Storms Come

Still Waters

 

He Leads Me Beside Still Waters And Restores My Soul

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. (Psalm 23:1-3 KJV)

I have pointed out in many blogs that it is necessary for the followers of Jesus to gather together often to worship God. It is also necessary for his followers to spend time alone with him for our own well being for he is the shepherd that will lead us through this life. He is the only one who can restore our souls. 

Jesus, himself, spent time alone in the wilderness with our Father in heaven, communicating with Him; praying. 

According to the Gospel of Luke just prior to appointing the twelve to be Apostles Jesus spent the night alone in prayer. "And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God." (Luke 6:12)

Luke also tells us that after the multitudes had come to hear him and be healed by him Jesus separated himself from them and went into the wilderness to pray. (Luke 5:15-16)

On the night in which he was betrayed he separated himself from the disciples in the garden and went to pray alone.  (Luke 23:39-44)

Jesus spent time in the wilderness to be alone with his Father, our Father. It is good, even necessary, for us to spend time alone with the Good Shepherd to be in his presence; to be hear where he would have us go; what he would have us do; and to be refreshed; to have our souls restored.

Shut everything off and take a walk in green pastures or beside still waters. Get more closely acquainted with the Good Shepherd who lived and died and lives again for you.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

A Good Shepherd; A Great King

He Leadeth Me Beside Still Waters

Psalm 23 KJV

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still 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 mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

+++

What's so good about having a king that knows how to lead their flock? Everything! The ability to lead others even through the darkest shadows of the valley of death is a very important trait for someone who would be king, a president, or anyone who holds a public office. The ability to protect and comfort the people rather than instill further fear in them when times are troubling is an awesome trait for a ruler. 

David, the author of the Psalms, was a good shepherd and a great king. But, we have one who is even greater. Jesus is the King of Kings. He looks after us as only a good shepherd can. He will reign forever over us.

What's so good about a king who is also an experienced shepherd? Everything!

God's Peace - Pr. J

The Lord Looks Over You

I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.

My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.

He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber.

Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord is thy keeper: the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand.

The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.

The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul.

The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.

(Psalm 121 KJV)

Wherever I look out from my back deck, I see hills. I am surrounded by hills and forests. I am surrounded by God's creation. My home in a very real sense is a sanctuary; a safe place; a place of peace and a place of rest for me. I have always considered this home as a gift from God for in this quiet place I am able to recognize better than any where else that God is with me and He is for me. I know that He is with me always; but, here in this place I am able to sense His presence more deeply.

God is with you and He is for you, as well. He never slumbers or sleeps; but, always looks over you. Trust Him and live in peace. 

The Lord bless thee, and keep thee:

The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:

The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.

(Numbers 6:24-26)

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Good Shepherd Lead Me

He leadeth me beside the still waters.

 

Psalm 23 KJV

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still 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 mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

Tomorrow is the fourth Sunday of Easter and the psalm for the day is the Shepherd's Psalm. How many Christians have not heard this psalm? How many have not memorized it? It is a psalm of comfort and of promise. It is a reminder that God, our shepherd, is with us. He is with us and for us. He will guide and protect us. His goodness and mercy shall follow us all the days of our lives and we will dwell in his presence for all of eternity. 

May you always dwell in his peace.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Be Still And Know The Great "I Am"

The Lord of Hosts is with you!

"He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire.

Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah."

                       (Psalm 46:9-11 KJV)

In the midst of the darkest days and the most tumultuous nights; when we find ourselves restless; and wandering aimlessly; let us remember that the God of peace, the great "I AM" is with us. 

We can have peace of heart and mind in the knowledge that no matter what is going on around us the Lord of hosts is with us. Through every storm and battle, God has a plan. It is a plan for good. It is a plan for peace. Even while the battle yet rages, we can know the peace of heart and mind that surpasses all understanding. Be still in His presence; trusting that He will make the battle cease, break the bow, and shatter the spear. He is our refuge and strength!

When your heart and soul become restless; find stillness in the presence of the Lord and in the knowledge that the great "I AM" is God and He is with you and He is for you. 

God's Peace - Pr. J

He Leads Me

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures;
he leads me beside still waters;
he restores my soul.
He leads me in right paths
    for his name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
I fear no evil;
for you are with me;
    your rod and your staff—
  they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me
    in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
 my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
  all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
 my whole life long.

Psalm 23 NRSV

 

May your day be richly blessed with God's peace.  Pr. J

 

Listen To Instruction

Those who ignore instruction despise themselves,
   but those who heed admonition gain understanding.

The fear of the Lord is instruction in wisdom,
   and humility goes before honor..

