RUNNEMEDE REMEMBERED

Growing up in a small town in Southern New Jersey


Friday, April 11, 2008

Psalm 23

I have notes in my Bible -- the one I talked about recently -- of a sermon that my father preached and which I heard on Psalm 23.

Psalm 23 talks about the sufficiency of God. He is sufficient for ALL our needs. Notice it's needs, not wants. The Psalm is written by a shepherd (David) about a shepherd (The Great Shepherd). Psalm is a lesson for living, a guide so to speak.

The Psalm is full of promises, some of them are:

  • I shall not want -- not for anything, no not anything (that's how it is in the Hebrew language).
  • He leads me beside still waters -- not a babbling brook or a rushing river or on an ocean during a storm -- still waters are calm. He gives us the peace to make us calm.
  • He restores my soul.
  • He is with me -- no matter what, even through the valley of the shadow of death. That "valley" is a real place in Israel and it is not a nice place. It is a scary place. But to know that our God is with us in those scary places. How wonderful is that?
  • Your rod and staff comfort me -- He is my comfort. Like a baby's comfort is his blankie, God is my blanket, my cover, my comfort.
  • You prepare a table for me -- (You feed me, even in the presence of my enemies)
  • Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all my life -- because of His grace
  • I will dwell in His house forever -- because of what his Son did on the Cross.

Not a long message, but something to think about.

It's so easy to quote Psalm 23. We learned it as children, many of us. It is read at funerals (on TV). We've heard it many times in our lives. It's familiar to us. Yet do we think about it when we are facing hard times? He is with me, always. What a blessing.

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