The LORD is My Shepherd 4-19-26

Waking up this morning I am so peaceful! The song is Psalm 23’s refrain as I start thanking God and trying to wake the rest of the way up… but this time, there’s no urgency, no “I have to…”, just a peaceful drifting in and out of sleep as thoughts from yesterday return to mind.

Today is Sunday and the physical Prayer Dock at the Hanover Reservoir is reserved for the three-strand cord of God, Pastor Chris and Nicole. The rest of us are invited to create our own where we are this day of the week. Mine begins here in my room. I start to apologize for falling back to sleep, and instead of agreement that I need to get fully awake to begin our time together, the words of Psalm 23’s refrain starts: “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want, He leads me by still waters till my fears are gone…” I bring it up on YouTube but that’s too “busy” for right now. Right now is just for the two of us.

God I am so grateful that You are my Shepherd! There is no rush right now, only a calm assurance and reminder that You are caring for me, leading me beside still waters, leading me into cool green pastures (and I smile remembering the Three Billy Goats Gruff - I’ll have to blog that one later!) Green pastures…nourishing, nurturing, refreshing, rest.

I also remember that at some point yesterday, I was reading a part of The Passion Translation where it compared a few passages from one of the older translations to the TPT, and Psalm 23 was one of them. The difference on how this “lands” in my heart is profound. Deep heart Peace settling my heart instead of familial recognition stopping at my mind.

“Yahweh is my best friend and my shepherd…” with a footnote: The word most commonly used for shepherd is taken from the root word ra’ah, which is also the same word for ‘best friend’. This translation includes both meanings. The unique term for shepherd is ro’eh tzon - lover of the flock. This teaches us that a shepherd was not just a responsible overseer, but a caring father figure, tending to his flock our of a deep sense of love. Shepherds were also fierce protectors of their flocks. Jesus is the Fierce Protector of His people”. (and that’s just the first line!)

I keep reading on: “...I always have more than enough…” (another footnote: “Or ‘I lack nothing’. What a wonderful declaration over your life! To never be in lack, always possessing more than enough. Our God meets our emotional, physical, and spiritual needs.”

Breathing in and then slowly exhaling, I want to soak in this feeling of sheltered communion with Him!

“He offers a resting place for me in His luxurious love. His tracks take me to an oasis of peace near the quiet brook of bliss. (I don’t to look at the footnotes anymore, I want to soak Him in). That’s where He restores and revives my life. He opens before me the right path and leads me along in his footsteps of righteousness so that I can bring honor to His name. (the previous translations, 'for His name's sake' have a kind of disconnectedness... the words "so I can bring honor to His name" is more presonal, direct connection.) Even when Your path takes me though the valley of deepest darkness, fear will never conquer me, for You already have! (I LOVE that thought! It reminds me of a line in Song of Solomon that says “your love has captured my heart”!) Your authority is my strength and my peace. The comfort of your love takes away my fear. I’ll never be lonely, for You are near. You become my delicious feast even when my enemies dare to fight. You anoint (“my head with oil” comes to mind but that’s replaced with:) me with the fragrance of Your Holy Spirit; You give me all I can drink of You until my cup overflows, (multiple times this week ‘overflow’ has been the conversation  about “feeding” others from the overflow of our life and not the inside of our cup that God has with us!) So why should I fear the future? Only goodness and tender love pursue me all the days of my life. Then afterward, when my life is through, I’ll return to Your glorious presence to be forever with You!”

This morning’s rest is void of “have to”. It’s a peace-filled cuddling up with my Father, letting Him read to me with my eyes, how my “Abba, Daddy, Father, Shepherd, Fierce Defender, Provider, Comforter, Loving Master, watches carefully over me as we walk together side by side - not a distant “overlord” who is waiting to catch me doing something bad so he can wield some kind of disaster toward me. God, forgive me for falling for that blatant lie based on the attacks of the enemy and the consequences of my own poorly made choices earlier! These “still waters” You lead me to daily and the “exceeding revelations” (to use Paul’s words) that You continually shower on me (especially lately!) reveal a so-much-more than “different” You!

I was telling Nicole this past week that Max Lucado wrote a book on Psalm 23, explaining each one of the lines in the poem-song from the cultural and historical perspective so we can grasp the details and purpose of each line. I went back to “anointing my head with oil” and remember that the oil was poured on the heads of the sheep as a protecting repellant for the sheep from nose flies. (ugh!) If they’re not repelled, these flies lay their eggs in the sheep’s noses, which hatch into larvae and start crawling around, making the sheep crazy as they do strange things like slamming their heads into trees and into the ground to get away from the sensation of the crawling they can’t reach but can feel.

Addictions, attitudes, resentment turned into bitter unforgiveness, and other thoughts are that are not “repelled” before they “lay their eggs” can do the same to us! I am so grateful right now for re-reading this and this peace-filled Sunday early morning time of rest, communion with God… saying and seeing this word right now is an emotional, visual, and sensory invitation! Co - with, mm - a satisfied sound of contentment and enjoyment, union - togetherness, unity, with-ness… Thank You Lord for this re-minder!

My mind returns to the words I was mulling over before getting my laptop for this journal entry this morning. “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength…” I started to say “I do love You LORD”, and my thoughts went to Peter, post-denial. Instead of condemnation, Jesus says, “feed My sheep”. LORD, Abba, Shepherd of my soul… I love You. And my heart’s desire is to stay with You, abide in You and feed Your sheep out of the overflow of the cup You are continually filling with You! My mind’s desire is to take every thought captive immediately repelling anything that would distract me from this complete peace of mind and soul! You have led me beside the still waters and the refreshing You’ve wrapped me in WILL be shared with others today! Thank You for being my Shepherd… "I know by Your still waters I'm safe."