THE 23 PSALM
- The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
- He makes me to lie down in green pastures: he leads me beside quiet waters,
- He restoreth my soul: he leadeth 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 thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
- Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies. thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
- Surely your goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing – If I trust God, I have the peace of knowing that God watches over me like a shepherd watching over his sheep. Keeping me from harm, keeping me from danger, and kindly healing my pain and hurt. I trust God as my shepherd and is a part of his mission in the world and it is Him who leads me in the right path, and He will give me all that I need. We work to honor Him, and not for our own glory.
He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters – My shepherd leads me to water “his fresh anointing every morning” good grazing of “his Holy Word is daily in my mouth” and my path through the wilderness is “his Holy Spirit leads me each day in the right path”. Jewels of Nuggets: He leads me to a quiet place each morning in him, just he and I. In early days shepherd wards off predators with sticks and staff and comfort the sheep with their words and presence. This is what our shepherd does for us daily, by His presence and the spoken Word, in Jesus Christ the Messiah, and by the power of the Holy Spirit.
He refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. My shepherd refreshes my soul on the breaking of day and is like a fresh blow of air in my soul early in the morning like dew is on a leaf. He fills my soul with joy, peace, love, and boldness for the day and he walks beside me guiding me all day, keeping me on the right path for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. – While we seek to honor God in our work, this does not mean the road will be easy. We sometimes may find ourselves in the “darkest valley”. But God promises to be near us in all circumstances, “I will fear no evil”. Just like a shepherd has a rod and staff, God also has His means to bring goodwill to us in our life, and His working in our lives is not hypothetical, but God’s work is tangible and real. God has every means to bring us into safety from the trials of the world. The Messiah, Jesus Christ completed the mission that was set before Him, and by the Holy scriptures as you believe by faith, and the working of grace and mercy in the power of the Holy Spirit. God is able to take care of you in this hostile world.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies, thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. – “In the presence of my enemies”, God will make a way. He will prepare a blessing, a table of blessing right before my eyes and the eyes of my enemies looking on, he will bless you with that thing you been praying for in secret, but He will bless you openly right before the world. When things in our life are going good with no storms, we seem to forget about the enemy of our life who is always just a season away. But if there is the absence of storms in our lives, God is in the mist ready to see us through the challenges and adversities of life whenever a storm arises to conquer our soul. Our head is anointed with the oil of the Holy Spirit as we walk in the “Will” of God until our cup overflows with the blessing from our Heavenly Father, overflowing in our lives so we can be an overflow in the world.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. – The destination of our journey is God. “I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever”. So as I travel through the journey of life your goodness and mercy shall follow my every step, my Lord. As I proceed in life so shall you be with me. Just as you were water for the Israelites in the wilderness, you are my water in the time of thirst, for as you commanded Moses to deliver “My people out of Egypt” you will also lead me through my wilderness by your goodness and mercy and deliver me also, for Jesus hung on the cross once and that was enough. You delivered the Israelites out of Egypt by the smitten rod of Moses who lifted up the rod and lead them through the Red Sea and into the wilderness to enter into their promised land, you did not leave Moses and the Israelites and you will not leave us. You, Lord, will never leave me wanting for your grace and mercy, or a lack in miracles to follow me in life, and “I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. For I can see within my heart that I will never leave the house of the Lord, for I shall return to the house of the Lord. I was once out of the house of the Lord, separated from my God, but not anymore, “I shall return to the house of the Lord” forever. During the rest of my life, I shall not be separated from God’s house nor from God’s ordinance; and his commands, and I shall at last dwell with him in glory. Jewels of Nuggets “So, therefore, I will serve the Lord the rest of my life” Just another Jewels of Nuggets for the Soul. Praise the Lord!!!
JEWELS FOR THE SOUL 