Daily Word – Thursday 8 March 2007

Psalm 23

 THE LORD is my Shepherd [to feed, guide, and shield me], I shall not lack.

 He makes me lie down in [fresh, tender] green pastures; He leads me beside the still and restful waters.

 He refreshes and restores my life (my self); He leads me in the paths of righteousness [uprightness and right standing with Him--not for my earning it, but] for His name's sake.

 Yes, though I walk through the [deep, sunless] valley of the shadow of death, I will fear or dread no evil, for You are with me; Your rod [to protect] and Your staff [to guide], they comfort me.

 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my [brimming] cup runs over.

 Surely or only goodness, mercy, and unfailing love shall follow me all the days of my life, and through the length of my days the house of the Lord [and His presence] shall be my dwelling place.

Most of us know this Psalm well and can quote it easily, but have we really allowed the words to permeate our being.

There are times for all of us when we just want to bail out, walk away, take a break or just hide from life. We want to find a little peace, a place to just unwind and take a breath before having to get up and ‘face it all again’.

What we tend to forget is that, time and time again, we are told that the Lord is our hiding place, our place of rest. If we allow Him to, He will lead us into that quiet restful place that is only to be found in Him. And yes even in the darkest of moments HE IS THERE to comfort us and lead us through.

But I also know from personal experience how hard it is to let go when it feels we are drowning in an ocean of problems and heartaches. Everything in our flesh screams out for us to ‘do something’ and we end up ‘chasing our tails’ in ever decreasing circles of fear and despair.

So how do we let go? By being honest. Stop trying to hold it all together, stop trying in your own strength to find the answers, and tell God that you don’t know how to give it all to Him.

The power and strength we need to ‘LET GO AND LET GOD’ can only be found in Him and His grace.  

So today ---- LIVE IN CHRIST, NOT CRISIS!!!!!!

Stay fervently focused,

Much love

Chrissy