The world today is very different than the world we experienced three months ago. Today we see and feel the fear, desperation and unease from every area. But we, the church, do not need to be fearful, despairing or filled with unease. Our trust is in the Lord. Others wonder where God is in all this, but we know. He promised us He would never leave us or forsake us. (Hebrews 13:5) That even if the world and our circumstances seem unfair, full of despair and fear He would be with us. Our God is true and faithful!
Psalm 23rd is probably the best known and most beloved psalm within the pages of the Bible. Why is that? It is because we realize in its verses that even when life is unfair and unsettling, we can be assured the Lord is right there beside us and we do not have to walk it out alone.
Let me encourage you with a few thoughts about Psalm 23. It begins, “The Lord is my shepherd”. When I feel restless at night, I recite this Psalm over and over. I meditate on each separate word as well as each phrase. By emphasizing and considering each word separately, I find the extension calms my soul, fills my heart with peace and before I know it, I am asleep. The peace that passes all understanding, the
peace that this world can not understand floods me. (Philippians 4:7) Let’s look at the first sentence…The Lord is my shepherd and emphasize the next word as we repeat the sentence.
THE Lord is my shepherd. He is not just any God; He is THE one and only. There is no other God. He is not ‘a’ God, one of many but He is ‘the’ God, the one and only! Consider the impact of that one word in your life and then move on to emphasize and consider the next word, repeating until you have meditated not only the sentence but how each word affects the sentence.
The LORD is my shepherd. He is Lord, the top authority. No one or no thing is above Him.
The Lord IS my shepherd. He IS! That is present tense, not in the future, not in the past but right now and forever right now!
The Lord is MY shepherd. He is mine! I have asked Him to be mine and I submit my life to Him. Otherwise He would not be my Lord.
The Lord is my SHEPHERD. A shepherd guides, guards, protects, feeds, waters, cares for and heals his flock. That is what He as my shepherd does for me.
So even just with the first line of Psalm 23, such peace fills my heart and soul. If you spend time pondering these words in your heart peace, security, joy, strength, courage and faith with flood your spirit, soul and body! Search for scripture supporting each emphasized word. For example, what scripture declares He is THE one true God? Find a verse for each word to make it your own, to personalize it for you.
May the peace and security of this Psalm flood your heart, soul and mind and quiet your spirit.