                                              Prov 15:32-33 NRSV

There is no better instruction than to respect the Lord. Do not place yourself and anything else before Him. Listen closely to His Word so that you might gain understanding from the one who knows all and is all. Not listening to those who would share this wisdom will only bring us trouble.

No good will come from lifting ourselves up before Him. We must remember that He is the creator and we are the created. We are not greater than the creator. We are not greater than the redeemer.  

It is right to fear the Lord and to give Him all honor and glory. To love the Lord with all your heart is  wisdom worth listening to. There is nothing better; more pleasing than to be in a loving relationship with our creator; our redeemer; our counselor.

Humble yourself and listen to the Word. Listen to those who would help you on the Way. Do not despise them; but, listen. Listen and believe that you might gain understanding; that you might live life most fully in the presence of God.

God's Peace - Pr. J

The Way And Wisdom Of God

Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom for the future. The human mind may devise many plans, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will be established. (Prov 19:20-21 NRSV)

We like to plan for the future; for the afternoon; for tomorrow; for what we will do when we grow old. We like to plan according to our own desires. We can come up with many plans. Some will be brought to fruition. Many plans will never be achieved.

To achieve those things that we want there usually has to be a path for us to follow. How will we get there? What steps shall we take? 

It is not expedient for us to get side-tracked on various other things. We must focus on the ultimate goal if we're even going to begin heading in the direction that we want to go. It does not help us to ignore the advice of those who have taken that same path and reached the goal. It is fool-hardy to think that we know better than those who have already succeeded and that we have no need of taking their advice. We can throw their advice under the bus; but, that will not get us any where except run down. It is also not wise to follow in the same ways of others whose journeys ended with them sinking in deep mire.

Most of all, it is fool-hardy to think that we do not have to follow the wisdom of God; we do not have to follow the path he has set before us; because, in the end it will not be our will be done; but, His. The purpose of the Lord will be established no matter what plans that we might have.

May God help us to learn to be still and actually listen to Him so that we may follow in the way that He would have us go.

God's Peace - Pr. J

The Lord Is My Shepherd And King

What's so good about a shepherd king? What's so good about having a king that knows how to lead the flock? Everything! The ability to lead others even through the darkest shadows of the valley of death is a very important trait for someone who would be king or maybe president. The ability to protect and comfort them when times are troubling is an awesome trait for a ruler.

David was a good shepherd and a great king. But, we have one who is even greater. He is the King of Kings. He looks after us as only a good shepherd can. He will reign over us forever.

The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
He restores my soul;
He leads 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 You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

                                                                              Psalm 23

 

What's so good about a king who is also an experienced shepherd? Everything!

 

God's Peace - Pr. J

Afraid To Hear What The Lord Has To Say?

Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it." (Luke 9:23-24 NIV)

Are you one who prefers not to hear what the Lord has to say to you? Do you turn up the music and sleep with the television on rather than take the chance that God just might whisper in your ear and call you to follow Jesus?

I believe that it is the fear of hearing the truth that keeps many who claim to be Christians from gathering with brothers and sisters in Christ for worship weekly (or more often). They just may be afraid that in hearing His Word in the lessons or the preaching or even the hymns they may be called to step out beyond their own desires and follow Jesus.  

And... we all know where Jesus leads us. He leads us to the cross. He calls us to die to ourselves so that we might live in him and that he might live and reach out to others through us. There is a great possibility that if we take the time to listen to God rather than the world around us that we might just be asked to make a few changes in our lives and no one really wants to do that.

I know that I have quoted Annie Dillard from her book "Teaching a Stone to Talk" in at least a few of sermons. Well, here it is again. And, yes, maybe we should know that in hearing His Word, God will call us to a place beyond ourselves and when He does we will not be able to return to our old way of living. Yes; indeed, it takes a bit of courage to hear God's Word and actually listen to him.

"It is madness to wear straw hats to church; we should all be wearing crash helmets. Ushers should issue life preservers and signal flares; they should lash us to our pews. For the sleeping God may wake someday and take offense, or the waking God may draw us out to where we can never return." (Annie Dillard)

May God grant us the courage to listen to Him and then to follow in the footsteps of Jesus.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Shepherd's Psalm

Psalm 23 NIV

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
     He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
     he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
    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.

You prepare a table before me
    in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
    my cup overflows.
Surely your goodness and love will follow me
    all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
    forever.

As the storms brew; whether they are hurricanes or threats of nuclear missiles or something more closely related to your personal life may we all find peace in the knowledge that God loves us and that all who trust in Him will dwell in His house forever.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Still Waters

Video: Kayaking on a peaceful day in Huron Bay on Lake Superior

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still 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 mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil;

my cup runneth over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

Psalm 23 KJV

It is no secret that I love the water. I enjoy being beside still waters and even on them. I even enjoy the storms because for me they are reminder that God is with me. I have no need to fear for nothing can happen without the Lord knowing what is going on. He is with me always.

