we have been s.l.o.w.l.y. been memorizing the psalms with our boys. we just finished learning psalm 23. my 2 year old is adorable trying to say psalm "tweney-free," (and he knows almost every word), but that is a whole different story for a different time. right now, i am thinking about how thankful i am that He is my shepherd.
while teaching them the different words of the psalm, certain parts of it jumped out at me like i was hearing them for the first time.
for one, it really hit me that "He restores my soul." my soul needs to be encouraged and restored so often, and i can really say that He is faithful to do just that. i have been praying lately, "Lord, i need you to restore my soul right now because i am having a really hard time and my emotions feel out of control." it is so comforting to know that He will do just that because that is one of the ways He leads me as a Good Shepherd.
the other part that really got me was that He never promised that we wouldn't have to walk through the valley of the shadow of death. i have heard many preachers say that it is only a shadow, somehow meaning that we won't really have to deal with the death part. but that isn't quite the way it is, at least in my experience. i have had to walk through a lot of the death part and it is painful and sometimes confusing. but i have this beautiful promise that really does comfort me: i don't have to fear any evil because He really is with me. through the hardest darkest times, He is with me. He never leaves me. He never forsakes me. He is a Good Shepherd and He cares for me so much that He won't leave me to go through it alone.
it may a really intense journey at times for all of us, but He will never let us be consumed. He is good like that - when we can't seem to carry on ourselves, He carries us. i really believe it.
this song by amanda cook is super encouraging. if you can, take a couple minutes to listen to it and let me know what you think. i was there right there on the far right side in the crowd when it was recorded and tears were streaming down my face. it was exactly the reminder that i needed to hear.keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." hebrews 13:5
charis
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