Posts that reference the Psalms

My Bible study group is working through Kay Arthur’s study of Psalms, Praising God through Prayer and Worship, and this week we hit Psalm 23.

Psalm 23 has been commented on maybe more than any other passage, and there is much comfort to be found in the promises of provision and protection. A shepherd is a person, but I looked at “shepherd” more as a verb, to guide.

First, a detour- I got side-tracked in the dictionary… I shall not want. The shades of meaning for want are significant. I shall not be needy or destitute. I shall not feel “need” or even have “need”. I shall not have an independent desire to come and go or be. I shall not have a strong desire for anything else. I shall not put my energy into hunting something with the intention of apprehending it. If the Lord IS my Shepherd, then I don’t want anyone or anything else. He is the source and supplier for everything. In Him there is contentment, rest and peace. To walk away from Him is to trade away those things for cheap, illusory copies.)

 So where does He shepherd me?

Green pastures – abundant, easy-to-obtain nourishment. He will lead Me through His Word to feast on the riches of His Truth.

Still waters- Sheep won’t drink running water. He understands my frailties, and graciously works through those.

Restores my soul- He so desires a relationship with me that He will shepherd me through the tough process of repentance and restoration, so that nothing stands between us.

The valley of the shadow of death- First off, it’s a shadow. While it’s the size and shape of death, it’s only a shadow. He’s with me. He’s still leading.

The presence of mine enemies- To prepare the table, He had to get there first, before me. No matter what the enemies have in mind, the Shepherd is one step ahead.

Anointing- Healing, favor, selection, identification, consecration, commissioning… Anointing was used to show all these things.

None of these places is a one time stop-over. We revisit them as often as needed according to the Shepherd’s assessment, timing and purposes. The ultimate destination is the house of the Lord – He will finish the job, and will safely bring us into His eternal presence and glory.

 The sheep is not responsible for figuring all this out, for trying to solve all these problems. The Shepherd, who led the sheep there, is the One responsible. He is Shepherding. Am I “sheeping”? I was not made to be a free-agent, but to glorify God through obedience.

Psalm 27

13 I would have lost heart, unless I had believed/ That I would see the goodness of the Lord/ In the land of the living.

Let me rewrite this for myself – I lose heart when I forget that I can see the goodness of the Lord. I get so near-sighted and so focused on the here and now and on myself that I lose sight of GOD, His holiness and His call on my life.

But even when I forget, this is what He does for me…

5 For in the time of trouble
He shall hide me in His pavilion;
In the secret place of His tabernacle
He shall hide me;
He shall set me high upon a rock.

High on a rock- easy to defend, gives a tremendous perspective on things below. He will realign my thinking from a safe place, where not too many others can reach me. His tabernacle is symbolic of His presence. He won’t hide me and leave me, but He will hide with me, and then tell when it’s safe to come out. It’s a place He’s prepared for that purpose.

 Some thoughts on Psalm 19- 

Who can understand his errors? Will I, can I ever really understand how and why my heart and mind conspire in sinful presumptions? Is understanding as necessary as it seems to understand how and why?
Cleanse me from secret faults, from the faults I’m unwilling to admit even to myself. To be cleansed, they must be recognized, identified, brought out into the light.
Keep [me] from presumptuous sins – I’m learning that these are some of my favorites. These are the ideas that I have rights and entitlements from God, that He is obligated, owes me things. Let them not have dominion over me – When they do, that’s when I crash. When I am more focused on myself, how I’ve been treated/accepted then I get off track.
I want to be blameless and innocent of great transgression, but am I willing to do the hard work required to achieve it?
the meditation of my heart/ Be acceptable – Even the things I brood over should honor God and not seek to displace Him as Lord.