Changing Perspectives--Who's Got Your Back?

Something hit me today that has changed the way I think… and no, I wasn’t hit by a rock or some other flying object.

It started when I was thinking about the 23rd Psalm and the phrase, “even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me.”

I’ve always pictured this in my head as a great peace amid turmoil, strife, danger or even in dying. That Jesus is there with a comforting hand on my shoulder assuring me that everything is going to be OK.

"The Valley of the Shadow of Death" by George Inness, 1867


There’s nothing wrong with that picture, I just now think that I’ve been missing something all this time.

It struck me to ask—when was David, the author of Psalm 23, most often walking through that valley? Most often, it was in battle.

We know David was a man after God’s own heart—I believe that he was one who was pursuing after God’s heart—not that everything about him was as God would want him to be. There is one way in which we don’t typically think of David’s heart reflecting God’s heart, but it does. David had the heart of a warrior.

Most of us will remember David as a boy having the courage to stand against Goliath when grown men dared not. But we must not forget that David is also described with this phrase, “Saul has slain his thousands and David, tens of thousands.” David had spent so much time fighting—successfully, I might add—that God would not let him build the first temple in Jerusalem because he was a “man of blood.”

David was a warrior. His life had been in danger during many battles. It struck me while thinking about this to also ask, where did most battles take place during David’s day? Typically, they occurred in the valleys—where there was open fields for horses, chariots, regiments. Bodies would be lying on the left & right, fighting on all sides—they truly turned into valleys of death. Which is where Revelation gets the imagery of the valley of Armageddon being full of blood.

This is where our “Good Shepherd” comes to us—during battle—and not just to rest a peaceful hand on my shoulder—but to join me in battle and fight to get me out of the valley.

David had an elite guard of might men for a reason. Their primary duty was to protect the king and guard him—to watch his back. I’ve never been in battle but I suspect that nothing is scarier than to be surrounded by your enemies, cut off from friendly forces, outnumbered and alone. By yourself, staring at a number of enemies before, you know that it’s over—your done. You might be tempted to give up, despair, lose hope or even kill yourself as Saul did. You know you won’t survive unless someone comes to rescue you. Even if just one other person was there to fight with you, you’d have hope to fight on.

With one other, the two of you would stand, back to back & swing away with whatever weapon you had at your disposal. Suddenly my picture of this phrase in Psalm 23 changed. He doesn’t just come to bring you peace and take you out of the battle. He comes to bring hope and encouragement to Keep Fighting. To help you fight through the valley of death.

“I’m here, I’ve got your back –Keep Fighting! Don’t give up!”

I then pictured Jesus with His shepherd’s staff swinging away like at the end of the movie Davey Crockett on the walls of the Alamo—swinging at anything that got close.

His rod and staff comfort me—in other words—He is armed and dangerous—He has a weapon and He knows how to use them. Usually when people talk about the rod and staff they think of how it is used on themselves—typically as a disciplinary tool. But they were also effective weapons for fighting off other animals or thieves. Now I think of them also being used in a fierce battle when my Shepherd comes to my rescue and fights alongside me. Knowing Jesus is right beside me, swinging away at the enemy, watching my back is a great comfort. He is right there, fulfilling…

Isaiah 52:12b --for the LORD will go before you, the God of Israel will be your rear guard.
58:8—“Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.”

He is on a Rescue mission—

Colossians 1:13—“For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves”

Jesus is not passively walking us through or even just carrying us through the valley (there’s nothing wrong with those ideas remember) but He is actively fighting alongside us to deliver us through the valley of the shadow of death in Victory—not defeat.

Jesus has my back! That is awesome! And He will never leave us nor forsake us. And if God is for us—who can be against us?!

We have to keep in mind that sometimes the paths of righteousness lead us into the valley of the shadow of death. Living for God, living by faith, doing what is right is not safe, is not always well received—but thankfully we are not sent off into battle alone. He is right there with me—and I will fear no evil—no defeat—because He is with me. Our Shepherd is not just Good, He is a Warrior.

Tomorrow I'll share how this perspective has reshaped another popular passage in my mind. Can anyone think of another Scriptural account that could be affected by this reflection?

What do you see?

I' ve always loved these pictures. What do you see?I hope you see 2 deer in that picture above.

Sometimes they are quite beautiful.
Sometimes they are quite simple.
Our brains process things differently. Usually, unless we've seen the pictures before, we see one of the images first. Then we have to teach our brain to see the second image. It does not come as naturally. In the above picture, I always see the younger woman naturally and I have to remind myself how to see the old woman. You do see her don't you?

Or maybe you see the opposite and have a harder time seeing the other. Sometimes the illusion is so good that you cannot see the other at all and you think the other person is pulling a fast one on you. But sometimes your friend can merely see something you cannot. Then, it gets really frustrating when they are trying to point out to you something important, something right there and you cannot see it.

I was never good at these kinds of illusions.
Supposedly, there is a cross hidden in this picture, but I have never seen it or one in any picture like it. I've always found that irritating that people can see things I cannot.

It works the same for us spiritually. There are some people I'm comfortable talking with about spiritual issues and there are some people that sometimes make me uncomfortable. See, I have a certain way of thinking, I have a certain way of interpreting passages, a certain way of applying things. But others have the ability to see the same thing from a different perspective or a different application.

We're looking at the same thing, but they see something that doesn't come naturally for me to see. My brain needs to be retrained. Until then, I often resent the messenger, as if it's their fault. In the course of a discussion, things are going along smoothly, and suddenly the messenger speaks and shifts perspective--it's like a wrench in the cogs.

Like this picture below. How tall is the obelisk in relation to the church? Equal, 3/4's, 1/2 as tall? From here it's pretty obvious it rivals the church and someone saying differently must be crazy.
When someone brings a different perspective, we typically respond by getting defensive, taking a position, holding at arms length, rolling our eyes. or getting frustrated that they see something we don't. In my experience, this situation is often a level of insight or depth that I cannot get to. It points to my inadequacy, my spiritual immaturity or ability to connect an issue. When so often they can see a perspective my spirit does not see naturally.
What can we do instead of get defensive, roll our eyes, hold at arms length or say, "there they go again...". Maybe, though it may be difficult, we can listen, try to hear, then try to perceive, then maybe ask questions to help see what they see.

As a minister, sometimes I cause this. It's easy for me to be someone's buddy and friend. But it's something else to be someone's minister--trying to take a church member to a direction they cannot see or even may not want to go. And yet it is my calling as a minister to do this--to lead or help grow a person or even a church.

Sometimes people see only good in some things and fail to see the evil. Many things appear innocent and harmless when they really are not. I've been known to point something out and been laughed at. So I see something they cannot or will not--maybe more out of want than ability. It's hard to say.

Has that ever happened to you--you pointing out something to someone else, or them pointing it out to you? Have you ever seen evil in something when someone else only sees the good?
Sometimes we see the good, but fail to see the evil.