Psalms 23

“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life, of whom shall I be afraid?”

I thank You Lord, for being my Shepherd and dying for me on Mt. Calvary. I have everything in You. You are my Lord and Master. I am Yours and You are mine.

As my Shepherd, I lack for nothing. You feed my mind, soul and body, because You make me to lie down in green pastures.

I lack for no refreshments, because You lead me beside the still waters. I lack no strength or vitality because, You restore my soul. I shall not lack moral direction because; You lead me in the paths of righteousness.

I am not afraid of death because, in the valley of the shadow of death, there is no need to fear for You as my Shepherd is right there with me.

Your rod and Your staff are my source of comfort, strength, protection, and guidance. Even when you use Your rod for correction, I realize its because You love me. As my Shepherd, You prepare a table before me in the presence of mine enemies. You give spiritual food and blessings, which our Lord Jesus purchased for me with His precious blood. Hallelujah!

You anoint my head with the oil of Your Holy Spirit, which guarantees me the teaching ministry of God, the Spirit. I am rich with Your grace, Your love, as my cup runs over with Your goodness and mercy. I will dwell in Your house forever, as Your love has no limit, Your grace no measure, for You giveth, and giveth to me salvation, and boundless riches in Christ Jesus. Hallelujah!   Amen

                                 Written by, Susie Dicus-Gottmann          3/28/98

God the Father is the author—the originator of all that exists. It was His mind, first, that took shape.

 God, the Son, our Savior, is God the artisan —the artist, the Creator of all that exists. You brought into being all that has been originally formulated in the Fathers mind. 

God, the Holy Spirit, is God the agent, who presents the facts to both my mind and my spiritual understanding so that they became both real and relative to me as an individual.

Father to think that You, God in Christ is deeply concerned about me as a particular person immediately gives great purpose and enormous meaning to my short sojourn upon this planet. The greater, the wider, the more majestic my concept is of Christ —the more vital will be my relationship to Him. He is my Shepherd —my owner — my manager.  

It staggers my mind that the fact that Christ Jesus, the Creator of such a large universe of overwhelming magnitude, designs to call Your-self my Shepherd and to invite me to consider myself Your sheep —Your special object of affection and attention. Who better could care for me?  

As I stoop down and pick up a handful of soil from my yard, place it under an electron microscope, I am astounded to discover it teems with billions upon billions of microorganisms. Yes, You are the Christ —the Son of God, brought it all into being. I have to admit Your ownership of me as a human being is legitimate and no one is better able to understand or care for me. I belong to You simply because You deliberately chose to create me as the object of Your own affection.  

To think Lord Jesus, You demonstrated at Calvary the deep desire to have men come under Your benevolent care.  You, absorbed the penalty of my perverseness, stating clearly that “All we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned everyone to his own way and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6). So therefore, I truly belong to You simply because You bought me again at an incredible price. Therefore, You are entitled to say, “I Am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd giveth His life for the sheep. 

Lord Jesus, despite the fact that I am just like a sheep, You still selected me, bought me, and called me by name, made me Your own and You delight in caring for me. You literally lay Yourself out for me, continually. You are ever working on my behalf to ensure that I will benefit from Your care. I take pride, my Shepherd, in belonging to You.

You are magnificent in Your unselfish spirit of forgiveness for the fallen folk, but terror to those who indulge in double talk or false pretenses. You came to set men free from their own sins, their own selves; their own fears. 

You, who insist that You are the Good Shepherd, the understanding Shepherd, the concerned Shepherd, care enough to seek out and save and restore lost men and women.  I bear Your mark my Shepherd, the mark of the cross which identifies me with You for all time.

I call on You, my Shepherd, I recognize Your right to me and I recognize Your authority and I acknowledge Your ownership. I find freedom and complete fulfillment in this arrangement. Lord Jesus I sense a purpose and a deep contentment because I am under Your direction.  So with genuine gratitude and exaltation I exclaim proudly just as David did, “The Lord is my Shepherd!” and I am thrilled to belong to You, for it is thus that I shall flourish and thrive no matter what life may bring to me.

