For His Name Sake

For His names sake"

Psalm 23:3

I awakened this morning thinking about this phrase "for His names sake". The descriptive phrase that came to my mind was "it is all about Him". The purpose of our lives is to glorify Him. The main message of these first three verses has been the Lordship of Christ. In order to glorify God we must allow Him to be intimately involved with our lives.

The Christian life is so much more than going to church on Sunday, and perhaps serving there in some capacity. It is a moment by moment experience of trusting Him. It is studying and memorizing His Word daily so that we might grow in our relationship with Him. It is praying without ceasing, a lifestyle of constant communication with Him about every decision we make and every situation we face. It is recognizing the needs of others and ministering to those needs.

We dont live that way out of necessity but because that is the way we are happiest and find true satisfaction. John Piper makes a statement in his book Let the Nations by Glad "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him. And the supremacy of that glory shines most brightly when the satisfaction that we have in him endures in spite of suffering and pain in the mission of love."
We experience Gods love for us by allowing Him to be our Shepherd, by being willing to "lie down in the green pastures" and to be led "beside quiet waters", by letting Him restore our soul and guide us in paths of righteousness. Psalm 63:3 says that Gods "lovingkindness is better than life" itself. Psalm 16:11 says "You will make known to me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; in your right hand are pleasures forever."
I pray that you will realize that your moment by moment relationship with the Lord Jesus is the single most important aspect of your life because I know that as you truly comprehend that you will experience real joy and satisfaction.

Paths Of Righteousness

The first thing I notice about this phrase is that the word "paths" is plural. While there is one way to salvation, there are many paths of righteousness. In fact, as we live our lives we traverse down many paths or tracks. For instance Psalm 1:1 exhorts us not even to stand in the "path of sinners". The Psalmist acknowledges in 17:4 that "by the word of Thy lips I have kept from the paths of the violent."

On a positive note the Psalmist says in 119:35 "make me walk in the path of Thy commandments, for I delight in it" and in 105 he recognizes that "Thy word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path." Proverbs continues this thought (10:17) "He is on the path of life who heeds instruction. But he who forsakes reproof goes astray." The Bible continually confirms that the way of righteousness can be found by studying Gods word and heeding its teaching. One of the ministries of the Holy Spirit is to teach us and He does that through the Word of God.

In Psalm 139:3 David acknowledges that "Thou dost scrutinize my path and my lying down, and art intimately acquainted with all my ways". There is no question that God knows us intimately and therefore knows what is best for us. If we follow his guidance in our lives, we will be successful in the Christian life. Many are afraid to do that because they are fearful of what Gods will may be for them. That really says that they are not convinced Gods will is best for them.

I have learned from experience that because God loves me He will lead me in the path of life that is best for me. He will never do less than that and although there may be some hardships along that path they are for my benefit. Those hardships draw me closer to Him and teach me to completely depend on Him. Sometimes they come because I am disobedient. In that case, they draw me back to Him.

I pray that you will allow God to lead you in paths of righteousness. He wants to do that but will not force His will on you. You can be assured He knows what is best for you and will accomplish that if you let Him.

He Guides Me

We have discussed the word "lead" before and now we come to a similar one (guide), but there must be some difference. Psalm 31:3 uses both words "For Thy names sake Thou wilt lead me and guide me". I think that "guidance" is a little more specific than "leading". For instance we may hire a guide to take us fishing because he has intimate knowledge of the lake and the characteristics of the fish in that lake. He will take us to the right spot at the right time to catch fish.

Im reminded of the story of Phillip and the Ethiopian eunuch. Philip came up to this man and heard him reading Scripture. He asked him if he understood what he was reading. The man said "how could I unless someone guides me" and invited Phillip to come join up. Philip guided the eunuch into a personal relationship with Jesus by explaining the meaning of what he was reading. He guided him through the Scripture so that he understood it.

John 16:13 tells us that "But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come." Jesus has given us, His children, the Holy Spirit to be our guide to life. He knows the Scriptures intimately and also knows the Fathers will for our lives. He will guide us down the paths of life if we allow Him to do that.

Those are the paths that well discuss next.

He Restores My Soul

We have noted earlier that David is writing this psalm as one who trusts in the Lord. This phrase brings to mind that Christians need restoration. The primary meaning of the word "restore" is to return.

The sheep presents an interesting image in this situation. Sheep are known for becoming "cast". They lie down, roll onto their back and are unable to get back up because they are too round. Gases build up in their stomach and blood circulation is cut off to their legs. They cant get their feet underneath them. In hot weather they can die in a few hours; in cool weather they may survive for several days. Predators look for cast sheep for they are easy prey.

How do sheep become cast? They find a soft spot on the ground where they lay down. Perhaps they have too much wool which weighs them down as dirt, etc. accumulates in the wool. Sometimes they become too fat. A shepherd must constantly be looking for cast sheep and help them back up on their feet.

How does this picture apply to us. We, too, as Christians can become "cast". We find comfortable situations and are hesitant to move out of them. Sometimes we become burdened down with selfish desires, possessions, etc. and they prevent us from growing in Christ. Frequently, we let the worlds desire for wealth consume us and we become enslaved to our financial situation.

We can be thankful that we have a God who loves us and is patient with us. He is willing to restore us. He promises us in I John 1:9 that "if we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." We should be grateful that when we sin our Father is willing to restore us.