The water reminds me that I have been washed in the waters of baptism. The storms remind me that I have been baptized by the Spirit and I am reassured that by the goodness and mercy of God I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever. Even this day, I abide in His Kingdom for He is with me.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Peace And Joy Beside Still Waters

Baby and Adult Manatee, Bulow Creek, FL

"He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul..." (Psalm 23:2b-3a NKJV)

God has once again blessed me with a home where I can sit beside still waters and know a semblance of peace. In the midst of a small village with homes all around, I can sit on the dock in the backyard and watch wildlife. That is an activity that brings me both peace and joy.

And, what joy it can bring. I spent most of last evening, until it became too dark to see, sitting on that dock watching manatee swimming about in the canal. These huge sea creatures are so gentle and trusting. As I stood at the edge of the dock one of the adults and the baby came up to me repeatedly lifting their heads out of the water to both breathe and take a look at me. They move slowly and gracefully through the water as though they do not have a care in the world.

I noticed even the young alligator who normally come out to take a look at me stayed far away from them. There is only one real predator of the manatee and that is humankind. No, they are not hunted here in the U.S.. But, our boat propellers, discarded and tangled fishing lines, and other human sources are the main cause of death outside of natural death due to aging. The large manatee that greeted me last night is quite scarred up from boat propellers. It appears she has run been run over by more than one boat. 

In spite of the fact that humankind is the only real danger to them, it does not stop them from investigating us close up. They are not afraid. They appear to live in peace. I thank God for the reminder of peace and the joy that they bring to this sometimes fretful heart.

May God help you to find still waters.

God's Peace - Pr. J

He Is God And We Are Not

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
    I will be exalted among the nations,
    I will be exalted in the earth.”

The Lord Almighty is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our fortress.

                                           Psalm 46:10-11

We can run around trying to fix things all we want; but, we need to understand that we may just be spinning our wheels. Things don't always have to go our way. It is more important that they are done according to the will of God; after all, He is God and we are not.

It is best to try to avoid trouble by seeking the will of God and doing as He would direct you. When trouble does come sometimes we have to consider if maybe we've been going in the wrong direction and need to change our course. But, sometimes, the best and only thing to do is to just be still and trust the Lord. After all, He is God and we are not.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Experience Peaceful Waters

"He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters." Psalm 23:2

Some of us really enjoy green pastures and still waters. It is a place where we can experience God's presence and His peace more fully. Others do not do not appreciate it so much. Others prefer the chaos so often found in the world.

Like a descended, the things of this world often attempt to descend upon the glory of God's Kingdom so that we cannot see or experience clearly the gift of peace that comes with following Jesus. But, God is always there for us; to lead us out of the fog and into His glorious light.

May God grant that the fog be lifted for all who would believe that we might live in His peace.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Beside Still Waters

He makes me to lie down in green pastures;He leads me beside the still waters.

Psalm 23:2

He leads me beside still waters and not just figuratively. I have been blessed once again to live by still waters. The photo above was taken by my granddaughter in my new backyard. My last back yard was the mouth of a river. This one is a creek. I have been told that every now and then in the winter, I might see a manatee in this creek. I don't know how true that is; but, looking forward to seeing one, again. A few decades ago, I had the privilege of swimming with them. That, I understand is no longer allowed as they are awesome creatures and must be protected.

I have been most fortunate to live most of my life with a creek or river or even a Great Lake or ocean within at least walking distance of my home. I remember catching minnows for fishing in the creek near my grandmother's home when I was very young.

The waters reassure me of God's many promises to us. They are a reminder that through the waters of baptism our sins are washed away and we are born again. They are also a great reminder that there are some things that human beings cannot control as every now and then God will stir up even the stillest of waters. But, most of all the still waters remind of the peace that can be found only in Jesus Christ. No matter what storms might come; the water reminds me of God's peace.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Be Still

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
    I will be exalted among the nations,
    I will be exalted in the earth.”

Psalm 46:10

I prefer early mornings to mid-day. If I wake early enough, everything is mostly quiet around me. It is much easier to be still in the presence of God when there is not too much activity around.

In the wee hours of the morning, I can talk to God uninterrupted. It is also quiet enough to listen to the God who can bring the storms as well as still them. In the stillness of dawn, when everyone else is still sleeping, we can be assured that we are not alone. God is with us. He is our fortress.

Be still and know that the great "I Am" is with you.

God's Peace - Pr. J