Daily Scriptures: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2023;%201%20Samuel%2015:10-21;%20Ephesians%204:25-32
Psalm 23 Cooper version
I am a sheep. My needs are many and my resources few. I need a shepherd to look after me. I have been blessed with a great shepherd. I call my Shepherd LORD. The LORD, MY Shepherd makes sure all my needs are met.
Alone I would stray, but with The LORD I am nurtured. Always provided food and drink. When I am weak, The LORD gives me special attention and makes sure I am distinguished as The LORDS property.
Even when tough times come and the natural predators of life would seek to devour me, I will not be scared because my SHEPHERD never leaves me alone.
Even when I wander off, MY SHEPHERD prods me and redirects me for my own good. Though others all around me seek to harm me, I am so protected that I eat without missing a meal. I am so blessed I have more than I need. In fact, I AM confident that as long As my SHEPHERD leads me the good things will follow me forever, and I will be the property of the GOOD SHEPHERD for eternity.
Led and Fed
Oops, I did it again. I wish I hadn’t but it did. Somehow, someway, when I try to live this life on my own, I go astray. Often this departure is not an intentional act but one that occurs gradually over time. Small acts of forgetfulness and grand rationalizations. Like a rock being gradually worn away by moving water, I don’t know the exact moment I started to stray but Suddenly I look up and can’t figure out how I got here. Yup, Oops I did it again. Many of us have a tendency to get lackadaisical in our spiritual disciplines and like sheep grazing in the field, we lose perspective of where we are. We can’t pinpoint when we turned because we were so focused on what we were doing. We can get locked into routines that after time lose their value. Even our spiritual disciplines can lose their meaning when we just do them on auto-pilot.
In our very familiar text, the Psalmist says, “The LORD is my shepherd”. Another way to say this would be I am like a sheep. Like a sheep without guidance I will make a mess of my life. Like a sheep, I am not able to focus on much beyond my immediate needs. I don’t plan ahead and I would drown chasing after water from fast-moving streams. The Psalmist recognizes that unless we are lead by GOD we will follow the wide, well-worn road to destruction. This path of least resistance leads to fear and destruction. On the other when the LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want. I can rest and refresh with green pastures and still waters. This rest and refreshment restores my soul. With GOD as my shepherd even when I go through the alleys and the valleys of the shadow of death, I don’t have to fear what happens. I am able to focus on how BIG my Shepherd is and not how big my problem may be. With GOD as my shepherd when I stray there is a rod and staff of love to redirect me. Not only will I have enough, but my cup will also run over. As long as we follow GOD will lead us into eternity.
The Lenten season gives us an opportunity to bring meaning to our routines. We are able to see where we may have been going through the motions assuming we were going in the right direction without checking in with the Divine Navigator. Today I encourage you to bring added attention to the routine things you do. Chew your food more slowly, tasting and appreciating each bite. Look your loved ones in the eye a second longer and listen. Seek to understand before you seek to be understood. By doing this you can yield the control of your life to the only one truly able to provide goodness and mercy all the days of your life.
Point to Ponder: How would YOU rewrite Psalm 23 from a personal perspective? What measures will YOU take to be fully engaged in each moment? How difficult is it for YOU to identify as a sheep?
40 Days of Lenten Meditations 