A dear friend of mine asked me to do a Bible study with her. It almost didn’t matter what she wanted to study. I would say yes to just about anything to get to spend time with her. But what did she want to study? Jennifer Rothschild’s Psalm 23: The Shepherd with Me.
What? A six week study on a passage of scripture full of calm, peaceful verses? The “he makes me lie down” chapter during the year I’m focusing on “rest”? That “yes” was a no-brainer. Our Father is so kind to put lessons on my word for the year right in front of my face.
In the first week’s study I learned that some scholars believe David wrote Psalm 23 when he was on the run during the civil war brought on by his son Absalom’s rebellion. Whether or not that’s true, we know from history that David had been through some stuff. He had faced down a murderous giant, feared for his life at the hand of King Solomon and fought against the overthrow of his reign – among many other trials. His own son wanted to kill him. And yet he wrote this:
Psalm 23 NASB
“The Lord is my shepherd,
I [a]shall not want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside [b]quiet waters.
3 He restores my soul;
He guides me in the [c]paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk through the [d]valley of the shadow of death,
I fear no [e]evil, for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You [f]have anointed my head with oil;
My cup overflows.
6 [g]Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life,
And I will [h]dwell in the house of the Lord[i]forever.”
The Lessons
David wrote of his abundance in the Lord. Because of God’s care and mercy, he boldly proclaimed that he feared no evil. Even as he was being hunted down like a dog.
No matter what I’m going through, “my cup overflows” too. “Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life”. And you too. We can rest on that.
And now for this week’s featured post from the link up.
I was so glad to see Katie R Dale back on the link up last week. Her post To Do or Not to Do, That’s the Question helps continue the conversation on rest. She offers a very practical approach to deciding what should and shouldn’t be on your plate!
The Link Up
1. Share 1 or 2 of your most recent CHRISTIAN LIVING posts. (No DIY, crafts, recipes, or inappropriate articles.) All links are randomly sorted.
2. Comment on 1 or 2 other links. Grace & Truth linkup encourages community.
3. Every host features one entry from the previous week. To be featured, include this button or link back here on your post (mandatory to be featured, but not to participate).
We encourage you to follow our hosts on their blogs or social media.
MAREE DEE – Embracing the Unexpected
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LAUREN SPARKS
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LISA BURGESS – Lisa notes
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TAMMY KENNINGTON – Restoring hope. Pursuing peace.
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Hi Lauren,
At the same time I’ve been writing about weariness, God has been leading me to posts about rest. It’s obvious He is trying to teach me something.
I loved Katie’s post last week. Her process for decision-making was so useful!
I hope you are doing well.
Blessings,
Tammy
Thank you for adding your agreement here. We are in this learning process together!
David showed maturity, love and honor when he refused to raise his hand against King Saul. And David showed heart trust and soul rest in the Lord through all of the difficult challenges he faced.
Probably some of the reasons he is called a man after God’s own heart!
Psalm 23 sounds like a great study for intentional rest, Lauren.
I am still learning a lot about it. I have finished the study, but I’m going back thru it.
What an invitation, Lauren. The older I get, the more at peace I am when I say yes, please, Lord, when He calls me apart from the craziness and invites me to the quiet places.
‘Come to me all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.’
– Matthew 11:28
Praying for that peace and rest for both of us today.
He had peace even as he was being pursued – that is, indeed, such good food for thought! A good Monday morning lesson as I go into the week!
I keep thinking if David could have peace in that, what can’t I be peaceful through?
Psalm 23 remains one of my very favorite passages in the Bible for all-time. I’m glad you were able to study it with your friend. I love reminding myself that God’s goodness and mercy are always following me. It brings me rest too. Glad you shared this with our One Word linkup, Lauren!
Thanks for hosting, Lisa. I am learning so much about God and myself through my one-word.
Goodness and mercy are following me today. I remind myself of this often. It has been awhile since I studied Psalm 23, time to do it again.
I don’t think any time is a bad time to study Psalm 23!