“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.”
Often times we hear Psalm 23 at a funeral. It makes this psalm really depressing. This writing is an encouragement to endure the trials of life. Let’s dig into some of this. I’m not going verse by verse, but just some key points that are sticking out to me that I think will bless you.
“The LORD is…”
I know that’s not the whole verse or even the whole line. It’s a part of a statement that is still powerful. God told Moses, “I AM THAT I AM. Tell the children of Israel I AM has sent me to you.” (Exodus 3:13-14 NLT https://www.bible.com/116/exo.3.13-14.nlt) God is all that we need Him to be when and wherever we need Him to be it. He is our shepherd. He covers and protects us. We are His sheep and the voice of truth we hear in our souls is His. His sheep know His voice.
“He restores my soul…”
I always say that we as people are batteries. We do not have infinite strength. We can go and go and the trials life take their hits on us. The job, family, friends, church and just circumstances due to being alive come up. It all takes its toll on us and drains us. We’re like our cell phones. We have all of these capabilities, but constant use drains the power that is in them. Fittingly, God is the plug. We get connected to Him to gain strength so we can be used for God’s glory.
“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me.”
As I said before, the circumstances of life can drain us. At times everything can seem dark. Some may ask in these dark times, “Where is God?” He is right there with you. He’s closer than your next breath. God knows and He cares about what you are going through. Plug into Him and find strength and comfort.
“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life”
Chase after God and while you’re chasing there’s a couple of jokers behind you chasing you. They’re not looking to harm you. It’s goodness and mercy sent from God on your tail. God is leading the way and covering your back all at the same time. Remember His Holy Spirit lives in you and is with you every step of the way.
Keep in mind this week as we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ that He literally walked in the valley of the shadow of death and took our sins for us. In the darkest hour God the father raised Him from the dead for us. Now that same Spirit with the power to raise Jesus from the dead now lives in us and we overcome by the blood of the lamb.
That leads us to our Throwback Theology Song of the Week. This is from rapper D Class and his 2006 release “the Book of Daniel”. The featured track is called “God Is Wit Me”. Tune into the Trackstarz show this week to hear DJ Jeremaya spin this for the Throwback Theology Song of the Day. Until next time…
Peace and blessings,
Damo
https://open.spotify.com/track/4bfop6jQnZAn53j98zNNca?si=dFcV57WUTbiuX1A1e7bF9A
