forget by Lysa TerKeurst
Psalm 23 by Jennifer Rothschild