30 DoW: Psalm 23

Psalm 23
1 The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.

2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,

3 he restores my soul.
He guides 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 love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

attribute & response:
Shepherd. God as Shepherd is a picture we see often throughout Scripture. One to Guide and comfort us, even when we, like sheep, have no real idea what we're doing or the way to go.

I thank Him as I see in hindsight ways he steered the course of my life, even before I knew Him, protecting me from my own desires, things I wanted to do, which would have yielded serious if not deadly consequences.

As I read this, it also struck me how in the past I missed His actual purpose behind all this—to do so "for His name's sake." To glorify Him. That is the ultimate purpose of existence to which I was blind for so many years. Thank you, LORD, for opening my eyes, heart, mind and soul to your Truth and Wisdom.