A dose of Psalm 23

This scripture is up there among one of the most well known by anyone who knows the Bible. It is often spoken of and possibly most preached from. Why is that? I think it is because it answers many of those questions we have in our heart to ask God about.

Psalm 23 as it is written in the word of God by David

¹ The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. ² He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, ³ He refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. ⁴ 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. ⁵ You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. ⁶ Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.‘

What God is saying to us? I know what He is saying to me.

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. As my shepherd, I can be sure that You God will take care of me. I am confident that You will look out for me, feed me, and tend to my needs. I can be assured that I will lack nothing because as my care taker You are constantly checking to see if I have everything I need in every season. You are my all sufficiency.
² He makes me lie down in green pastures and He leads me beside quiet waters. You are my place of comfort. There is nothing like the feeling of the soft grass under my feet and the sound of water running down stream. This is my quiet place. My place of peace. You are my peace!
³  He refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. This is where I am renewed, refreshed, restored, revived and reinvigorated, What a great place of retreat. I want to proclaim Your name. I want to serve You. Not my way, but Yours. I know that as I put my trust in You, You will not steer me in the wrong direction, that is not who You are. You are going to bump me back on track if I start to veer off course. I am so grateful for that.
⁴ 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.  How reassuring it is to know that I never walk alone because You are walking all the known and the unknown paths with me. Even in the seasons that seem darkest to me, I don’t have to be fearful, because you promise to not only walk with me, but You guarantee to see me through each and every situation I face. Your rod and your staff are my protective gear. You tell me that I will go through. The word through speaks loudly of the fact that these seasons are not places to camp. I am not at a camping ground. It may be a place I have to visit, but it is not a location to set up home. That is a relief, and gives me hope. ⁵ You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. No matter what is happening around me, I can confidently come to the table that you have prepared for me without worrying about what my enemies may think or say. At that table is everything I need to fill up on for the seasons ahead. That table is full of more than I could ask for or imagine. It is abundantly overflowing with grace, love, mercy, purpose, direction, instructions, equipment and so much more. You Lord, have done the preparing. I just have to come and partake of it. This table is so abundantly full, that there is a bountiful amount left over for me to give out to others.
⁶ Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Absolutely, with assurance, without doubt, Your goodness is pursuing me, chasing after me continually. You are good and you do me good. You are a loving God who guides me, disciplines me and loves me completely. You say that I will dwell in Your house forever. What a promise. What a future to look forward to.

Thank you Lord for your word to me today. I pray it is a word for you also.