Tagged: Psalm 23

  The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He takes me to lush pastures, he leads me to refreshing water. He restores my strength. Psalm 23:1-3     Hope for a Saturday Morning Song   A song hums low  Behind the noise Beneath the chaos Invitation to joy.   A narrated song With video I see the images A picture show.   A happy list Of things to do Not things I must But only want to.   Visit the garden shop Choose some roses Linger among  Violets and posies.   Make an oasis Privacy screen With roses for walls I’ll sip my tea.   Meet a friend For no good reason Except for revelry In blooming season.   Make good bread Knead it… Read More

The Good Shepherd Mosaic from Galla Placidia, Ravenna, Italy But you, Oh Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head. Psalm 3:3 Even 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. Psalm 23:4 Little sheep, can you feel the strength in the Good Shepherd’s hand? He holds your head up, though you want to hang it low and weep. His gentle firmness keeps your face fixed on His, though fear bids you look away. Little sheep, though His eyes do not look upon you right now, His heart is set upon you. See how He turns to you,… Read More

Blessed are those whose strength is in you, in whose hearts are the highways of Zion. As they go through the Valley of Baca they make it a place of springs. Psalm 84:5-6 In our last devotional together we examined the cost of spring-making. Psalm 84 prepares the pilgrim for two realities on the Way: the reality of weeping, and the reality of refreshing. [bctt tweet="Jesus paid the cost of spring-making, and because of that, we can walk the Valley of Baca with hope. With the strength Jesus gives, we can also practice the discipline of spring naming. #hope " username="audreycfrank"] Spring naming transforms the pilgrim pathway, making it a place of refreshment for us and a resource for those who come behind. The discipline… Read More

My soul is bereft of peace; I have forgotten what happiness is. Lamentations 3:17 To be bereft is to be deprived of or lacking something. In particular, it describes the sadness and loneliness accompanying the death or departure of someone dear. We who follow Jesus have the peace that surpasses all understanding available to us through Christ, indeed (see Philippians 4:6-7). But loss can blot out the truth; grief can loom between us and that marvelous, available power, for a time. Like a sudden blackout dashing us into complete darkness, unexpected tragedy and loss can temporarily blind us from the light.  The blindness may be artificial, it may be temporary, but it is real. May we have grace for ourselves and others in the family… Read More

The Lord is my shepherd… Psalm 23:1   Jeso muridza mudzo! Nahenza nakamone ko muno! Nahenza Nakamone ko kuno! Nahenza Nakamone ko kuno.   Jesus is a good Shepherd! I long to see Him up ahead leading me! I long to see Him up ahead leading me! I long to see Him up ahead leading me.   To the throb of a one-two, one-two-three drum beat we used to sing these words and dance under the palm shelter that served as our church in East Africa. The purity, the sheer joy of the thought of being shepherded by the Lord, filled every face with light. This group of humble shepherds knew the exhaustion of shepherding sheep, wandering far over the brushy savannah looking for grass… Read More