September 13, 2007
-
~ Thankful Thursday & Part IV of Psalm 23 ~
It’s Thankful Thursday everybody! What are you thankful to Him for today? Think on those things that you are blessed with … then praise and thank Him! –If anyone is wanting to finish reading what Lura Langenback wrote on the remaining 3 verses of Psalm 23, I’ve posted verse 4 below, and will post the last two in the next two days.
Our weather is beautiful here … I opened the door this morning, and wanted to run for my winter jacket! I smell someone’s wood smoke right now, coming in through the window! We need to call a chimney sweep and get ours cleaned out for the season! I don’t think my trusted ’Double D Swivler’ could take on that monumental task!! Ha, ha!! Anyone know a good chimney sweep?!
I heard from Ian yesterday … do you mind if I cry a bit on your shoulders?!
He will be taking some college courses while in California, and will not be home to stay, now, until very possibly, March! They have found an apartment to rent for 6 months, and will be moving out of the RV and into more comfortable quarters! I told him, ’please don’t get too comfortable’! He told me not to worry, he would be coming home … just not as soon as I had hoped! He is excited about learning so much … he knows it’s hard for me, and he said, “yes, mom, I’m having fun, but do you realize how many times I wish I could get in the car and come be with you and dad?” I cried, and repented for not seeing how he might be feeling too!! I just didn’t realize how hard it is for him, from time to time, as well! I so appreciate all your prayers for him … for his safety, for his spiritual growth, and that He is doing God’s will in all of this! Also say a prayer for me … as I said, this isn’t easy … but I’m comforted knowing he’s in God’s hands, He has a plan for Ian, and that’s the safest place he could ever be! I pray you all have a most blessed “Thankful Thursday’! 
Hugs,
~ Deborah <><
You’ll find some nice photos in the contest @ iliveinmycamera –
and some great pictures of ‘Storms’ over at Betsaflygallery!
If anyone wants to get involved … the directions are posted there!
Think about joining in on the fun!!
THANKFULNESS ~
“Make a joyful noise unto the Lord all ye lands.
Serve the LORD with gladness, come before His presence with singing.
Know ye that the LORD He is God: it is He that hath made us, and not we ourselves;
we are His people and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise;
be thankful unto him and bless his name for the LORD is good;
His mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations”!
- Psalm 100 {KJV}
As believing Christians, we are blessed beyond measure. God sent His only Son to die for our sins. And, God has given us the priceless gifts of eternal love and eternal life. We, in turn, are instructed to approach our Heavenly Father with reverence and thanksgiving. But, we may sometimes fail to pause and thank our Creator for the countless blessings He has bestowed upon us. When we slow down and express our gratitude to the One who made us, we enrich our own lives and the lives of those around us. Thanksgiving should become a habit, a regular part of our daily routines. Yes, God has blessed us beyond measure, and we owe Him everything, including our eternal praise.
God has promised that if we harvest well with the tools of thanksgiving,
there will be seeds for planting in the spring,
- Gloria Gaither
Why wait until the fourth Thursday in November?
Why wait until the morning of December twenty-fifth?
Thanksgiving to God should be an everyday affair.
The time to be thankful is now!
- Jim Gallery
“I will praise the name of God with a song,
and will magnify Him with thanksgiving”.
- Psalm 69:30 {KJV}
Dear Lord, Your gifts are greater than I can imagine.
May I live each day with thanksgiving in my heart and praise on my lips.
Thank You for the gift of Your Son and for the promise of eternal life.
Let me share the joyous news of Jesus Christ,
and let my life be a testimony to His love and His grace. –Amen
PART IV ~ PSALM 23 ~
THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD
by Lura Langenback ~ PSALM 23 ~
IN THE VALLEY…IS IT DEATH OR LIFE?
Are you gripped with fear? Now there is hope.
“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.” vs. 4
If you have joined us for the other verses in Psalm 23, you have noticed that God wants us walking in His path, enjoying His peace and rest. He is the Leader and provider of that rest and peace. Did you also notice that He talks about that in the first three verses? The Lord is the Shepherd. Please take a moment to think about this before going on to the next verse because the theme has not changed at all.
“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death“. It is important to notice that the words ‘yea, though’ mean ‘even though’, or you could say ‘despite the fact that’, and it would be accurate as well. Then, ‘I walk through the valley of the shadow of death’. Did you see the assurance right at the beginning of the verse? It says ‘even though’. No matter what I may be facing, I still have that peace that I saw in the first three verses. ‘I really do need that assurance if I am going to walk through a valley of death, right?’ But it does NOT say that! Most people think the verse reads ‘walk through the valley of death’. No, it says ‘walk through the valley of the SHADOW of death.’ Did a shadow ever hurt anyone? So many folks are running from shadows. If only we could grasp what the Lord is trying to get across to us. Take another look at the verse. We are walking THROUGH this valley, not setting up camp, not building a house, not even visiting a relative.
