The Lord is My Shepherd.

Psalm 23
1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness
for his name's sake.
4 Even 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.
5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.


I have a God story to tell you today with regard to this Scripture. It's amazing to see what God grants you from this Psalmist's writing: peace. It is a great representation of who the Lord is to us personally and is a common prayer. I have found it as a great way to pray over someone through intercession.

On Easter Sunday I was with my great aunt who was slowly dying. I figured she would pass away in about a week. She could no longer talk, but that didn't stop her from trying to say something. When we were leaving, my dad told me to read Psalm 23 as a prayer to her. I read it and you could just see Jesus in her eyes. I could hear her saying "I love you" even though the words didn't actually come out. As much as I didn't want to believe it, that was the last time I saw her. She died one week later and we celebrated her life this weekend. I'm so glad she's with Uncle Jack again, but up in heaven, without all of her pain and health concerns that she's had for at least the last five years. At the funeral service this weekend, Psalm 23 was read by the Pastor who was hosting the service. Once again, this is not a coincidence. It's so a God thing. I will forever see and remember Aunt Margie when I hear this passage from the Word. Today's also the day when my grandfather died..five years ago.

Some things that you can gain from today's passage:
1. The Lord is our God and he is the shepherd of David. It's so comforting to know that God won't let go of us.
2. God tucks us in bed at night away from stress and anxiety. With God, we can lie down in peace.
3. God can lead us to still water and safe shelter.
4. The Shepherd, our God, heals and gives life to the sick.
5. He straightens our path if we acknowledge him.
6. David may have a lot of light shining in his life, but he still realizes that all of us, each and every day, walk through a valley that is in the shadow of death. (Verse 4 is stated in the song "You Never Let Go" by Matt Redman)
7. When God's in your life, fear and terror are transformed into an overflow of God's wisdom, power, and support from head to toe.
8. God's goodness and love follows you all around. Praise him and seal your life in the house of God!