Psalm 23 meditation...

Started with Psalms again yesterday, a day after where I stopped last year, so I can still finish by August :)

Just a year later... These are my thoughts as I go along... (may add previous books as I go over it again...)

Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd,

I always say I'm not a sheep, or people are like sheep, but I think what this verse is trying to say is that we are sheep, it's not that we are not, but it's who we are following. And the shepherd is the Lord, the one I follow. As a sheep I humbly, eagerly follow the voice and Leading of the Lord who is my shepherd, the one who looks after me, tends me, leads me, is responsible for me (and as it says in John 10 would give his life for me...)

I shall not be in want

Yep, since learning about Mammon, the spirit behind mammon trying to control us, this scripture is saying stop being desperate, its not saying dont have a desire, but dont be in want, don't be saying I need this or else I dont know...God is the one looking after you, you have everything you need, if you dont have something it's either because it's not your time, or you havent spoken to God about it, but basically the only thing that we should be desperate about is God. So I will and shall not be in want, because The Lord is my shepherd. May this sink in so we live it out.

He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul

Instead of being anxious and frantic about something, He makes you lie down, in green (Western Cape Green, lol) pastures... He slows us down...Wow. Think about it, Look at our God. He cares, in fact think about it too if you are a sheep, Green pastures is somewhere you want to be, so whether this means he takes you to the things you desire too or just that he brings peace, so you can just rest, He is leading you and where he is leading you is Good and good for you... He doesn't not care, but has his own way of doing things, he leads you beside quiet waters...I hear that quiet waters almost said softly. Try and think about the sound of a stream or a little trinkling of a fountain at a mountain hike...or just a river...quiet waters... He takes you along side that...and restores your soul. Man so many times our souls are like the waters where the waves are at their highest threatening to sink our boats...God knows that, and when you are thinking like that or caught up in your emotions you need to be lead beside quiet waters and laid down in green pastures. Also the waters sometimes refer to the Holy Spirit... And even it says deep inside us streams of living water flows. Lastly He restores our soul. Note, it's He and sometimes we need to allow him to quieten us so He can restore our soul. We run from here to there, to try and get peace...Only he can restore our soul, but the awesome thing to me is the way he does, by leading us through places that will bring peace and rest.

He guides me in paths of righteousness

Woh, Normally I speed read this scripture, but now I'm seeing, once again HE, guides me...He does it, He shows us how, He leads us, so where should we look and who should we follow if we want to be more Holy...HE. And He will guide you in those paths of righteousness, leading you to being in rightstanding with God, blameless and an example...

for his name's sake.

Lately God has been speaking about this to me, for His name's sake, for His glory. Doing my best in life because whatever I do brings glory to his name. If people know I am christian yet my life is messed up, sometimes they do think what kind of a God is that...I understand I cannot fix myself, and sometimes circumstances do lead to that. but this scripture is saynig that God will lead you to be the person he wanted you to be, not just so you can be holy but because it brings glory to his name, when we walk in righteousness, when we win our struggles, when we succeed in life and give honour to him to who it's due...Everything even our breathing or the birth of our children, our our marriages, are a picture of the faithfulness and awesomeness of God and his plan for us, and as we follow him letting him guide us into us being more righteous hectic hey, it brings Glory to His name, for His name's sake...