She had a great day. She has been in really good spirits. It's a real blessing. I'm going to update more in my other diary later this evening. It's sad that we are afraid to have too much hope. Our hopes have been shattered so many times. But, to me, this feels different.
There are two endings indicated by this Psalm. "The godly person, living on the basis of the law of the Lord ends up holy and happy. The ungodly person, living on the basis of a secular environment, ends up condemned and doomed."
There is a finality that is unsettling in verse 6. "The way of the wicked will perish." Period. That's it. The verses before have described the differences between the wicked and the righteous. This psalm is a good springboard, in my opinion, for the rest of the 150 psalms. Right off the bat, we are meditating on the differences between the righteous and the wicked. I certainly desire to be counted among the righteous.
(Quote from A Musician Looks At the Psalms by Don Wyrtzen)
When David wrote the 23rd Psalm, he wrote from the experience of one who used to be a shepherd. It is from this experience that he describes the kind of shepherd we have in our Father, and in the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ. From the writings of Matthew Henry: "He takes them into his fold, and then takes care of them, protects them, and provides for them, with more care and constancy than a shepherd can that makes it his business to keep the flock. If God is as a shepherd to us, we must be as sheep, inoffensive, meek, and quiet, silent before the shearers, nay, and before the butcher too, useful and sociable; we must know the shepherd's voice, and follow him.
"The great confidence which believers have in God: 'If the Lord is my shepherd, my feeder, I may conclude I shall not want anything that is really necessary and good for me.'"
How does this tie in to the verse quoted at the top? Perhaps in that one thing that God "pleases" is to be our shepherd. It pleases him to care for us, protect us, and provide for us.
The Lord is my shepherd.
"Him" in these verses, refers to Jesus Christ, the "Word," which has always existed.
There was a time when our universe did not exist. But there has never been a time when God did not exist. And I still have trouble "wrapping my brain" around that idea! And we can do nothing apart from him. Acts 17:28 says, "In him we live and move and have our being."
Jesus Christ is the source of everything and everyone who has life.
Ask Yourself Of all the things we forget to be grateful for and most often take for granted is the simple gift of life. May you stop at frequent moments of the day simply to give glory to God for the gift of breath, of sight, of hearing, of life itself...and the privilege of enjoying it with Him.
That wasn't really a question, but I plan to do that throughout the next day (and every day, if the Spirit will remind me to do so).
(From Daily Readings from the Life of Christ by John MacArthur)
I am also thankful to you for being my Shepherd. You have provided for us, you have protected us. Even in the struggles that we have gone through, things could have been so much worse. And in response to you shepherding us, let us be sheep. Give me humility so that I might be inoffensive, meek, and quiet. Hah. That's certainly not part of my human nature! But with the power of the Holy Spirit, it surely can be.
I'm thankful, Lord, that Steph had a good day! Let it continue on through this week. Be her shepherd, too, and let her be your sheep.
Today, Father, I pray for all of my brothers and sisters in you who need transportation. I know of several who are struggling today to get everyone where they all need to be with not enough transportation. I pray that you would meet those needs this week, Lord!
Grace and peace, friends.