Day 1 - Week 90 - Out of the valley!

Psalm 23:5  "Thou preparest a table for me in the presence of my enemies; thou anointest my head with oil, my cup runneth over." (KJV)

"As the geography of Psalm 23 progresses, we have now reached the high plateaus and tablelands where the shepherd's muscles are put to the test.  There are rocks to disgorge, briars to clear, pastures to cultivate for the flocks, water to be channeled, and mountain lions to be driven away.  Our Shepherd provides for us even in remote places, even in the presence of predatory foes.

"Sometimes we encounter human enemies scheming coworkers, unpleasant neighbors, or hostile family members.  Worse enemies lurk within us---selfish thoughts, filthy minds, jealous attitudes, or bitter spirits.  Most dangerous of all are satanic spiritual forces prowling around like roaring lions looking for sheep to devour.

"Our Shepherd delivers us from all foes.  Jesus said, 'My sheep hear My voice, I know them and they follow Me.  I give them eternal life, and they will never perish---ever!  No one will snatch them out of My hand. (John 10:27-28)"  ~ Robert J. Morgan, 100 Bible Verses Everyone Should Know by Heart, [Holman Christian Standard Version of the Bible]

This is good for me to ponder on tonight, knowing that no matter the enemy, my Shepherd is fighting for me and preparing a table for me in their presence.  While the enemy may think they have us, my Shepherd is saying, "not so fast --- this one is Mine."  The table is being spread for the victory feast...the victory that comes after the struggle.  

After the struggle, the feast is the sweetest, the anointing the most meaningful, and the blessing most appreciated....then, in recognition of our Shepherd's provision, we can most sincerely say, "My cup runneth over."

OK - I can't honestly say what day, or what week we're in, but I know where I am!

Excuse me, again, for taking a "time out" from blogging.  It is hard to write about what I have been going through.  I think when I last wrote on Psalm 23:4, "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil", I was stopped.  For I knew that's exactly where I was.  I have been in the dark valley of fear and doubt, the valley where Satan loves to try to convince us that we are alone.  But through the use of Scripture, prayer and battling in my mind as to what I know to be true, even when my feelings told me otherwise, I am coming through this valley, and I am coming through knowing that my God has walked beside me every step, every moment.  I am walking up out of the valley, feeling God's right hand grasping mine, pulling me up to the next step.  I'm becoming excited about what God is getting ready to show to me, asking Him to not let me stay where I have been, or even where I was before, to pull me up to a new place, a new vista, to see things that He is now ready to share with me that I was not ready for before.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for Thou art with me, Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me.

When you are gripped by fear, remember that you are not alone.  Remember the true words of our Father...go back and see His words of love throughout the Bible.  Read how many times He was ready to forgive...Abraham, Jacob, David, and so many subsequent kings of Israel & Judah, kings who did evil in His sight, but turned and repented and were forgiven, because of His mercy and love.  Read of Jesus' compassion for all people and know that, through the blood of Jesus, you are His beloved.

We are living in exciting, but yet troubling times.  Our world is facing unusual threats from multiple fronts---conflict, the economy, weather phenomena, and now asteroids!  It is time to get serious about our faith!  If you have thought before, "some day I will dig in and give all my life to Christ", I would urge you to make today that day.  Our world needs committed Christians, looking to God for every decision; allowing Him to lead us and to keep us from evil.  We need to ask for stronger faiths, for more resilience to temptation, for wholehearted devotion to His purpose, and for the ability to see where He is asking us to serve.  I am asking for those things.  Pray with me - turn with me - repent with me - and serve Him with me.  

Day 2 - Week 89 - Psalm 23:4 "Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for Thou art with me, thy rod and thy staff they comfort me."

"With this verse we've reached the halfway point in Psalm 23, a comforting thought.  It means the valley doesn't last forever.  In the next verses we'll discover highland tables, overflowing cups, unfailing goodness and mercy, and an eternal home."  ~ Robert J. Morgan, 100 Bible Verses Everyone Should Know by Heart

When we are in the middle of the valley of the shadow of death, it is sometimes hard to see that there is anything but a continuous journey of darkness laid out ahead of us.  But the Psalmist reminds us through the rest of the chapter that beyond the dark valley there are places of blessing still to be reached.

Robert J. Morgan also writes, "God leads us in the right paths, even when our circumstances appear dark and difficult.  Sometimes our route threads through dark valleys as we face stress and strain, grief and sadness.  During such times we 'fear no danger, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff---they comfort me.'"

The Shepherd is always leading His sheep---in the green pastures, by the still waters, and in the dark valleys.   The sheep follow their Shepherd, they hear His voice, and they follow.  And when they are afraid of the dark, He comforts them with a prod of His rod, a nudge of His staff, reminding them that they are cared for, and that they are never alone.

 

Day 1 - Week 89 - Psalm 23:4 "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for Thou art with me, thy rod and thy staff they comfort me."

Are there any more beautiful words to hear when you are in a place of darkness, a place of dread, a place of despair?

No matter how strong our faith, this life still brings with it places that are literally in the valley of the shadow of death.  And they are scary places.  But it is in these places that God wants us to remember that we do not have to be afraid...even when the place is frightening in and of itself.  When we remember that He is with us, that He has promised to never leave us nor forsake us, then our fears can start to subside, our hearts begin to beat a little slower, and we can begin to breathe normally.  We feel the comfort of His rod and His staff, keeping us on His path of safety.  There is such comfort in knowing that we are being guided along the way, especially when that way is swallowed up in darkness.

