The Lord Is My Shepherd

Psalm 23 KJV; 20th Sunday after Pentecost: The Shepherd's Psalm a prayer of affirmation that the Good Shepherd is with us.

The Shepherd Is Near

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.

Amen!

The Shepherd's Psalm is a favorite among many. Over the years it has become a prayer of affirmation for me. Praying it daily I am reminded that I am living in the presence of God and that, for me, is most comforting and reassuring. The very thought of being in God's presence brings me peace.

"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want" because God is with me. "He maketh me to lie down in green pastures; he leadeth me beside the still waters." I know with this affirmation that He does it because He is present in my life. God does all of these things as affirmed in the Shepherd's Psalm because He is present in our lives. He is not a God far off. He is very near.  

We get to live in His presence today. We get to dwell in His presence, in His house, in His Kingdom for ever. Thanks be to God in Christ Jesus who gave His life that we might live in His presence now and forever!

God's Peace - Pr. Judy

He Holds The Children In His Hands

In you, O Lord, I take refuge;
    let me never be put to shame.

In your righteousness deliver me and rescue me;
    incline your ear to me and save me.
Be to me a rock of refuge,
    a strong fortress, to save me,
    for you are my rock and my fortress.

Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked,
    from the grasp of the unjust and cruel.
For you, O Lord, are my hope,
    my trust, O Lord, from my youth.
Upon you I have leaned from my birth;
    it was you who took me from my mother’s womb.
My praise is continually of you.

Psalm 71:1-6 NRSV

 

My birth family did not attend worship. I never attended Sunday School; but, thanks to some wonderful neighbor ladies I was able to go to Vacation Bible School. I was confirmed; but, that was because I wanted to affirm my baptism. I would find rides or walk the few miles to classes at the church. I attended services with my grandmother when I was very young and stayed with her quite a bit of the time. I remember some of those services being in the Finnish language, which I did not understand. But, in spite of a very minimal formal Christian education, I came to know and to trust God. He came to me when I was not able to go to Him.

 

Family life as I grew up was pretty chaotic and there were many times, as a young child, that I simply had no one to turn to. I feared for my safety and I often felt very alone. So, I turned to God for comfort and for safety and for love. There were many nights that I could not sleep because of trouble in the household. But, I must also  stress that in spite of the many times of trouble, there were also many good times. There are many children growing up today who do not have the benefit of those good times.  

 

But, where and to whom shall a child turn when they are afraid? One of the few songs that I knew from Vacation Bible School was "He's Got The Whole World In His Hands."  In order to rest without fear and to be able to fall asleep in peace, I would often envision myself laying in the comfort and safety of God's great hands. He came to me. He was and is my strong fortress to save me. He is my refuge and strength. He was and is with me always. He is with you always. 

 

There are children today who live in much greater fear than I did. My heart goes out to them and I pray that they will live and rest in the comfort and safety of God's hands.

 

God's Peace - Pr. J

Shout For Joy!

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth,  
burst into jubilant song with music;
make music to the Lord with the harp,
    with the harp and the sound of singing,
with trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn—
    shout for joy before the Lord, the King.

Psalm 98:4-6 NIV

We had a few visitors at Worship this Sunday. It was a joyful celebration which included an affirmation of her baptism by one of our beloved sisters in Christ. One of our visitors mentioned, with tongue in cheek, that we could not possibly be Lutherans. After all, Lutherans do not sway to the music nor do they tap their feet. And, yes, we were singing hymns from a Lutheran hymnal. Traditional hymns do not have to be somber all of the time. Traditional hymns can be joyfully played and sung.  After all, we do have much to celebrate!

When I think of joyful music, I usually think of David joyfully dancing through the streets as the people celebrated the return of the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem. David was definitely excited. We gather together each Sunday to worship and celebrate the awesome things that God has done for us. We who were not His people are now His beloved children.

By the blood of Christ shed on the cross for us, we have been reconciled to God our Father and our Lord, Jesus the Christ. Our sins are forgiven and we have been made whole in Christ. That's should be enough to make us want to sing joyfully and even tap our toes before the Lord!

Shout for joy before the Lord, our King!

God's Peace - Pr. J

Through The Valley Of The Shadow of Death

"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."

Psalm 23:4 NIV

My favorite Psalm, as it is for many, is Psalm 23. I pray it daily; sometimes a few times a day. There is so much chaos in the world that it can be most unsettling to wonder which path loved ones are following. Have they gotten themselves lost? Will they end up on the wrong path? Will they follow in the footsteps of Jesus into the Kingdom of God where they will know peace of heart and mind? Will they walk with God? One can never tell for sure.

The only sure thing I can do about these unsettling feelings is to pray this prayer of affirmation, trusting God to be with them and for them as He has promised even as He is with me. As I pray for my loved ones, I am sometimes reminded of Job who rose up early every morning to make offerings for every one of his children. Instead of burnt offerings, I lift up all whom I love to the Lord in prayer.

I do not fear for myself; for God is with me. But, I pray often that all whom I love will trust God to walk with them, guiding and comforting them.

May the Lord, the Good Shepherd, be with you always to guide you through the valley of the shadow of death.

God's Peace - Pr. J