Prayer To Live Into God's Care And Experience Peace and Blessing

Well, one of the favourite scripture passages I thought about sharing with us and praying together with this week was the very familiar Psalm 23. 

Now I have to tell you that for a long time this Psalm wasn’t just not my favourite, it seemed a bit stale and not so helpful to me on my journey.  Somehow the words were too familiar I suppose.  I just know that the ears of my heart weren’t open enough to hear what they were saying.

Then a number of years ago a dear friend of mine had a reoccurrence of her cancer that led to her death.  We were holding recovery meetings on Thursday evenings in the building many of us knew then as Mission Possible on Powell Street.  Union Gospel Mission used the same space at other times in the week for a drop-in coffee time.  At one point they put a copy of a painting someone had made of Psalm 23 on the wall. 

One Thursday evening as I sat in the recovery meeting my eyes caught sight of that painting – really saw it – and once again, as with some other words at other times in my life I saw those words in a way I had never seen them before.  The peace and comfort that came to me that evening and then each week as we gathered in that room for quite a few months after that was so sweet and so uplifting.  God took some precious words I had “discarded” and brought them to life in my experience. 

Now, if you check my phone, you will find a playlist on my iTunes music that has more than 20 versions of this Psalm as various artists and groups sing it.  I turn to that playlist perhaps more than any other when I’m driving or when I’m tired at night and just need something that brings a smile to my heart as the companionship of our God is brought front and center in my heart. 

I hadn’t planned it but I’m writing the content for this blog in the hospice room of our dear friend Maureen who is very close to seeing the face of Jesus – perhaps by the time this is posted she’ll have arrived in her eternal home.  Evelyn and I are sitting vigil with our friend – very grateful for this compassionate opportunity her long term care facility gives us to be with her.  What a joy it has been to repeat these comforting words with Maureen and to be reminded of them ourselves.

I invite you to enter into the wonderful truths of these words as we speak to God today.

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

Thank you Loving God for being our shepherd.  You know the way before us.  You know what we need and You are faithfully guiding us so we have food and drink and safe places to rest and be at peace with You.  No one cares for us in every way like You do because only You know who we are individually and what we need.

He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul;

How many times have we come to you frazzled and anxious and angry and worried, and who knows what else, and you have led us to still waters.  You’ve restored our souls.  You’ve set our minds at rest and given us the hope and security we needed to settle down and entrust the moment and our future with You.  Thank you for leading us to green pastures, still waters, and for restoring our souls.

He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.

We’re useless at making the right and best choices at where we need to take next steps but as we seek Your guidance You show us the path, show us when we are getting off the path, and help us move forward in a way that is safe and helpful.  When we need a hand over an obstacle You are there to assist us.  When we need steadying and reorienting You are so dependable to be there at just the right moment in just the right way.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

Well, what more could we say about this?  Lord you’ve been there on many occasions in the dark times of life Your are there when we struggle, when emotions overwhelm us  You are there when the way is dark and we don’t know what is going on around us. You are there when we feel afraid.  You are there with comfort.  You are there with protection. You are there with Your goodness.  You are just there.  That’s what matters.  No matter where we are, You are just there.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over.

Trouble doesn’t stop You from preparing good things for us.  You pour Your grace and healing and blessing into our hearts until we are overflowing – filled up over and over again.    You’ve done it so many times that we are now convinced that:

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

No matter what this pandemic brings, no matter what the future holds in any other area of life, Lord, we can trust that You will be there.  You will be with us  You will be filling us with goodness.  You will be showing us the way forward.  You will be inviting us to be at home with You every day, just resting.  We thank You.  We bless You. In Jesus’ name we pray.

Well I could go on talking about this Psalm for a lot more than 5 minutes but I pray that either these words or some other words – perhaps even words that have gone stale for you in God’s Word, will be brought to mind and refreshed in your life experience today. God is still speaking.  His Word is still alive and active for each of us today.  Have a great day.