Psalm 23 (NKJV)
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.
He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
There are so many sweet promises that God has declared to us in these six verses. I continue to be amazed at who He is. In verse 1, David (the writer of this Psalm) declares that the Lord is our shepherd. David was a shepherd before he became king and it was a dangerous job. He had to protect his sheep from many dangers, like lions and bears who wanted to attack and kill the sheep. Shepherds would search out just one lost sheep, because they cared about all of their flock. The same is true of our God. He protects us from danger, leads us to safety, and, most importantly, He was willing to die for US. Wow! Each time I reflect on that truth, it brings me to my knees, because I do NOT deserve such a perfect gift...and yet, He loved me just like a shepherd loves and searches for his one lost sheep. Because of this promise, we do not need to be afraid. If we listen to His voice, follow His leading, and obey His commands, He will lead us to safety and protect us from danger.
In verse 2 & 3, David once again reminds us that God will not only protect us from danger, but lead us to a safe place of rest, peace, and restoration. Just like a sheep wanders away from its shepherd sometimes, God's children also wander away from Him. God has given us the freedom to choose to follow Him...and to choose to NOT follow Him. But, when we don't follow Him, we end up on a path of sin, heartache, pain, and suffering. Isaiah 53:6 says, "We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way..." Because we have all sinned and wandered away from Him, we are separated forever from the goodness and peace that can ONLY come in His presence. But God has given us hope...
Verse 6 is one of my favorite, because it reminds me that God has given each of us the greatest gift of all...not because we deserve it or earned it, but because He loves us and has shown us great mercy. Verses 4 and 5 declare that when we choose to follow Him we will be given blessings and be able to one day stand in His presence, but verse 6 holds an even greater promise. When we hold on to the truth God revealed in His Son, we will be able to dwell with Him FOREVER. Such a sweet truth and an amazing blessing that I will never stop praising Him for.
Thank you, Lord, for NOT punishing me for my sins, even though I deserve it. Thank you for showing me goodness and mercy through your Son and for continually showing me paths of righteousness. I pray I would continue to follow Your voice. Praise You, Lord, for loving me so...
For more Thankful Thursday posts, please check out Laurie's blog.
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By the way, this morning, I had the privilege of meeting another blogging friend, Brianna, and her two little sweeties. We had such a sweet time of fellowship and it was so much fun to watch our little ones interact. I discovered that my daughter has a lot to learn about sharing...she's becoming very possessive...and is just as stubborn as her mother ;) Thank you for the wonderful visit, Brianna!***
I've been hard at work on sewing projects lately, so I haven't had opportunity to add to my Etsy shop yet, but stay tuned for some sewing updates soon. Thank you so much to everyone who has supported me in my little business!
