The Lord is My Shepherd

"The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
He leads me beside quiet waters,
He restores my soul."  Psalm 23:1-3a

My wife and I are in the process of buying a house.  Awhile back, in fact it seems like ages ago, we put an offer on a house that we really wanted.  That offer was accepted but it was contingent upon the seller finding suitable housing.  After the offer was accepted we were very confident, but as time moved on and as deadlines went by without the contingency being met we thought that we were never going to get that house.  The sellers had very specific needs and we prayed that they would find a house that could be a home for their family, but as time moved on we doubted that they would find a home according to a timeline that would let us get their current house.

During this time of waiting I read Psalm 23.  I had to repeat to myself, "The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want."  I did this to preach to my own soul that I could fully trust God no matter what happened regarding this house.

Now, God never promised to give me a house, let alone the house that Christine and I wanted.  I'm not a prosperity, name-it-and-claim-it "gospel" guy.  Jesus has promised me a mansion in glory, but He has not promised me a two story house on earth.  But I do trust that God will take care of me.

Just when I thought that God had a different plan in mind for me, we got a call that the sellers had found a house and that we could move forward with the house we had an offer accepted on.  We were/are thrilled.

As I said, God promises me an inheritance in glory, a mansion if you will, but He does not promise me nor does He owe me a house on this earth.  But another psalm I read this week reminds me that while God promises me ultimate goodness in Heaven and on the New Earth, He also has goodness for me now.

"I am confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the LORD
in the land of the living." Psalm 27:13

God has so much goodness pouring out of Him.  He has goodness for eternity and eternity has already started for the believer.  Is the best still to come for me?  Absolutely!  But I get to see the goodness of God now in many vibrant ways including the provision of a house.

"I am confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the LORD
in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the LORD." today.