Revisiting Verses

Psalm 23

A psalm of David.

 ¹ The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
 ² He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
 ³ he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
   for his name’s sake.
⁴ Even though I walk
   through the darkest valley,^[a]
I will fear no evil,
   for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
   they comfort me.

 ⁵ You prepare a table before me
   in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
   my cup overflows.
⁶ Surely your goodness and love will follow me
   all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
   forever.

In class a couple weeks ago we were asked to take this scripture and pray over each line. Many things came to mind when I was taking time to break down this, my favorite scripture. Normally I focus on the first initial parts of the scripture. “ He makes me lie down” ....Thank you Lord for giving me time to rest. Or “He leads me beside quiet waters”.... Thank you Lord for filling me up with living water.  But recently I got an interesting picture of his rod and His staff.

I grew up on a farm and for our 4-H project, we raised pigs from the time they were babies till we sold them at the county fair.  As they were growing up we would take them on walks with a walking stick. Sometimes the pig was on its best behavior and the walk was easy.  Sometimes the pig did whatever it wanted to do and we had to use our walking stick to guide it with a tap to the side.

   

This memory made me laugh because I know I am a little messy, but a pig, God? :)

What does it mean to be comforted by being guided by His staff?  For me, I am reassured that when I am having one of those walks where I feel like I can do anything, even something that might hurt me or do something that is off of the path that God wants for me, He gently (well sometimes gently) guides me back on the path He wants for me.  I am comforted by knowing that He already know where I should go and where I shouldn’t.  Even if the tap on the side hurts sometimes,  I know that He has the best plan for me. 

Prayer:

Thank you Lord for the guidance and refining that you have done in my life.  Father, I give you permission to continue to refine me and mold me into what You would have for me.

Amen

A challenge for you today would be to take a favorite scripture, or one you know really well, and reexamine it asking God to show you something new. 

-Sierra