Psalm 23.
I’m sure that this is a Psalm that most of you have memorized. One of the Bible passages that has been brought up and recited many times in the course of your life.
I had to memorize this passage for school, back in elementary school. Ever since, it’s had a place in my heart. It has come to my mind at just the right times, reminding me of God’s presence in my life.
Having said that, the past couple weeks God has placed this Psalm in front of me multiple times, having me reflect on it in a whole new way. Various sections of the passage have frequently been on my mind. Also, as a parting gift, a lady at a church that I babysit for gave me a book that goes through the Psalm, reflecting on the message. And then today, our chapel message at school was on Psalm 23.
So, I really feel that God is placing this on my heart. My goal is to process some of what I’ve learned so far, which will hopefully encourage you as well as provide a reminder for me on the race.
I’m not going to lie, it’s been tough the last couple months. It’s my final semester of school. I’ve been trying to balance school, work, exercise, a personal training course, World Race preparations, friends, summer/post-world race plans, and time with God. I feel like I haven’t been excelling at anything and have let some things (like time with God) slide. I feel like I’ve been caught in rut: comparing my self to others, being jealous of where others are at, etc. And rather than running to God, I’ve almost been running the other way.. into the chaos and distraction that is my life right now.
So, I need the promise of Psalm 23 right now. And God knows that! Look at this message!
Psalm 23 (NLT)
A Psalm of David.
The lord is my shepherd, I have all that I need.
He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams.
He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name.
Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.
You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings.
Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the lord forever.
I’m going to go through verse by verse and just write out my thoughts and process the messages I’ve heard the past couple days.
The lord is my shepherd, I have all that I need.
God is there. He is MY shepherd. He is watching over me and cares about my well-being. He provides for me. I have all that I need because of Him. I don’t have to worry, He is there.
He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams.
He lets me. He doesn’t force me. He provides the safety and stability that I need to be able to lie down and rest. He is my peace. If I follow Him, there is peace and rest.
He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name.
I’m worn out because I’ve been trying to do it all on my own. God is the source of my strength. I need to go to Him when I am tired and worn. God guides me along the right paths. If I’m listening for His voice I’m going the right way.
Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.
This passage has always been the one that’s come to mind most often. However, today in chapel the speaker said something that I had not paid much attention to before. Even when. Everything above is even when I walk through the darkest valley. Even in the midst of all this chaos, God is my shepherd, He is all that I need, He is my peace, He is my strength. AND, I will not be afraid, because He is right there. He will protect and comfort me. Even in the hardest and most difficult times. How cool is that?!
You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings.
This verse reminds me how blessed I am – how blessed we all are. Even in the presence of enemies, God is there with us.
Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the lord forever.
Today, the speaker in chapel called to attention the word pursue. In the version of this Psalm that I had memorized, that was translated as “follow me”. But today, he pointed out the significance of pursue. Goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life!! Even if I’m running the other way, even if I’m not putting all my trust in God, He is still pursuing me with His goodness and unfailing love. Wow.
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The timing of this message in my life is so perfect. It’s really encouraging to see the faithful hand of God at work in my life right now, even when I’m clearly not faithful to God in my dependence on Him in stressful times.
I hope that this message has also touched some of you. I’m sure that I will be reading over this blog many times in the coming months.
I’d appreciate any prayers that I’m able to shift my focus back to God and His promises and trust that everything else will fall into place.
