Daily Dose of the Word of God - Psalm 23

Justin Paul-Lawrence

Transcript

JPL  0:06  

Welcome to Elmhurst CRC's Daily Dose of the Word of God. It's Friday, January 30th, but Sunday is coming. I'm Justin Paul Lawrence - welcome to the 1,000th daily dose. What began as a way to come together during the pandemic has become an essential part of how we listen to Scripture as a congregation. To all of you who make this a part of your daily life with God, thank you. We love hearing that you're meeting God through this small part of his work here in Elmhurst. Each Friday, we'll listen to the voice of the Psalms, which teach us to pray and point us to Jesus. Today's passage is Psalm 23 I'm reading today from Eugene Peterson's the message.

JPL  0:47  

God, my shepherd! I don’t need a thing. You have bedded me down in lush meadows, you find me quiet pools to drink from. True to your word, you let me catch my breath and send me in the right direction. Even when the way goes through Death Valley, I’m not afraid when you walk at my side. Your trusty shepherd’s crook makes me feel secure. You serve me a six-course dinner right in front of my enemies. You revive my drooping head; my cup brims with blessing.  Your beauty and love chase after me every day of my life. I’m back home in the house of God for the rest of my life.

JPL 1:33  

I admit I sometimes have a hard time understanding Psalm 23. I lack some things. I don't always feel refreshed. I don't always feel like I'm beside quiet Waters. This makes sense. 2/3 of the Psalms are lament and sometimes that seems more like where I am in life. There's blessings but there's lots of battles. My cup might be overflowing but sometimes it’s not with a beverage I like to drink and then recently God has been kind to me. There have been a couple of situations, one in particular where I thought I was going to have to endure a painful trial for years and years and then circumstances changed and it looks like smooth sailing. I was shocked. Shocked. I was girding up for a season of difficulty and suddenly everything changed. God are you being kind to me? I remember praying one morning. I don't know why I was surprised. We serve an infinite God who cares deeply very deeply about us and yet it was such a gift. Such a little gem of a moment. Amazing. I can't guarantee you that you're going to have the same experience’  of being led by quiet Waters  fearing no evil, even on the darkest valley. A table prepared before you in the presence of your enemies and overflowing cup, but you might. It might take eyes to see it. It might be happening this week or next week in your life. God is there for you. He's leading you beside quiet Waters. His beauty and love are chasing after you.

JPL  3:07  

Let's pray. Lord, you are both lamb and Shepherd and because you are both, you know better than anyone else how to Shepherd us through our lives, how to lead us into good pastures. How to give us the right thing at the right time. We put ourselves under your good care this week.