The Lord is My Shepherd

I love Bible Gateway for quick scripture references when I’m writing. Under the scripture I’ve looked up are the footnotes, and a couple stood out for me in this passage:

~ beside still waters or beside waters of rest
~ in paths of righteousness or in right paths
~ the valley of the shadow of death or the valley of deep darkness
~ goodness and mercy or steadfast love

We are still walking through some valleys, and I need to ‘lie down in green pastures and walk beside waters of rest’. I need to remember His goodness and mercy, His steadfast love.

Why is it we forget our need for daily filling of His life giving water? And when shadows and darkness crawl across the landscape, I lift my eyes crying for help.

How much stronger would I be if I prayed for His purpose instead of my own? Do I give as much as I take in my relationship with my beloved Jesus? If I take an honest look, I’m undoubtedly so much more a taker than a giver. It smarts when I look close at my walk with the Lord.

How about you? Are you walking through a valley? If you are, I want to encourage you to rest in Him. Seek Him out, and let Him fill you. Let Him sustain you, and give you strength.

How about those of you who are on the mountaintop? I encourage you to be fervent in your pursuit of Him. What can you give Him?

Let us not get into a habit of always requesting, and never giving Him our praise, our service, our wholehearted love and devotion. Let us not grow weary in our journey.

One last thing, I read an interesting post today which prompted some of these thoughts: Why I Don’t Pray by Michael K. Reynolds. Is it any wonder I clicked over to read a blog post with this title? I think you will enjoy it as much as I did.