Category: Psalm

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside still waters, he restores my soul  (Psalm 23:3).

And there it is.

He restores our souls, Beloved.

This world will drain your soul. This world will break your soul, grind it to dust, mix it with your tears and drink it down in a shot glass.

But the One who loves you restores your soul. He takes it in his hands and gently puts the pieces back together. He breathes life into it and heals it.

He makes you whole.

Every day

Breathe deep, Beloved. Your Shepherd calls.

Happy Friday.

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside still waters…(Psalm 23:2).

Sometimes life is all storm

and rising flood

and raging river

and endless, driving rain that threatens to wash your very self away.

And God is there in the midst of it.

Sometimes the waters calm, and life is gentle brooks

and quiet mountain lakes

and little ponds tucked away in the woods

and soft, soothing waves sizzling against the sand of the shore.

And God is there, too.

I don’t know what today holds for you, Beloved. But whether the storms rage or the brooks whisper, I know that the One who loves you will be there.

And I think you know it, too.

Happy Thursday, Beloved.

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures…(Psalm 23:2).

Lie down

Rest

Now

The verb here is makes. God makes David rest. God knows that, left to his own devices, David will work himself to the bone, trying to do more and be more and make more and become more and–

and God says to rest.

When did you last rest, Beloved? When was the last time you set aside the backpack full of gottado’s and stretched out in the green pasture for a snooze?

You can take that metaphorically or literally–your choice.

Look, I know you have a lot on your plate, and sometimes it seems like you’ll never get through it, but your body and your mind and your spirit all need rest.

And God commands it, so there.

Pull up a patch of grass and have a seat.

Happy Wednesday, Beloved

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want  (Psalm 23:1).

I originally heard this Psalm in the King James, which read I shall not want.  

The difficulty with that is that I want.

A lot

Time and teachers and translation have taught me that it’s not want as in desire, but want as in lack. I gotta say, I like this better. Though my flesh will always want stuff, I will never need more than what my Lord provides.

The Lord is my shepherd; I am complete.

The Lord is my shepherd; what more could I ask for?

The Lord is my shepherd; everything else is gravy.

Of course, I really do like gravy.

Oy, ve

Happy Tuesday, Beloved

Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the Lord. They will proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn–for he has done it (Psalm 22:31).

That’s us.

We’re the  posterity that David wrote about as he looked into the future and saw God’s praise growing and spreading. We are those future generations. And we can look ahead in faith and see that God’s praise will never end. I see it in my children, and, if I squint, I can imagine it in theirs.

You and I are blips on the timeline, Beloved.

But we are glorious blips.

Happy Friday

All the rich of the earth will feast and worship; all who go down to the dust will kneel before him–those who cannot keep themselves alive (Psalm 22:29).

Let’s say you’re wealthy.

No, wait–let’s say that I’m wealthy.

Really very wealthy.

I will worship him.

As will all the rich

and all the poor

and all the beautiful

and all the frighteningly unattractive

and all the fit

and all the fluffy

and all the wise

and all the ditzy.

We will all worship.

Not because of who we are

but 

because of who he is.

So, since you will worship for all eternity, you might as well get started now, ya?

Happy Thursday, Beloved

All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him, for dominion belongs to the Lord and he rules over the nations (Psalm 22:27-28).

Every knee

Every tongue

Everywhere

And David gets to be part of that by praising God and sharing the story of his rescue.

And we get to be part of that by praising God and sharing the story of our rescue.

And the word will spread

And the praise will spread

Shall we join in, Beloved?

Happy Wednesday

…before those who fear you will I fulfill my vows. The poor will eat and be satisfied; they who seek the Lord will praise him–may your hearts live forever! (Psalm 22:25-26).

So, here’s the plan: David cries out to God in his distress. God hears David and rescues him. In gratitude, David presents an offering at the temple. This offering goes to feed the poor, who now see their prayers answered. They, in turn, offer their praise to God…

and so it goes.

What will you offer today, Beloved? And how will it bless the people of God, so that they glorify him with their praise?

You probably don’t have an ox, but I’m sure you can think of something.

Happy Tuesday, Beloved

From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly…  (Psalm 22:25)

We sing songs that he has put in our hearts.

We praise him with words that he has formed on out lips.

We remember his faithfulness with brains that he has made and proclaim it with tongues he has crafted.

It’s pretty much all him.

Always 

Praise our God today, Beloved.

It is, quite literally, what you were made to do.

Happy Monday