I am reminded of when I was a child, with a childlike imagination, trying so hard to go to sleep. It was dark. There were shadows everywhere, some even looked like monsters. Under the bed lived the dragons and ghosts that might leap out to get me, if I relaxed for just a second. When I was really scared, I called out to my parents. They came in, turning on the light. What happened? The shadow monsters disappeared!! There were no dragons, no ghosts. The best part was that they reassured me that I was in no danger, that they were right in the next room if needed. God is telling us that He is even closer, right here, right now watching out for you, taking care of you, turning on the Light for you! When you seek God first {Matt. 6:33}, He gives you the assurance that you will find Him.
“I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.“ Now how in the world can the author say that they will fear NO evil? He {David} had the assurance that God was with him, no matter what. Again and again, God tells us ‘Fear not’ …
Some of those ‘fear not’ verses are:
Gen. 15:1, Gen. 21:17, Gen. 26:14,
Exodus 20:20,
Deut. 1:21,
Joshua 1:8,
I Kings 17:13,
Isa. 41:13,
Matt. 1:20,
Luke 1:30, Luke 2:10,
Acts 27:24.
There are 63 verses in the bible using just the words ‘Fear not.’ I gave you a few. See? The Lord is with David and he knows it. He says ‘for thou art with me.’ His comfort, rest, and peace is in God, that He is walking with him all the way THROUGH the valley of the shadows. We have not been given THE spirit of fear …
“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear;
but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.“ - 2 Timothy 1:7
It is very important to see that God is not interested in having you in fear for any reason. In fact, He is quite clear that He does not want fear to be part of your life at all. What comfort!!!
…”thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.“ The rod is used for protection, or defense, and the staff is for guidance, for steadiness. If we have God’s rod and staff, then it follows that we would be able to use those items. How? We seek God first. He provides protection, peace, rest. He has been saying this throughout the Psalm. He has not let us down, has not run away from us. He’s helping us THROUGH the situation, the shadow of death. Or you could say that He is giving us the Light to go through the situation. What an AWESOME God He is!! What a wonderful Jesus Who is the Shepherd that leads us.
Throughout this Psalm, there is comfort, rest, and peace. God is NOT giving us fear. Tell Him if you are gripped with fear, and feel like you are living under a dark cloud! Do not allow another day to go by without seeking Him. He is your Shepherd!
PSALM 23: 1–4
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.
Tomorrow Part V
~Psalm 23:5 ~
THE TABLE IS FULL … YOU ARE INVITED TO EAT!
Post a Comment
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Comments (19)
Deborah…just want to thank you for your prayers this week. We too are thankful for God’s many blessings each day.
I know a good chimney sweep but he is “out of commission” right now! My husband has had a chimney sweeping business as a sideline for about 25 years. He’s been trying to retire from that business but never found a place to stop until this illness stopped it for him. Guess we live too far away anyway!
Carole
Found this info on the webpage! http://www.parkecounty.com/attractions/bridge.asp?id=8&catid=5
Hi again…the covered bridge on my page is West Union, in Parke Co. It crosses Sugar Creek just before it joins into the Wabash. It is west of Rockville and is on the map for the bridge festival so maybe you have seen it if you took that driving tour. I took the picture about two years ago. A couple of years before THAT, I got the chance to go on a bald eagle count, and I stood just up the road from this bridge and counted eagles late in the afternoon as they flew from their feeding grounds back up to their nests somewhere along Sugar Creek. THAT was one of the most awesome things I ever got to do! :yes::spinning:
Congratulations for your camera photo victory! I liked yours the best even though I didn’t vote this time. Hope you have a happy weekend.
:sunny::fun::wave:
:goodjob: YAY!!! You won FIRST PLACE!!! I think I voted for that one too! :coolman:
:wave: Deborah!!
Thanks for your comment =] Sorry I haven’t been around much lately. Still finding it hard to keep up
I can’t imagine being away from my kids so long…but they are still little…I’m going to have a hard time letting go. You guys are in my prayers. I see you changed it up in here again. Looks lovely! :heartbeat: I haven’t entered the contest since the books one. I always vote before I know you are in but I don’t think I could guess which one is yours anyway lol. I wonder if I voted for it. I’ll see soon enough.
Have a blessed weekend!
Theresa:sunny:
:heartbeat::wave:(((((Hugs))))) I am thankful for a Sister like you in Christ! ……………..Love you New Look! And you know I will be keeping all of you in my prayers!……In Christ’s Love…..Monic:heartbeat::wave::love:
My oldest is at college and I have been going up and down emotionally. I think that we have done our jobs when they succeed and move out, but boy does it leave a void. Thank you for sharing these Psalms and thoughts on them. I needed to hear them today.