                                                                                                                   VSD-G Psalms 23 1/27/01

Father, because I belong to Your Son, and recognize Him as Lord and Master of my life, my owner and manager, I have been permeated by a deep, quiet, settled peace, that is beautiful to behold.

I have entrusted myself to Your care and control and I find myself very contended. I am completely satisfied with Your managing my life. You are my Good Shepherd who provides for me throughout the days. I am contented, well fed, safe and secure in Your loving care. You Word tells me it’s Your “life”. You give all You have to it. You literally lay Yourself out for those You love. Repeatedly throughout the day and night You cast Your eye over Your flock to make sure that all is well.  You neither slumber nor sleep, therefore when trouble arrives You are ready at the least sign of trouble to leap up and protect me. “Blessed be the Lord, who daily leadeth us with benefits-even the God of our salvation.” He that keepeth thee will not slumber or sleep.

Father, life is full of hazards. We can never tell what today will bring. We live either in a sense of anxiety, fear, and foreboding, or in a sense of quiet rest. Generally it is the “unknown”, the “unexpected”, that produces the greatest panic. My first impulse is to simply get up and run from them. Then in the midst of my misfortunes, there comes the awareness that You, my Savior, my Good Shepherd is here for me. Your presence in the picture throws a different light on the whole situation. My outlook on things changes and there is hope. I’m delivered from the fear; rest returns and I can relax again. (Praise Your holy name!) I relax in the knowledge that my Master, my Friend, my Owner has things under control —now I can lay me down in peace and sleep for Thou, O God keepest me.

You come quietly to reassure me that You, are aware of my dilemma and are deeply involved in it with me. And with that assurance, Father, I can rest and relax. “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound disciplined mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7)

 Master, when my eyes are on You, all my foolish, selfish snobbery, and revelry ends. In Your presence I find peace and contentment. Being close to You, conscious of Your abiding Presence, made real in my mind,  emotions, and will by the indwelling gracious Spirit sets me free from fear and  from fellow man, and what ever they think of me.

Father, You sent Your gracious Holy Spirit to bring healing, and comfort, and relief from the harsh and abrasive aspects of life. Your Holy Spirit makes real in me, Your very presence. He brings quietness, serenity, strength, and calmness in the face of frustration and futility. When I turn to Your Holy Spirit and expose my problems to Him, allowing Him to see the dilemma, a difficulty, a disagreeable experience beyond my control, He comes to assist. Thank You, my Shepherd for sending Your Holy Spirit.

You have cleared my life of those rocks of stony unbelief. You tore out the roots of bitterness, You have broken up the hard, proud human heart of mine and sown seeds of Your precious Word, which if I give it a chance will grow and produce rich crops of contentment and peace. You water me with the dew and rain of Your own presence by the Holy Spirit.

Your care for me, my Shepherd, is beyond my comprehension, the best I can do is to enjoy and celebrate in what You have brought into effect in my life.

I thank You and give You praise and glory! Amen

                                                                                                          VSD-G Psalms 23 2/1/01                                                                                                          

Psalm 23

Father, just as my physical body has a need for water, my Spiritual soul also thirst for living water, the Water of the Spirit of my eternal God. If I disregard watering my soul on Your living Word, I will end up polluting my heart with unclean thoughts, that will soon make me sick. My Good Shepherd has made it clear in the Word that my thirsty soul can only be fully satisfied when my capacity and thirst for spiritual life is fully quenched by drowning on Him. "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be filled [satisfied]" (Matthew 5:6).

Father, I want to drink in Your Word so that the very life of Christ is a part of me. "O God! You have made me for Yourself and my soul is restless, searching, till I find my rest in Thee".

You alone know where the still quiet deep clean pure water of my soul is, in Your Word, it will lead me to safety, and fullness satisfying my thirst. It is in the quiet early hours of the morning that You lead me beside the quiet still waters, where, I absorb the very life of Christ for the day. My quiet time with You, my Master is like the old hymn of the past puts it, "The still dew of Your Spirit can be dropped into my lap and soul." I come away refreshed in mind and spirit, ready to tackle the day. I am fully satisfied and happily refreshed; nothing pleases me more than our time together in the morning of every new day. Your Word says, You delight to know my soul and spirit have been refreshed and satisfied.

