The Sacramental Life – Day 324 – Psalm 23:1-6 – You Are With Me – Growing As Disciples
The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even 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. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. Psalm 23:1-6 (NIV)
Follow Me
Will you follow me to where I lead? Will you do what I ask of you? Will you allow me to take care of you? Before you answer, think deeply about the questions I have asked you. Can you think of how they are related? If you were to say no to these questions what you be the implications? What must you do if you will say yes to each of these three questions? I do want you to take care of me. I know that you can take better care of me than I can take care of myself. If I want you to take care of me, I must give up control of my life to you. If I were to continue to try to live a self-reliant and self-sufficient life, I would be making a powerful statement about who would be taking care of my life. Such a statement would clearly indicate that I would be taking care of myself and would want or need no help from you. We both know how foolish and unwise such a decision would be. How do you know how lacking wisdom and foolish it is to try to live without my help? I have been there and done that, I have gone down that road. I have suffered the bruising and battering and brokenness of trying to live a self-reliant and self-sufficient life. But you rescued me from that life. Like a God Shepherd pursuing a lost sheep, you found me and brought me back to you. You made me lie down in green pastures, beside still waters, so you could revive and refresh and restore my soul. You healed the brokenness of my life. You have been and are now helping me to live a righteous life that is good and right and pleasing to you. You are allowing me to be a bold and bright witness for you in the world. Life has not always been easy since I started following you to where you led me to do what you asked of me. I have had many twists and turns and ups and downs in life. I have walked through some deep and dark valleys that seemed like they were in the shadow of death. But you have always been with me. You have cared for me. You have comforted me. You have protected me. Your goodness has followed me every day of life. And yet, I know that the very best is yet to come. One day, I will come to live forever with you in heaven. So now, it will be my pleasure and joy to follow you to wherever you lead me to do whatever you ask of me. That will be very good. Thank you, Lord.
Lord, I know, without a doubt, that you are with me as I take every step in life. You are my Good Shepherd. You take care of my needs. You are with me to help me. You revive and refresh and restore me. You comfort and protect me. I will follow you. Amen
Key Question… When has the Lord made you lie down, in green pasture like circumstances, to rest in His presence?
Living It Out… Follow the Lord to where He leads you because He knows how to take care of you.
Seeing It Happen… Have faith that the Lord is with you to help you and will take care of you as you follow Him.
Get Ready To Share… Share with another person or your small group how the Lord has been with you to help you through life.
Prayer To Bless Others… May you follow the Lord to where He leads you.
For today’s complete 4 page Discipleship Devotional Devotional Study Guide click here:
Please consider sharing these devotionals with others through the social media you use.
Individual users may save the Discipleship Devotional Study Guide to their desktop for private use. All the blanks in the study guides are fields that allow typed responses. To use the fields on the study guide you may need to open the guide with a free version of adobe reader.
By Jon Ulrich © All rights reserved Copying not permitted www.GrowingAsDisciples.com
