HOPE - the Lord is My Shepherd

Interesting how much has changed in just over a week… Most surprising to me, has been how off kilter I have been, how unsettled I feel, how scattered my brain is… I see so many people, mamas specifically, posting about how sweet their family time has been, how fun it has been teaching their children at home. I have felt “less than”. The magnitude of what could be ahead of us seems daunting, overwhelming and lonely. While I am almost equally extroverted as I am introverted – the lack of access to people feels the most consuming. Yes, I have MY people. And oh, how precious each one is to me! But there is a balance that happens, sometimes a readjustment that happens, when I am “with” those outside my home. And yet… HE is still on the throne! Not for one second has He turned His back! He is for us and NOT against us. He uses ALL things toward the good of those who love Him.

I guess the question for me is – What is He asking of me in this time of uncertainty? The easy answer is: to be a light, to carry Jesus, to serve those in need around us, to offer hope while the world is consumed in fear…

The above are ALL true! And I can do all those things and will do all those things. But first, my BEST self comes from reorienting my focus and my perspective in this season. My eyes need to stay on Him. My heart needs to cling to Him! Funny, but I think I need to add a new Life Affirmation in these trying times.

Today is a better day. Today, my head doesn’t feel trapped in the clouds. I got outside yesterday. My kids played for more than an hour in a creek. We all breathed and created some space. That was so refreshing to my spirit – but not always possible. And while the fresh air helped me immensely, it was reaching out to a larger community and asking for verses to encourage ALL of us during these uncertain times.
As always, the “life giving” part of the Word comes in speaking it aloud and in praying it back to HIM! Don’t simply read the verses, speak them aloud. Let them minister to your hearts and minds! Where our own words are inadequate because they get lost in layers of fear and loss and trepidation – allow HIS Word to breathe peace and hope and gratefulness!

The Lord is my best friend and my shepherd.
I always have more than enough.
2 He offers a resting place for me in his luxurious love.
His tracks take me to an oasis of peace, the quiet brook of bliss.
3 That’s where he restores and revives my life.
He opens before me pathways to God’s pleasure
and leads me along in his footsteps of righteousness
so that I can bring honor to his name.
4 Lord, even when your path takes me through
the valley of deepest darkness,
fear will never conquer me, for you already have!
You remain close to me and lead me through it all the way.
Your authority is my strength and my peace.
The comfort of your love takes away my fear.
I’ll never be lonely, for you are near.
5 You become my delicious feast
even when my enemies dare to fight.
You anoint me with the fragrance of your Holy Spirit;[h]
you give me all I can drink of you until my heart overflows.
6 So why would I fear the future?
For your goodness and love pursue me all the days of my life.
Then afterward, when my life is through,
I’ll return to your glorious presence to be forever with you! Psalm 23 TPT™

There are SO many verses and thoughts running through my head! But in lieu of too much, I am going to err on finding just a few to encourage us each day. Today, it is the beautiful imagery of the GOOD SHEPHERD as detailed in Psalm 23. Read it in your favorite version. Recite it if you know it by heart. Watch the videos below to saturate yourself in this Word!

Read on if you want some more passages to add to your time of reflecting. Otherwise, skip ahead to the videos. Be blessed today! HE is still on the throne and HE alone carries the VICTORY!

Oh come, let us worship and bow down;
Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.
⁷For He is our God,
And we are the people of His pasture,
And the sheep ^b]”>[b]of His hand.

Today, if you will hear His voice:
⁸“Do not harden your hearts… Psalm 95:6-8 NKJV

Instead of becoming consumed by the present state of our world, sit with the Lord today and ask what it is He wants to teach you. In a society and culture where GO is the normalcy of how we live, we have been given a break/a respite/a reprieve. It may feel frustrating and never wracking, but maybe He has allowed the “quiet” in order to get our attention. Are you listening? Are you allowing space in the quiet and space for Him to minister?

So we Your people, the sheep of Your pasture,
Will give You thanks forever;
We will declare and publish Your praise from generation to generation. Psalm 79:13 AMP

We all have a choice in the now (I am preaching to myself). Will I lament and carry on in that vein (David did allow times for this in writing the Psalms)? Will I turn inward and lose sight of eternity? Or will I turn my eyes to the heaven and remember “where does my help come from” (Psalm 121)? Today, I will choose to offer Him my praise! In times where this doesn’t come as naturally, I will turn on “praise and worship”, helping my heart to realign with the ONE who is fully in control!

Know and fully recognize with gratitude that the Lord Himself is God; It is He who has made us, not we ourselves [and we are His]. We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Psalm 100:3 AMP

Blessed be God—
he heard me praying.
He proved he’s on my side;
I’ve thrown my lot in with him.

Now I’m jumping for joy,
and shouting and singing my thanks to him.

8-9 God is all strength for his people,
ample refuge for his chosen leader;
Save your people
and bless your heritage.
Care for them;
carry them like a good shepherd. Psalm 28:6-9 MSG