Psalm 23

[Carbon]

Psalm 23 is an encouragement to me and I thought I would share some thoughts on it. I put this together on March 10, 2010.

Psalm 23:
The LORD is my shepherd,
I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside quiet waters.
He restores my soul;
He guides me in the paths of righteousness
For His name's sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I 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 have anointed my head with oil;
My cup overflows.
Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life,
And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
.................................................. .................................................. ..
The LORD is my shepherd,
I shall not want.
Considering, Christ, our Shepherd, who's knowledge, wisdom and care are infinite.
What more could a Christian possibly want, when all the fullness of God is open for our supply! God, who is all and gives His people all, is His peoples (our) Shepherd.

He makes me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside quiet waters.
He makes us to rest, and feed in the pastures of His ordinances and promises. And leads us, for our refreshment to the "still waters" of His gospel truth, gracious influence, redeeming blood and everlasting love.

He restores my soul;
He guides me in the path of righteousness
For His name's sake.
When I stray, which I am prone to do, He brings me back in the ways of righteousness. He brings me back and sheds His light on those straight, plain and righteous paths, home, where I belong. Did you ever have that homesick feeling in your hearts? I know I have. He restores our souls when we are under disease and decay, and moved by His own sovereign grace, leads us back to Jesus and His word, as our way.
Why does Christ do this? For His names sake. Without any regard to my merits, or to my faults and unworthiness, but, to make use of, His goodness, and to fulfill the truth of His promises. He is faithful indeed!

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I fear no evil, for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
Though there is much trouble, temptations and a present danger today in our world, I know, and at times, am very confident that, all things are in God's hands and under His control. His providence (Thy Rod), the Spirit (Thy Staff), is my eternal guide, here in this life. So really, what is there to fear?


You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You have anointed my head with oil;
My cup overflows.
God's mercy and goodness, in streams of spiritual and temporal blessings are inseparable to us, Christians. Even in this temporal place, earth.

Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life,
And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
This goodness is the effects of our Fathers, Fatherly grace. And are never separated from His children, us Christians. During our time in this world, and the everlasting kingdom which is to come.

 

[Sereni-tea]

When I was younger, this psalm rarely moved me. I felt it was too 'over quoted'. Now I am older and have been through many of life's ups and downs, I find the psalm speaks to me in a much deeper way. It now brings much comfort to me and I treasure it. There is nothing that brings such joy and peace than knowing that our gracious God will care and protect each one of us, leading us in His ways and pouring out His blessings on us.

 

[civic]

When I was younger, this psalm rarely moved me. I felt it was too 'over quoted'. Now I am older and have been through many of life's ups and downs, I find the psalm speaks to me in a much deeper way. It now brings much comfort to me and I treasure it. There is nothing that brings such joy and peace than knowing that our gracious God will care and protect each one of us, leading us in His ways and pouring out His blessings on us.

Agreed the older I get in my walk with the Lord the more I relate to and understand this Psalm.

 

[KatarinaVonBora]

 

[Carbon]

What an awesome video!

 

[Marilyn C]

Out of the mouth of babes.

 

[Sparrow]

When I was younger, this psalm rarely moved me. I felt it was too 'over quoted'. Now I am older and have been through many of life's ups and downs, I find the psalm speaks to me in a much deeper way. It now brings much comfort to me and I treasure it. There is nothing that brings such joy and peace than knowing that our gracious God will care and protect each one of us, leading us in His ways and pouring out His blessings on us.

Hi @Sereni-tea you echo my thoughts here. We’ve sung this psalm countless times in worship services; we’ve heard it read at more funerals than we care to number. We know the words by heart. But once the words are in our heart, they tell us so much of what we need to know to navigate through our many years, if we’re blessed enough to live a long time. One of my favorite lines from this psalm is “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.” As this world becomes increasingly corrupt, what a true feast it is to be familiar with the Word and the comfort it provides, no matter the circumstance.

 

[KatarinaVonBora]

Hi @Sereni-tea you echo my thoughts here. We’ve sung this psalm countless times in worship services; we’ve heard it read at more funerals than we care to number. We know the words by heart. But once the words are in our heart, they tell us so much of what we need to know to navigate through our many years, if we’re blessed enough to live a long time. One of my favorite lines from this psalm is “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.” As this world becomes increasingly corrupt, what a true feast it is to be familiar with the Word and the comfort it provides, no matter the circumstance.

Beautifully expressed and written