TO RUN WITH A SPARKLE!

Wednesday, July 15, 2020

A “classic” devotional

TO RUN WITH A SPARKLE!

Ps 23:2-3

2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

           Twice the word “leadeth” is used in these precious and familiar verses. In verse two the original word is nahal which literally means “to run with a sparkle!” There are a couple of ways to view this word and make it more graphic for our times. The first is to imagine a little lamb running and jumping as he discovers he is near a place where he can get a cool drink. The second is to recall the last time you saw a toddler wearing those tennis shoes that light up when you stomp your feet. Oh, how they love to run with a sparkle.

           The second time the word is used the original word is nachah which means “to transport.” How many times have we heard that the Children of Israel were “carried away into one captive country or another? This is the force of this word. Not only to guide but to carry away.

I suppose it is possible for a Christian to dig in his or her heels and refuse to budge when God says it is time to move. It is possible, but not advisable. Our way never takes us any place worth going. We run into hazards we never knew were there. God knows. That is why He doesn't leave the driving to us. Sometimes we argue with Him over His ultimate destination for our lives. We do not want to be a pastor or a missionary or a schoolteacher or policeman or whatever it is God has planned for our particular lives. Usually our resistance comes from our incomplete knowledge of what He can and will do in that place.

As God guides us, He knows what He is doing. The unpleasant surprises that spring up along the way do not take Him by surprise. We want to run and hide, but the Lord calls back to us to keep on trusting, keep on following. Other times we want to settle down in a place the Lord knows we are just passing through. We wonder why we can't stay longer, but He doesn't answer. All He says is the same thing He said to the fishermen along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, "Follow Me. I know where I am going."

(from Names of God's Promises © 1998 by Mark A. Tabb. All rights reserved.)

Dear Lord, let me not drag my feet when you are trying to lead me. Don’t allow me to mistake a pause for a destination. AMEN