We once again explore the twenty third Psalm for this Name of God. This Psalm was written by King David, who "was a man after God's own heart". He was far from perfect. Do you know the Psalm? "The Lord is my Shepherd". The Lord is present continually taking care of my needs. We have been reviewing the Book of Revelation, which reveals much activity in Heaven in relation to scenes on Earth, but my Shepherd takes care of the individual. He saved your soul and He is certainly able to take care of your daily needs.
"I shall not want." Ezekiel 34: 2-4 lists the job requirement for what God expects of a shepherd: feed the flock, strengthen the weak, heal the sick, bind up the broken, bring back the strays, and seek the lost. Here I must confess that I have prayed, fasted, and anointed but I have never seen my healing prayers answered in real time. I do know He is able, so I continue to pray for others to be healed, believing it will happen. Now, the above job requirement does not include tending to wolves or goats, just sheep.
We have covered about how dumb sheep are, but the first step in allowing God to be your shepherd is to admit you are a sheep. Sheep are not only dumb but also defenseless, dirty, and dependent. They have to have someone tending to them constantly. They cannot find sufficient food, they cannot clean themselves, and they cannot defend themselves. See also
'https://omaswisdom.blogspot.com/2018/01/psalm-23.html'
"He makes me to lie down in green pastures." We are not invited to lie down, to rest. God wants to renew our strength, our energy, so He makes us lie down but He also provides the green pastures. There is comfort and food. "He leads us beside still water" because sheep cannot drink from running waters. They are not sure footed so if they have to walk out into running water, they will surely fall and the weight of the water in their wool would make it impossible for them to pull themselves out of the water. They will surely drown.
"He restores my soul." Just as the body needs rest, water, and food, the soul must be cared for. For me, He has given the Holy Bible, commentaries, church, radio stations which play praise music, television ministries, fellow Christians, etc. I feel like I am at the buffet table with all He has provided for me. But first, I had to let go of self-sufficiency and recognize Him as my shepherd. He has not disappointed. As we rest in Him, He restores our sense of hope, purpose, and life. We learn not to lean on our own understanding, but to give Him our cares; then we sleep good at night, knowing He will work all things to the good of those who love Him.
"He prepares a table before me in the presence of my enemies."
"He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His Name sake." He is my personal navigation system that cannot fail. I can get off the path, but He will "recalculate", instruct me to make a "u turn" when I lose my way. He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His Name sake. His very reputation is at stake. When I live a righteous life, I glorify Him, like unto reflecting His image in an enlarging mirror for all to see.
"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil:" Who doesn't like living on a mountain top? All of the good things are there and we feel as though the whole world is our footstool. However, when we walk, we have to go through the valley to reach our next mountain. In the valley are perceived evil and dangers. We imagine evil in the shadows. While we may, indeed, encounter trouble, we are not to give in to fear. Fear has a way of swallowing us up; paralyzing us; dis-arming us; defeating us. We must walk through the valley to claim our next mountain!
Fear not! " For Thou art with me. Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me." My Jesus went through some dark times. The last one claimed His life in this world; but alas, He was victorious! We are not of this world, either. We lean on our God, our Heavenly, Holy Father to see us and take care of us. Sometimes He will lead us into the "darkness" to grow our faith. Sometimes, it may be for an even bigger reason, such as He did with Jesus. Either way, rest assured that He will not leave you or forsake you. We are here to magnify His name in whatever the end result for us may be. Can I get an amen?
Let us talk about His rod and staff: His rod, among other things, can be used to fend off the enemy. I am in awe of how much the enemy attacks us! It is non-stop! Satan does not want God to have any one of us. We are instructed to be alert and sober because Satan is like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he an devour. Then, God uses His staff to pull us back to Him. Sometimes we mistakenly get off the right path; sometimes we defiantly stray. Either way, we can find comfort in the knowledge that He is always with us.
When a shepherd finds a lost sheep, he takes a cloth from his belt and spreads it out with grass and fodder on it to feed the sheep. While the sheep is eating with the shepherd standing guard, no enemy can harm the sheep. When God prepares a table before us in the presence of our enemies, it is understood that God Himself is watching over us, so no harm can befall us.
God also anoints our head with oil. Here is the imagery: the sheep has strayed from the path the shepherd had for him. He got caught in heavy underbrush and was cut or bleeding. The shepherd pulls him out with his staff, brushes him off, anoints his head with healing oil and prods him back onto the right path. Don't we get beaten up, scarred, and bruised by some of our choices? Trust God to take care of His own. Do you have a saving relationship with God? click here for more information on that: https://omaswisdom.blogspot.com/p/path-to-salvation.html.
I am a living witness to the fact that God will administer a solution to your problem and/or give you the peace you need to travel through your problem situation. "My cup overflows." As long as you are living in the will of God, your cup, too, will be full to overflowing. He pours His blessings out on His children much as a mother does with her children who bring her delight. You will have an abundance.
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