Sometimes, I have found, you just have to give up making sense out of the darkness, and just trust Him to walk you through it.  I have tried to worry my way out of it, but that is when I feel it's sense of terror and foreboding, and that is when the darkness starts to feel impenetrable.  But when I call upon the Name of the Lord, He hears me, and He comes to me without fail, to guide me through the darkness into His light that is always ahead. 

I want this to be a note of encouragement, even though it could sound discouraging.  In this life, I believe that we will all travel through our own valley of the shadow of death.  No one looks forward to that journey.  But as dark as it is, there is also a blessing when you travel through it.  The blessing of knowing that there is no where where God is not also there...that He is faithful, that He is always by our side. 

The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.  He maketh me lie down in green pastures, He leadeth me beside the still waters.  He restoreth my soul; He leadeth me along 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 Thou art with me, thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

Day 3 - Week 88 - Psalm 23:3 "He restoreth my soul; He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake."

Sometimes you read something that is just stated so perfectly, you know you just have to share it...here is such a reading from Charles Spurgeon's,  The Treasury of David.  I hope it speaks to you as well:
(Emphasis added)

He restoreth my soul. When the soul grows sorrowful he revives it; when it is sinful he sanctifies it; when it is weak he strengthens it. "He" does it. His ministers could not do it if he did not. His Word would not avail by itself. "He restoreth my soul." Are any of us low in grace? Do we feel that our spirituality is at its lowest ebb? He who turns the ebb into the flood can soon restore our soul. Pray to him, then, for the blessing -- "Restore thou me, thou Shepherd of my soul!"

He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. The Christian delights to be obedient, but it is the obedience of love, to which he is constrained by the example of his Master. "He leadeth me." The Christian is not obedient to some commandments and neglectful of others; he does not pick and choose, but yields to all. Observe, that the plural is used -- "the paths of righteousness." Whatever God may give us to do we would do it, led by his love. Some Christians overlook the blessing of sanctification, and yet to a thoroughly renewed heart this is one of the sweetest gifts of the covenant. If we could be saved from wrath, and yet remain unregenerate, impenitent sinners, we should not be saved as we desire, for we mainly and chiefly pant to be saved from sin and led in the way of holiness. All this is done out of pure free grace; "for his name's sake." It is to the honour of our great Shepherd that we should be a holy people, walking in the narrow way of righteousness. If we be so led and guided we must not fail to adore our heavenly Shepherd's care.

Day 2 - Week 88 - Psalm 23:3 "He restoreth my soul; he leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake."

Our Shepherd...what do we know of Him so far? 

• He fulfills all our needs
• He brings us to places of comfort
• He restores our souls

And now we are told that He leads us in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake.  Up to this statement, our Shepherd's actions on our behalf have been easy to understand.  But what does this statement mean to you?

When I ponder on these words, it makes me so thankful for my Good Shepherd and His good leading.  My Shepherd will lead me in paths that are pleasing to Him...paths of good works, paths of showing love and compassion to others, paths of selflessness, paths of worship and praise to Him, paths of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  These are the paths where He leads me.  If I find myself on any path of opposite characteristics, I can be assured that I did not get there by His guidance, but by way of my leaving His leading.

And when I walk along paths of righteousness, He will receive all the glory, for I have no credit for being there...it has always been because of Him.  HE is the reason for any good in my life, for He has led me there. 

He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake.

 

Day 1 - Week 88 - Psalm 23:3

Here we are - another week - Week 88 in fact!

Before going any further, we must review.  I'm afraid I haven't reviewed for a few weeks, so we probably really need it!

Faith: Trusting God and Resting in His Word (12)
Ephesians 2:8 "For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God's gift."
Ephesians 2:9 "Not by works, so that no one can boast."
Ephesians 2:10 "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."
Galatians 2:20 "I have been crucified with Christ; and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."
Colossians 3:15 "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful."
Colossians 3:16 "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns
and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God."
Colossians 3:17 "And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."
Romans 1:16 "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is God's power for salvation to everyone who believe, to the Jew first and also to the Greek."
Romans 1:17 "For in it God's righteousness is revealed from faith to faith, just as it is written: The righteous will live by faith."
Psalm 56:3 "When I am afraid, I will trust in You."
2 Chronicles 16:9 "The eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him."
Hebrews 11:6 "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him."

The Great Commission (4)
Matthew 28:18 "Then Jesus came near and said to them, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth."
Matthew 28:19 "Go, therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."
Matthew 28:20 "Teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

Psalm 23
Psalm 23:1  "The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want."
Psalm 23:2  "He maketh me lie down in green pastures, He leadeth me beside the still waters."

Can you say the next verse?  It maybe my favorite verse of the chapter.

"He restoreth my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His Name's sake."

I don't know about you, but I need to know that my Shepherd can restore my soul, for there have been times when I have need of soul restoration.  The Hebrew word used in our verse is "shuwb" and it means "to bring back, refresh, restore."  My Shepherd knows me, and knows my soul, and truly knows what my soul needs.  And when it needs restoring, He is the One, and the only One, that is able to do just that.

He brings me back, He refreshes my inner being and He restores my soul to the sense of peace that only His presence brings.  Apart from my Shepherd, I am lost and troubled.  But in His care, I am truly restored and absolutely at peace.

He restoreth my soul.