The Lord Is My Shepherd

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

The 23rd Psalm is one of my very favorite chapters in the Bible. When I go through valleys in my life I turn to this Psalm of David. Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil because He is with me. The rod and staff were tools the shepherd needed to protect his sheep. We are like sheep who have gone astray. We need the Lord to watch and guide us, to be with us.

The Lord is with us and ministers to our needs as the good shepherd does for his sheep. My cup overflows with His many blessings. His goodness and mercy are evident in my life. I want to dwell with Him forever.

These words come to mind when I begin to dwell on past hardships. I did go through a dark valley in my life and sometimes want to nurse my wounds. But I don't want to stay there and bring up too many negatives. I am in a better place now and it is because the Lord has brought me here. He nurses my wounds and brings healing.

My valley was hard on my family and I feel bad for what they had to go through. It was hard to find the bright sunshine in our lives when we needed to climb out of the valley. I thank the Lord for all he has done for me, watching and guiding me. I pray for the very best for my children. I'm thankful for the ones who do believe in the Lord. I pray for the ones who still need to come to Him. May He be their Shepherd to watch over them. May they call Him Lord.