Heather
Hi Deborah, I know it must be hard not being able to see Ian until maybe March. I did like lindaintennesse’s idea. Maybe you could fine another college age student to show the love of Jesus (and family). I’ve always found that when I start focusing on others, it always helps my worries and fears.
I will be praying for Ian and for you! Blessings to you!
:heartbeat: Hugs and prayers my Xanga friend!
In Him,
Kelly
P.S. Thanks for sharing the devotion.
{Hugs and prayers} I know it’s hard. My duaghter has been doing well in Japan. She is coming home tomorrow!! She will be here until next Thursday. I want to have a good week with her while she is here.
I too have many blessing a roof over my head, food on my table, and a great family, but there one that stands out and that GOD loves me even when i fail him i do know what you are going through in missing your son, i had 3 children that went different ways one enter the Navy, one went to Calif. and one went to SC , now after a a a few years(4 for one and 10 years for the other) they are close to home, the one in SC is still there, i do wish she and her family would also moved back but that has to be GOD direction in there lives. Are other son is in college and travel back and forth, when he is done with college i do not know where the lord will take him. you have a great day, keeping you in prayer
GOD BLESS,
SANDY
:sunny:Oh how pretty! There is a code to take that border all the way across at the top I will try and find it OK?
I love this webpage where did you get it? I am so thankful for so many things, being born to my Mom, in this country,
my hubby, my daughter, my littlebit, my sil….so many more that its to numerous to mention here…so i’ll just say it all to Jesus!
And i’m thankful for finding friends like you…
!
:love:Linda
I am not a mother, but sometimes I suffer some guilt about not being closer to my parents (9 hours away). I feel like I am where God wants me to be and Dad once told me that he knows that each of his 5 children are doing what God has called them to do, even if it is in 4 different states.
My thought, you cannot replace your sons or daughters, but maybe there is a way you can use some of that energy. Is there a college student or other single adult living in your community and going to your church who does not have family or may never have had a good family experience. They may be hungry for what you are missing with Ian. I have been “adopted” by many families here. I believe last night I became an adopted aunt. I miss my grandparents and parents. There are many older couples in my church who could use adopted adult children. It doesn’t replace the real thing ~ your son. But maybe it eases some one else’s hurt and loneliness.
I can truly relate to how you feel about your son. I have had to go through some of those landmark changes this year, of having Dan graduate from college and be on his own. One thing I am thankful for is that I know he is only 3 or 4 hours away, but still not the same as having him around and hearing his laugh. I miss when they were little and they were always around and they were really “mine” if you know what I mean. I loved being a mom to little boys. But we learn and grow and learn to be excited for them and what they are now getting to experience as adults. Today I’m thankful for precious memories.
:)
WHAT? I thought I lost that first comment, so I shortened it and tried again. How embarrassing to have BOTH my “books” show up! LOL! Xanga is acting kinda strange today. Feel free to pick the comment you like most and delete the other!
Oh, Deborah! I think I can understand what you are going through, and I am praying for you. It is hard to have our wonderful children so far away! I know one of the hardest things I ever do is to say goodbye to mine at the airport. One last look at their beautiful faces— one last hug— and then to just turn and walk away….. It kills me! But, I know their destiny in God is not in Denmark, and I never want to hold them back from doing what God calls them to do. I gave them to Him, and I have to let them go, as hard as it is! I just try to enjoy every second of the times when we are able to be together, and to trust in God’s grace and comfort. Love you, Sweetie!
Oh, Deborah! I think I understand a little bit of what you are going through and I will be praying for you. When we moved to Denmark, we left one daughter in America. She was a grown up with a job and a life, but it was still hard to leave her. She always used to say that when she got married, she was going to buy a house just down the street from ours, and now here we were moving to another country! I felt like I was drowning. Our youngest daughter was 17 at the time, and she decided to come with us. I homeschooled her through her Senior year, and then she went to Bible School here in Denmark. After that, she decided God wanted her back in the States, so we took her back. The day we left to come back to Denmark without our kids was one of the hardest days I have ever had to face. Standing there in the airport —one last look at their sweet faces— one last hug— and then I had to turn around and walk away. I cried on and off all the way back to Denmark! Although I have accepted it and adjusted to it, I still miss them so much. I know their destiny in God is not the same as mine, and I never want to hold onto them and keep them from fulfilling the call of God on their lives. I just try to enjoy every single second of the times we do get to be together, and then put them in God’s hands and let them go. I am not sure it gets any easier! I am so thankful for God’s grace and comfort. Anyway….. sorry I wrote a book here, but I just want to say, I understand, I love you and I’ll be praying. HUGS!