Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever. Psalm 23:6
Dear Lord,
You are my Shepherd, my Protector, my Provider. You watch over me. You take good care of me. May I be like a sheep; meek and obedient to Your call and Your voice.
I shall not want. In Jesus, I have everything. What more could I want? For You supply all that I need. When I still have any unfulfilled desire in my heart, may I trust You that it’s either not good for me or not the right timing.
You make me lie down in green pastures and give me rest. You lead me beside still waters and give me refreshment from Your living waters. You give me the support, comfort, and daily bread I need. You provide me with food that feeds my body. You provide me with food that feeds my soul. Your word of life helps me grow strong in wisdom and discernment and gives me peace and contentment. I have peace with God through faith in Jesus. (Romans 5:1). Amen!
Because I feed on Your goodness, help me to follow Your path of righteousness. As Your sheep, I am prone to wander, but You give me the gift of repentance. When I stray, You are faithful to restore my soul, gently gather me back into Your flock, and set me back onto Your path. You lead me by Your word, providence, and Spirit according to the purpose of Your will, to the praise of Your glorious grace, for Your name’s sake.
Death is the king of all terrors (Job 18:14). But not to me, because I belong to Jesus, who gathers me into His arms and carries me close to His heart (Isaiah 40:11). What can separate me from the love of God? Not even death (Romans 8:35). Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, though I walk where death lurks all around me, it is merely a shadow to a sheep. I will fear no evil. A shadow of even the deadliest snake or weapon can’t hurt me, not even in the slightest. I have nothing to fear when I belong to You, Jesus. I give them eternal life and they shall never perish. No one can snatch them out of my hand (John 10:28). My soul is eternally secure in You, and I will never taste death. As I walk through the valley, I should never fear, for You will guide and help me. You will uphold me with Your righteous right hand (Isaiah 41:10). Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. Your rod is Your word that gently corrects me when I make a wrong turn, and Your staff is Your Spirit that gently guides me through the valley.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies, and You anoint my head with oil. My cup overflows. A sheep has enemies, for I wouldn’t be like my Lord if I didn’t. If I was without enemies, I might fear that I am a friend of the world and an enemy of God (James 4:4). Having enemies, being hated by the world (John 15:18-19), and experiencing suffering and persecution for the sake of Jesus are evidence that I belong to You. (See Matthew 5:10-11, Philippians 1:29).
As my enemies see me eat at my table with my head anointed with oil and my cup overflowing, may it point them not to me but to the One who prepared it all for me. Lord, I ask that You soften their hearts to hear the gospel and receive it with joy so they too may become one of the fold and be saved, by Your grace. Lord, may You have mercy on them as You did on me, and gift them with repentance and faith to believe in Jesus.
My cup overflows. Your divine power provides me everything pertaining to life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3). You give me all things that are needed for the body and the soul, both now and to the day of eternity. Not only that, but You provide all these things in abundance. It can't even all stay in the wonderful cup you gave me! Lord, I know I always have enough because You tell me that Your grace is sufficient (2 Corinthians 12:9).
Surely Your goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; not only on the hard and dreary days but also on the light and joyful days. Your goodness supplies every need of mine, and Your mercy blots out every sin of mine. I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed (John 8:35-36).
As my faith is strengthened in God’s promises and my joy increases in the reality of my heavenly home with Jesus, I am strengthened in Christ as I keep my eyes on Him, the Author and Perfecter of my faith, the Good Shepherd, my Protector, my Provider, my Lord and Savior.
All glory belongs to Jesus. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.
The Lord Is My Shepherd
A Psalm of David.
23 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. 3 He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
4 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.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.