Live Free with Josh Howerton - Tangible Love | Ep. 380 | Friday, July 19, 2024

Episode Date: July 19, 2024

When processing grief, sometimes the best thing we can do is eat with others. It is healing to gather around the table of gratitude, share a meal with loved ones, laugh, cry, and reminisce. In Psalms 23:5 it says, “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.” Who is your enemy across the table: anger, depression, anxiety, or grief? For more information, visit lakepointe.church/dailydrive

Thanks for tuning in today. For more biblical teaching and worship, join us for our church online live weekend services. Also, if this podcast was helpful to you, would you be sure to rate, review, and share this podcast to help get the word out. For more information about all digital ministries of Lake Point, text drive to 20411.

It is Friday on the Daily Drive. Well, it's Friday everywhere, but thanks for wrapping up your week with us here. My name is Bro. We've been tracking through a song that has been number one on the charge for centuries now, and no, it is not a song by the Beatles, Elvis, Michael Jackson, George Strait, Lady Gaga, or Taylor Swift. It's written by a guy named David, who was a king, a warrior, a musician, and a shepherd. And this song has brought comfort to millions of people throughout the years. It's Psalm 23, and you can find it in the middle of the Bible, and we've been applying it to the struggle with grief.

So let me just read it again, and then we'll go back to where we left. off yesterday. The Lord is my shepherd. I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside quiet waters. He refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his namesake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil for you are with me. Your rod and your staff that comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil. My cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life. life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Let's go back to verse 5.

He says, you prepare a table before me and the presence of my enemies. You know, one of the best things you can do when you're going through grief is to eat with other people. It's why when someone passes away, friends bring food over, they gather back at the house after the grave side, there's just something healing about sitting around a table with a bunch of people and just eating and talking and laughing and sharing memories. And I like the way David adds, in the presence of my enemies. It's like I'm eating, I'm remembering, I'm laughing, I'm crying, I'm hugging, I'm leaning,

even though I'm surrounded by enemies like anger, disillusionment, isolation, depression, and grief. I'm grateful for God. I'm grateful from my family, my friends, I'm grateful for eternal life. And sitting at this table of gratitude is where I want and need to stay. David goes on to say, you anoint my head with oil, my cup overflows. You know, it's been over 25 years now, a distant memory, but I can still remember how good it felt to sit in a chair at a salon and have someone wash your hair.

Like I said, it's a distant memory. I used to have a ton of hair. Now I just got a solar panel for a love machine. But it's a great feeling to lay your head back and let them shampoo and conditioner and do the machine. massage gout thing, it's awesome. I miss it. In David's day, the shepherds would wash the head of the sheep with oil. Now, that wasn't a salon moment, but it was meant to protect them from disease and keep them healthy. And you know what? Grief is natural, but unresolved grief is a dangerous thing. It permeates

every thought, keeps you extremely unhealthy, emotionally, spiritually, and physically. The Hebrew word that David uses here for anoint can actually be translated fertilized. And I thought that that's amazing. And I like that because it says, it's like he's saying, Lord, you fertilize my mind. You help me think more clearly. You pour true things, right things, noble things, lovely things into my mind so that I can think in a more healthy way, so I can grow and flourish, so I can overflow on others who might be where I once was. And then David ends with the hope that we as followers of Jesus know. He says, surely, like no doubt about it, I believe the promises, surely your goodness and love will follow me, stalk me, pursue me, surround me, all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the

Lord forever. I used David's Psalm 23 in my message at my dad's graveside service. I thought it might help those in attendance. I didn't know how much it would help me. A couple of days later, I was at Lowe's getting some stuff. And I noticed this little boy, probably five or six years old, just skipping up and down the drywall aisle. His dad or his granddad was loading up some stuff, and this kid was just kind of lost in his skipping in Lowe's. And nobody skips in Lowe's. Come on.

In fact, very few skip, period, except maybe Buddy the Elf. But I couldn't help but notice the absolute joy on his face. And the carefree spirit he had, and it really spoke into my grief. It took me back to my dad and I, building the shed together in the backyard when I was a little kid. That afternoon, I took a bunch of flowers that people had given, and took them out to the cemetery to put on his gravestone. And I stood there, and I cried for a little while. And then I felt the Holy Spirit speak to my soul. All I could hear was skip.

Think of what? Yeah, like that little boy. Skip. Now I'm just arguing with the Holy Spirit going, come on, skipping as a kid and low is this one thing, but a grown man skipping in a graveyard? I mean, who does that? Jesus followers do. So, I looked around making sure no one else was watching, and I skipped a 30 feet or so back to my truck. I got in, I closed the door, and I laughed as hard as I laughed at a long, long time. and the peace of God wrapped me up with the most tangible love I'd experienced it a long, long time. And he wants to do the same for you. Lead in to the Father who loves you. Let the shepherd lead you to green pastures and besides still waters.

Let him restore your soul. Have a great weekend. I'll see you back here on Monday. Thanks for tuning in today. For more biblical teaching and worship, join us for our Church Online Live Weekend, Also, if this podcast was helpful to you, would you be sure to rate, review, and share this podcast to help get the word out. For more information about all digital ministries of Lake Point, text drive to 20411.