I recently read the Creation account in Genesis and saw afresh how God created order out of chaos and, ever since the fall, we have made chaos out of God’s order. The state of unrest and confusion we live in was never God’s design for us. How I long for His coming to end our pushing and pulling, grabbing and greed, fighting and failure. And yet… in the midst of our disorder, we have the assurance that God is still in control, that He has us covered whether or not we see His hand or understand His ways. Let these verses from Psalm 33 encourage you (emphasis mine):

Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the people of the world revere him.
For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.

The Lord foils the plans of the nations; He thwarts the purposes of the peoples.
But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of His heart through all generations…

From heaven the Lord looks down and sees all mankind;
from His dwelling place he watches all who live on earth—
He who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do…

But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in His unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine.

We wait in hope for the Lord; He is our help and our shield.

We beseech God to foil Russia’s plans and thwart Putin’s purposes. We ask Him to deliver the Ukrainians from death and keep them alive in famine. We intercede for our loved ones and covet God’s grace and protection. We wait in hope for the Lord and continue to pray about the chaos in our world, in our nation, in families, in suffering bodies. We long for a return to relative order until the time Jesus will rule the new world in peace and justice.

Until that time, like the psalmist, we will trust in His name and unfailing love.

“May your unfailing love be with us, Lord, even as we put our hope in you” (verse 22).

Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths.
Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior,
and my hope is in you all day long. Psalm 25:4-5

Need medical guidance? Financial wisdom? Relationship untangling? We ask God for healing and help, direction and open doors, to relieve personal pain and renew relationships. Have you ever pondered why?

We pray because of the last phrase in verse 5—our hope is in Him all day long. Our issues are too big and too complicated to handle by ourselves and the verses following give us three good reasons to talk to God. When we ponder them our prayers grow from frantic pleas to confident conversations.

All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful… (v 10a)

He will not steer us wrong. Every path He sets us on is birthed out of love and faithfulness, like the goodness and mercy we saw in Psalm 23. ALL His ways! He can’t help Himself—He cannot act outside His love or desert us. We cannot say that of our most trusted friends or most gifted advisers, but God will prove Himself again and again. He always demonstrates love and faithfulness to us. Selah.

He will instruct them in the ways they should choose. (v 12b)

The guidance we desperately need is promised us. The big questions—where to live, what doctor, which position or person is right for me, and the smaller wonderings—what to spend, how to eat, who to befriend, are honored by God and He instructs us. “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it’” (Isa. 31:21). Selah.

The Lord confides in those who fear Him… (v 14a)

I return to this verse often as one of those forever verses that repeatedly awes and ministers to me. I can barely take in the scope of it and yet, experientially, I know it’s true. The Lord confides in me. When I meet with Him and still my heart, humbly resting in His presence, quieting my soul, He speaks to me. The Holy Spirit is present to teach us and reveal truth. Friends, the Lord actually confides in us! Selah.

Great are the struggles of life. Everyone has them, no one likes them. They challenge our faith, consume our thoughts, and make us irritable. We know we need to persist and face forward and believe eventually “the sun will come out tomorrow.” Today I’m going to ask you to do an about face.

Stop and look behind you. Behold! There they are—goodness and mercy! Selah, pause and ponder that. They’re following you all the days of your trying, earthly journey.

Surely goodness and mercy shall
follow me all the days of my life. 
Psalm 23:6a (NKJV)

Life is not easy. The world is tainted by sin. Hardship is to be expected.

• Jesus said, “In the world you will have tribulation” but He has overcome it. John 16:33
• Paul said, “For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.” 2 Tim. 1:7
• Moses said, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” Deut. 31:6

God never leaves us. There He is with His goodness and mercy, ready to pour it over in and over our lives. Struggling with the death of a loved one? Hang in there, goodness & mercy are about to flow over you. Challenged by accusations or broken relationships? Remain faithful, goodness & mercy are on your heels. Disappointed, distressed, discouraged? Hold on, goodness & mercy are shadowing you.

And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Psalm 23:6b

Health challenges offered me an unwanted pause and much time to ponder. Mixed in with the frustration was appreciation for an uninvited respite. It’s rather amazing how much you can neglect and life still goes on! One benefit of my recovery time is a renewed determination to pause and ponder—to Selah.

In the coming weeks, I invite you to pause and ponder reflections in the Psalms with me, beginning today with Psalm 1:3:

He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.

• Planted—intentionally placed.
• Placed by streams—well-watered and nourished.
• Nourishing fruit—feeding others from its branches.
• Green branches—not withering, but healthy.
• Health and prosperity—for the one who stays planted by the streams of life.

Think about how a prosperous life would look. For some it may be a bigger house, a better car, a larger bank account, more vacations. It could also mean improved health, greater respect, more opportunities. But we all know folks who have all that and are still impoverished.

I want soul prosperity—floods of joy, deep peace within, a hope-filled heart, life with purpose, loving relationships, and God’s blessing on whatever I do. I will be a planted tree that drinks deeply, bears fruit and green leaves… and everything I do will prosper.

Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things
and be in health, just as your soul prospers.

3 John 1:2