How Do We See God?

Psalm 23

The LORD Is My Shepherd

A Psalm of David.

 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. ⁴Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
   I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
   your rod and your staff,
   they comfort me.
 ⁵You prepare a table before me
   in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
   my cup overflows.
⁶Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
   all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
    forever.

This is a Psalm I've read over and over again - but it took on new meaning this week as I read through its familiar words. After being a Christian for a good long time, it seems normal to say, "Oh yes, God is my savior and my Redeemer." But the question I've been pondering lately is this: "How do I live my life so that I really reflect that in my life and actions and not my words?"

People do say that actions speak louder than words. I have been convicted lately in my life - I say that I know God but I live as if I don't. How can I live like God is an important part of my life? 

I realized that it comes down to how I view God. A lot of the time when I struggle, I don't want to tell God (even though He already knows everything... haha!) because I see Him as this Father who is looking down on me, disapprovingly. While godly fear is important in worshipping the Lord, this kind of fear was unhealthy. It was driving a wedge between me and God - the more I didn't want to tell Him things, the more "fake" my quiet times became, and the more "fake" my prayers were. I was always tiptoeing around certain issues that I didn't want to deal with and didn't want to admit.

I read this Psalm earlier this week and it was like a breath of fresh air. Imagining the scene in my head was really healing - God leading me by still waters, to just BE with Him - no talking, no anything. A shepherd is someone who nurtures and cares for someone or something (in those days, sheep)... but I started to view God as someone who really cares. He doesn't look at me scornfully - He is always there with open arms. He wants to care and nurture my soul - but I haven't been letting Him. I've learned to just give Him the parts of my life which are good and seem perfect - but He doesn't really care about that. He cares about the broken pieces too, and the struggles, and the mistakes - He wants me to bring it all.

I am truly learning how to let God be my Shepherd.