“The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name. Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me. You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings. Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.”
Welcome to this season of life! You may be bursting with pride at the birth of a baby or joyful over the blessings God has bestowed upon your children. You may be in your darkest days after the death of a loved one. Or perhaps you are living your best life, celebrating retirement with family. This season for you may be filled with financial hardships, stressful relationships, busy lives or the very opposite. The seasons of life are a beautiful mess.
Psalm 23 is a familiar passage. You have likely heard this psalm recited at a memorial service or funeral. In truth, Psalm 23 was written by David at a time of a great peace and rest. It brings perfect words of praise and worship to our Lord.
The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. The power is in the first statement. Ladies, read that again! Take a deep breath and repeat those words, The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. The very nature of a shepherd is to lead sheep to safety and protect the flock at all costs. The Bible repeatedly reminds us that the Lord “will never leave us nor forsake us.” (Deuteronomy 31:6) Nothing will escape the attention of God. Can you imagine the fullness we could feel if we could find godly contentment? In my friendships, we use the word “content” a lot. We talk about being content with our cars, houses, clothes, and jobs. We use the word “content” as if we are settling. When I first read the phrase “godly contentment,” I realized that we are actually settling if being content is enough. Godly contentment is the only thing that can satisfy our spiritual yearning. The Apostle Paul writes in I Timothy Now godliness with contentment is great gain. (I Timothy 6:6)
He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. God will guide us during every season of life. The Lord leads us to peace and rest. He encourages us to find stillness in the crazy seasons of life. We need God’s continued renewal, even in times of peace, to continue our walk with Christ.
He renews my strength. We must consciously seek the Lord in times of anxiety, stress and grief in the trials of everyday life. It is so easy to move through life without acknowledging the presence of the Lord. It is also easy to misunderstand our role and responsibility in faithful accountability during the good and bad times of life. David writes this Psalm when his life is in a time of peace and tranquility. He has fallen short of the desire of the Lord, but God faithfully renewed his strength. God will rejuvenate us physically and emotionally and provide spiritual growth and wellness. No matter where we are in life, worship!
He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name. The Lord does not expect us to live on instinct. We are not built to operate as independent people, separate from God. We are called to seek Him, to call on Him, and to study His word to find guidance for our lives. We NEED a partnership and relationship with God. The Holy Spirit lives WITHIN us. Our duty is to bring honor to His name. Walking the path of righteousness is often difficult. It is not a magical path to life that makes everything easy. We will all endure grief, hardship, loss, stress and all types of insecurity. God calls us to bring honor to His name in these hardships. Blessings will come to those who seek him. Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. (Matthew 7:13-14)
Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me. You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. We will walk through dark valleys throughout life. All women will come to times when we are tired and weary. We live among the flesh and are imperfect people. We hurt our friends and family and they hurt us. We lose people we love. Imperfection is a guarantee in our earthly bodies. God assures us He is close beside us and we can seek comfort in His word. As women, we desperately need spiritual friendships - people we can depend on to speak His truth to us. The sun WILL rise. Joy always comes in the morning, but we must seek Him.
My cup overflows with blessings. I love focusing on these words when life is good. God provides so many blessings during every phase of life. Even in the worst of times, God finds those who are honoring Him and allows His glory to shine in others. Our blessings remain the same and are abundant. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9)
Surely Your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life… God is good. God is so very good. God is merciful and filled with grace. God is patient and loving. We are sinful people. David was clearly LOVED by the Lord and he was a sinner. He was adulterous and committed murder. God pursued him every day of his life and David expressed extreme gratitude for God’s mercy.
…and I will live in the house of the Lord forever. Our day is coming! We all have the promise of living with the Lord in eternity. The reward for living for the Lord is not perishable. This reward does not come with wealth or fame or fancy business cards. This reward is not successful children or a nice car to drive. The reward is not winning the sports tournament. Earthly rewards are temporary. We feel temporary joy and experience temporary happiness from good experiences. The joy we feel with earthly pleasures does not compare with the great reward God has prepared for us in heaven, where we will find eternal joy. Worth it? YES! For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God.” (Romans 8:18-19)
Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love him.” (II Corinthians 2:9) Your season will change. The good will fade, the bad will shift. The sun rises every day, even in the rain. Seek the light. Be the light. Share His light!
This world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever. (I John 2:17)
This is so good! Psalm 23 is one of those Psalms that I know so well that I don’t often think deeply on it. I love how the writer broke down each section and pulled in other Scripture. It caused me to slow down and really ponder and think about the meaning again. Great devotional!