I hope you’ve all had a wonderful weekend!  We had a blessed one ourselves!  I was getting some pictures ready to post … and I would have had them today, except I’ve had some computer woes, so I decided to post this devotional study I read that breaks down Psalm 23 verse by verse.  It is lengthy, so I’m going to do it over the next 6 posts.  I liked the way she broke down each word in the verses … it just makes it become so much more meaningful!  I hope you get a nugget, or two, out of it to bless you as you read it over the next few days!  It’s one of my favorite Psalms! 

I will be around visiting later today, and getting more pictures ready to post!  I’m also waiting on pictures from my son!  They had a blessed weekend spending it at Lake Hume Christian Camp for a college seminar.  It was a time of spiritual refreshing for the students before they headed back to school!  Ian and Tim were invited by the church to go along, as well!  They were glad they did!  Well, you all have a wonderful Wednesday…aka. Hump Day!  See ya all soon! 

 Hugs,
~ Deborah <><


~ PSALM 23 ~
THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD    
by Lura Langenback

Introduction:
Doing a bible study is the fastest way to learn more about scriptures in the bible.  I want to explore a variety of things all within the Bible, also called the Word of God.  The strangest thing happens when I prepare a study for others.  The Lord gives me things to learn for myself.  What a blessed time I have!  Then I am expected to share these things with you as well.  Sometimes it will be better to break each verse down, looking into the meanings.  Other times, taking it as a whole would be better.  Before I go further, thank you for reading this.  I pray that you learn something new, even if you find out that my secret is that I cannot really write!  My Father is doing the writing.  Thank You, Lord!

In the first study, we will check out Psalm 23.  This has to be one of the most misunderstood chapters in the whole Bible.  The plan is to break it down, verse by verse.

More often than not, we hear about the 23rd Psalm when we attend a funeral or at least when someone has recently died.  It has been assumed by people that this Psalm is related in some way to death because it is mentioned in the Psalm itself, but is it really mentioned like that?  Is it really about death?  That could not be further from the truth.  This is a Psalm of steadfastness, of faith going through difficult times, and of the tender Mercy of the Lord Who walks with you through it all.  But how can this be, you ask.  I have always heard that it had to do with death.  Hey, I saw “War of the Worlds”.  That preacher was praying the 23rd Psalm when he was killed by the aliens.  That is the prayer that you pray when you are heading for death, right?  Every time I see a movie, they pray that prayer when they are about to die.  Is that what it is about?

In case you have wondered about this very thing, I have started a study on the 23rd Psalm that I am making available.  All our lives, we have heard this Psalm.  In Sunday school, we are even expected to memorize it.  People say it when nothing else comes to mind.  But do we really know what it means?  When someone recites the Psalm, usually they are just repeating it, without actually understanding it.  So, we are going to study what it actually means.  We will take it verse by verse, breaking it down into separate studies. I invite you to join me. 

Day I
“The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want“.

When you read this beginning verse, what does it say to you?  For years, I read this verse never getting anything out of it because I did not look for anything IN the verse.  As a child, I had memorized the whole Psalm, yet it meant nothing to me because I did not take hold of what the verses were actually saying.  But recently, it came alive!  And now I see so much in that one verse that it will be difficult to keep it down to a few paragraphs.  When you can get excited about reading scripture, then you are growing in the Lord.  However, if you are not excited now, just wait until you start studying this Psalm.

I noticed that this verse describes the relationship between the Lord and me.  In addition, it tells me what the rest of the Psalm is all about.  What do you mean?  Take a closer look at the verse as if you had never seen it before.  Do not allow your preconceived ideas in because you will not see anything new that way.  “The Lord is my Shepherd“.  It lets me know who He is as well as who I am to Him.  “I shall not want.”  This shows me that it is personal and that He provides for me.  But now, I did something with this verse that I do not usually do.  I put the emphasis on a word in the verse and read it that way.  What absolutely amazes me is that each word can stand alone in the verse.  What am I talking about?  Okay, take any one of the words in the verse and emphasize it.  For instance,  “The LORD is my Shepherd; I shall not want.”  What does this tell you?  It tells me that this is the LORD, the Creator, the Alpha and the Omega.  He IS the Lord.  Now I will do this with each word and see what happens.

1)  The——-With this word emphasized it means that He is THE Lord. 
There is no One but Him.  It does not say “many” or “one of”. It says THE.

2)  Lord——-This word means that He is Lord, the Creator.
He is the Ruler of all. And He is Who He says He is.

3)  Is——-Here we notice that the word IS means that it is present tense.
It is not something that happened in the past, but IS right now.

4)  My——-Ah, now this word makes it very personal. He is MY Shepherd.
He is personal to me.  That means that this verse is promised to ME!  Hallelujah!

5)  Shepherd—–This word is power packed because it means that He is all that a shepherd would be to his sheep. 
A shepherd is a protector, a provider of food, shelter, and care that all stay close and are not lost. 
He is everything to the sheep and is usually the only individual that they see for long periods of time. 
A relationship forms between shepherd and sheep.
They come to depend on him for everything and he provides it for them because he cares what happens to them. 
They are valuable to him.

6)  I——One word can mean so much. 
This one means that this verse is very personal, not to be taken lightly.
It belongs to ME.  Praise God!

7)  Shall——Now here we have a word that means it is not in the past.  It is not only now but also in the future.
We also have a surety that it WILL happen because the word “shall” is a definite statement.  It means “guaranteed”.

8)  Not——-This one means that NEVER will I have a need that is not taken care of,
as long as I accept the promise of the Lord that is in this verse.

9)  Want——-The word does not mean that I can go asking the Lord for just anything and He will provide it,
but it does mean that needs are met.  It also means that, as with any loving Father, He will give you things that you desire.
But the main thing about this word is that if you accept this promise, you will never have need of anything that the Lord
does not provide.

When I started to see these things, it was a real eye opener for me.  NOW that verse means something personally.  I can see that as long as I understand and take hold of this promise, I will have Someone to guide me through everything.  He will be with me during all problems but, even when there is no difficulty, the Lord is with me.  He is my comfort and my Hiding Place, my Rest.  With Him in my life, I have no needs that will go unanswered.  Most important of all, He is there for me when He asks me to do things, to walk with me every step of the way.  What an AWESOME God we serve.

Now, what do YOU see? 


Tomorrow:
Part II ~ GREEN PASTURES AND SMALL CREEKS

 P.S.  I entered a photo again this week over at iliveinmycamera …
the theme is ‘doors’ and there are some pretty great pictures over there …
go check it out and vote for your favorite door!