July 17, 2024

Viewing all things through the lens of the True and the beautiful!

Note: The Equipped looks different this week, and it is by design. There are, as always, countless headline stories we could cover. This week, however, includes one story that vividly highlights why we come together each week to consider how to view all things in our world through the lens of the True and the beautiful. So this week, rather than the usual three headline stories, there will be just one. We will begin with The True, and please do not skip this, as it will be essential to properly consider your role in responding to the one story. Our coverage of that story will be light on factual information, as you have almost certainly heard that coverage in great detail. We will focus intently on our biblical response to the story. We will, of course, conclude by turning our attention to The Beautiful, which always exists, even in the midst of—and often out of—the ashes. Blessings on you, family!

The True

Comfort in the Darkest Valley

We so often look for comfort and reassurance in all the wrong places.

You know what it is to be in a dark valley. You have been—and perhaps still are—in such a season. Each of us knows the feeling of life’s circumstances closing in around us, and each of us walks through times when it is as though everything is raining down on us all at once.

Death. Health challenges. Family issues. Financial strain. Disaster. Emotional and mental distress.

When it rains, it pours, and so often, any one of these challenges is quickly followed by any number of the others and more. The result is the “darkest valley” described in Psalm 23, and it hits close to home for each of us. In fact, it may be the most significant reason the chapter provides such great comfort to so many—because in the midst of pointing you to great hope, it so honestly describes the intensity of the challenges you face along the way.

I encourage you to read all of Psalm 23 this week. The beginning and the end paint a lyrically beautiful picture of the loving ways our Lord and Shephard cares for us. But in our brief moment together, let us consider a pivot verse in the middle of the chapter that distinctly acknowledges the intensity of life’s circumstances:

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 (Ps. 23:4).

The circumstances in your life are real. They are challenging. And at times, they lead you into the darkest valley. It is a place where, left to your own devices, you will have fear and anguish. It is a place where, more than anything, you long for companionship and comfort.

Because you serve a loving God, those are the very two things—companionship and comfort—He promises to provide as you walk through that darkest valley. God’s presence and his comfort come to you in the form of His rod and his staff.

A shepherd’s rod and staff are used to protect, guide, and discipline.

Protect - You, like sheep, are threatened by many things. The enemy would like nothing more than to devour you (1 Pet. 5:8). The shepherd’s rod defends his sheep from attack, and the Good Shephard protects you from being devoured in the darkest valley.

Guide – You, like sheep, lose your way. The shepherd’s staff guides his sheep back into the fold, and the Good Shepherd’s staff gently guides you back to safety.

Discipline – You, like sheep, get out of line. A shepherd works to get his sheep back together, and the Good Shephard uses His rod and staff to lovingly discipline you, as well.

We so often look for comfort in the form of relief from all that is pressing in against us. That is not, however, how our God promises us comfort. Instead, He promises us comfort with an assurance that He will be with us, He will protect us, He will guide us, and He will discipline us.

Are you in a dark valley? God desires to be with you in it. He wants to protect you. He is eager to guide you. And He is willing to discipline you.

In short, your God longs to comfort you, and He offers you His rod and staff of protection, guidance, and discipline to accomplish it!

If you will embrace His comforting, you will experience green pastures (v. 1), quiet waters (v. 2), a refreshed soul (v. 3), a prepared table (v. 5), an anointed head (v. 5), an overflowing cup (v. 5), and most astonishingly of all, an eternity of His companionship, goodness, and love (v. 6).

U.S.

Attempted Assassination

Former U.S. President Donald Trump was the target of an assassination attempt Saturday in Butler, PA when a 20-year-old shooter fired multiple shots from a rooftop overlooking a campaign rally. One shot grazed the former president in the right ear while others struck rally attendees, killing one and seriously wounding two others. The shooter was killed by counter snipers and is believed to have acted alone. The FBI says its investigation of the attack is in its early phases. Both President Joe Biden and former President Trump issued statements condemning the violence and calling for unity and peace.

Analysis and eternal perspective: This story has no doubt dominated your news feeds for the last several days, and understandable so. The grim reality is that the former president’s life was likely spared by the slimmest of margins, and the families of the deceased victim, as well as the families of the wounded, were radically impacted.

There are countless aspects of this story that could be analyzed, but let’s use our time together to focus in on how we as Jesus followers should respond.

Pray – This is a call we as The Equipped have been actively participating in for some time now. However, in the aftermath of a horrific evil like this, each of us should be praying for the victims, their families, and that every American would work toward a healthier political climate for the country. There is widespread brokenness in this space, but we can stand on the promise of Rom. 8:26 and ask the Holy Spirit to fill the gaps when we do not even have words to speak or pray. May this event drive us as Jesus followers to our knees in genuine prayer!

Reflect – How did we get here? It is a question all of us are asking. But if we reflect honestly, the political climate has been escalating toward, and even into, violence for some time now. While it is fair to evaluate why this attack was not thwarted and what security measures need to be adjusted to prevent a future attack, it is frankly anything but surprising that an attack was attempted, and there is every reason to be on guard against additional attacks on both nominees and beyond.

Here is a hard truth that may be difficult to absorb:

This election matters. The decisions made in America have a real and disproportionate impact all around the world. But it matters less than you are being told. Your eternal security is not dependent on your preferred candidate winning at the ballot box, but rather on the finished work that was accomplished by Jesus on the cross at Calvary (Jn. 19:30, Jn. 3:16).

It has become standard operating procedure for both major political parties to tell you the next election is the most important election in history and that a victory for the other side poses an existential threat to all that is good and right. It should come as no surprise when that message is heard and understood literally, and then acted upon. As we reflect on our role in responding to this event, let us focus on how we can impact our own party’s behavior in this regard.

Apply – How should I personally respond? It is a question I have been asking this week, and one you should ask, as well. I am going to share three brief thoughts with you below and want to invite something a bit out of the ordinary from you in return. If you feel led, please send a brief note detailing how God is prompting you to respond to theequippednewsletter@gmail.com. Why? Two reasons: 1) There is power in memorializing something God is asking you to do. It publicly boxes you in, so to speak, and increases the likelihood you will follow through. 2) I believe there will be some collective encouragement in your responses that can bolster The Equipped community in the days ahead. There are nearly four months left in the campaign season, and we will need each other to wisely navigate them in a way that is aimed toward flourishing.

Here are my brief top-line personal applications:

1) I trust not in a “chariot” as weak as a government of men, a political party, or a human candidate, but rather my confidence is drawn from the Name of the one true and living God (Ps. 20:7)!

2) I am most often trapped in a pit or snare I have myself contributed to digging or setting, and the same is true for nations (Ps. 9:15). I will focus my civic energy on personally learning from that mistake, and helping others do the same.

3) I will endeavor to live as though my days are numbered and my life is fleeting, because they are, and it is (Ps. 39:4-5). Each day should be spent for the purpose of God’s glory and praise (Is. 43:21).

The Beautiful

The Other Side

This week was a reminder of the brokenness around us, and in us. But there is cause for great hope in the beauty that emerges on the other side of dark valleys and great struggle! God’s creation provides many illustrations of this, including a butterfly’s spreading its wings in flight after a terrific struggle to free itself from the tight binding of a chrysalis. If you find yourself in a tight place or a dark valley today, take heart! The Almighty God is with you, and the table of hardship at which you sit will soon be a table prepared for you! In fact, if you look closely, you may just find that His beauty and provision are springing forth from the very place of your great struggle! He will bring you through it!

Don’t forget to check out the broadcast version of The Equipped on Faith Radio or wherever you get your podcasts!