A Psalm of David.
1 The LORD is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
3 He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
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 runs over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the LORD
Forever.
Here's a psalm that speaks of nothing but God's goodness, written by a man who had one of the most tumultuous life that we read of in the Bible. When we read the books of 1&2 Samuel, 1&2 Kings, and the books of Chronicles, we read of the life of David from a small shepherd boy, sought out by Prophet Saul to be anointed the next king of Israel, a boy who didn't cross the minds of his parents when Samuel visited his father's house as instructed by the Lord. A young shepherd boy who faced down great dangers while watching over his father's flocks, faced a lion and a bear and had the courage to take them on and kill them. A young boy who would not listen to his brothers' caution when his God and the army of Israel was being challenged by the ungodly, but mighty Philistine warrior Goliath. He faced down this giant of a man and a great warrior that terrorized the entire army of King Saul with nothing more than his faith in the God of Israel and five stones and a sling.
3 He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
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 runs over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the LORD
Forever.
Here's a psalm that speaks of nothing but God's goodness, written by a man who had one of the most tumultuous life that we read of in the Bible. When we read the books of 1&2 Samuel, 1&2 Kings, and the books of Chronicles, we read of the life of David from a small shepherd boy, sought out by Prophet Saul to be anointed the next king of Israel, a boy who didn't cross the minds of his parents when Samuel visited his father's house as instructed by the Lord. A young shepherd boy who faced down great dangers while watching over his father's flocks, faced a lion and a bear and had the courage to take them on and kill them. A young boy who would not listen to his brothers' caution when his God and the army of Israel was being challenged by the ungodly, but mighty Philistine warrior Goliath. He faced down this giant of a man and a great warrior that terrorized the entire army of King Saul with nothing more than his faith in the God of Israel and five stones and a sling.
After being anointed the king of Israel, he faced constant dangers on his life from the jealous rage of his king, King Saul. After Saul's death, David became king. He had an up and down life with its fair share of blessings, complacence, sin, repentance, and God's punishment. Yet when he looked back on his life, in Psalms 23 written towards the end of his life, all David saw was the faithfulness of his God throughout his lifetime. A God who considered him, blessed him, honored him, forgave him, strengthened him, protected him, provided for him, and sustained him. J. Vernon McGee, the late servant of Christ, writes, "In Psalms 23 you do not have the musings of a green, inexperienced lad but the mature deliberations of a ripe experience. You see, David, when he came close to the end of his life, looked back upon his checkered career. It was then that he wrote this psalm. The old king on the throne remembered the shepherd boy. Life had beaten, battered, baffled, and bludgeoned this man. He was a hardened soldier, a veteran who knew victory, privation, hardship. He knew song and shadow. He was tested and tried. Therefore in Psalms 23 we don't have the theorizing of immaturity, but fruit and the mature judgment borne of a long life."
This was what prophet Isaiah meant when he wrote in Isaiah 33:17-21,
Have a most blessed New Year!
This was what prophet Isaiah meant when he wrote in Isaiah 33:17-21,
"Your eyes will see the king in all his splendor, and you will see a land that stretches into the distance. You will think back to this time of terror when the Assyrian officers outside your walls counted your towers and estimated how much plunder they would get from your fallen city. But soon they will all be gone. These fierce, violent people with a strange, unknown language will disappear.
Instead, you will see Zion as a place of worship and celebration. You will see Jerusalem, a city quiet and secure. The LORD will be our Mighty One. He will be like a wide river of protection that no enemy can cross."Remember that only after you have gone through the valley of shadow of death, and come out on the other side safe and secure, do you realize what David meant by saying,
"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,May God bless you and give you the courage to face the challenges in your life, for surely if you keep your faith in Him, you will see His righteous right hand holding you up!
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me."
Have a most blessed New Year!
Hillsong - Stronger
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