23rd Psalm
“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside still waters..."
(Psalms
23:1-2)
In
the 40's and 50's, public school in Massachusetts always started with the 23rd
Psalm, the Lord's prayer and the salute to the Flag. Wow, by today's standards,
that is powerful stuff. Let us take a look at this and see if we can apply it
to our lives today.
The first two lines above, lead us to tranquility. Faith
will take care of our wants and lead us to that inner peace we desire and lead
us to the restful place beside still waters.
"He refreshes and restores my life;
He leads in the paths of righteousness for His name
sake"
(Psalm23:3)
There are always periods when
things in our lives need rebuilding. There are temptations to take the easy
way. These verses point out that the way to get out of the "dumps" is
to follow Him.
"Yes, 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 to comfort me."
(Psalm 23:4)
In the biblical context, the rod is an instrument used
for guiding, rescuing and protecting (sheep) and the staff is an
instrument of support. The Psalm points out that the Lord is with us and will
guide and support us throughout our lives.
As
Christians we are given wonderful tools to work with in our daily lives. The
more we let God lead us, the more we will be at peace.
Thought for Today: Let us reflect on this New Year and all of our goals and resolutions.
Read the 23rd Psalm and accept the help that God has available to us. It will be
a big help in locating those still waters we all seek.
Prayer for Today: Heavenly Father, many times stress builds up in our lives. It is a combination
of hurts, anger and resentments kept hidden inside of ourselves. I pray that when
this occurs, I find a way to let you help and can accept the guidance,
protection and support promised through our Christian faith.
Amen
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