Father, I have tried drinking deeply of the well of the world only to turn away unsatisfied-unquenched  in my soul, thirsty for peace and rest. "My people...they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold no water" (John 2:13). My life was broken, shattered hopes of barren soul all dried up and parched and full of dust and despair! But, praise Your holy name, my Shepherd reached down and took hold of my hand and gave me another drink of living water from His well. He came to me in the midst of chaos and of a confused mind and soul. My Shepherd came quietly as of old and invited me to follow Him once again. You knew my human heart, my human personality, my human soul with its amazing capacity for God, could never be satisfied with a substitute. Only the Spirit filled life of my Shepherd can satisfy my thirsty soul.

Every time I have been led into a dark, dangerous and somewhat disagreeable situation, You were there ahead of me, guiding and leading me beside the still waters to safety and rest. You are the only one who made sense and put purpose and meaning into the situations that come my way, which otherwise would have been a mockery to me. Suddenly life had meaning again, as I discovered I was the object of Your special care and attention.

I thank You, my Shepherd, for inviting me to be lead and guided by Your own gracious Spirit, as You lead me into truth, as my guide and counselor. You make me to see that life in You, is the only truly satisfying life. You have become to me, very meat and drink -that Your resurrection, and overcoming life was imparted to me by Your Spirit, and each day I will be refreshed and satisfied, as You lead me beside the still waters.

                                                     VSD-  G2/2/01                                                                                                 

Abba Father, we are habitually like sheep, creatures of habit, which follow the same trails, until we pollute everything we do. We become corrupt and diseased with worldly notions and ways, making of ourselves idols. And just as sheep need careful handling, we humans need shepherding from a heavenly Father. We let our lives become over loaded, neglecting the Word and prayer; we struggle with being infected by worldly ideals and with worldly playthings. Father, our behavior patterns and life habits are so much like sheep it's well nigh embarrassing.

We are stiff-necked and stubborn people. We prefer to follow our own fancies and turn to our own way. “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way.” (Isaiah 53:6) Father we do this over and over again even to our own disadvantage, we are so full of self-pride and self-assertion. We simply do what we want even spite of the warning of Your Word.

 I read in Proverbs 14:12 & 16:25, “There is a way which seemeth right into a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.”  But praise Your Holy name, my Good Shepherd comes and gently says, “ I am the way, the truth and the life, no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6)'I am come that they may have life and that they might have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10) Most of us Father do not want to be led in the paths of righteousness; somehow it goes against our grain. Have mercy upon my stubborn will, Lord. I pray You will keep me on the potter's wheel, molding me and making me into the image of my great Shepherd.

Father, the stubborn, self-willed, proud, self-sufficient sheep that persist in pursuing its old paths and grazing on old polluted ground will end up a bag of bones on ruined land. The world we live in is full of such people. Broken homes, broken hearts, derelict & twisted personalities remind us everywhere of men & women who have gone their own way. The greed & selfishness of mankind leaves behind a legacy of ruin and remorse. But amid all the chaos and confusion Christ the Good Shepherd comes and say, “If any man will follow me, let him deny himself daily and take up his cross and follow me.” (Mark 8:34)

Abba Father, I lay down self to take up my cross to follow my Good Shepherd. Lead me, my Shepherd where You will. Father instead of loving myself most, I am willing to love Christ best and others more than I. “Hereby perceive [understand] we know the real love of God, because He laid down His life for us.” (1 John 3:16)

Father instead of being one of the crowd, I am willing to be singled out, set apart from the gang. I want to be different in a deep, distinctive way, not just to the minor details that appeal to my selfish ego.

Instead of insisting on my own rights, I am willing to forego them in favor of others. Master, I want to deny self, it is not easy, nor normal, nor natural to do this, but I'm willing to pocket my pride to take a back seat to play second fiddle without feeling of being abused, or put upon. To enter new ground with You. I want to enjoy a wholesome outlook of carefree abandon that will make my Christian life contagious with contentment and gaiety.

Master, instead of being “boss” I am willing to be at the bottom of the heap. May the desire for self- assertion, self-aggrandizement, self-pleasing give way to the desire of simply pleasing You and others. I willing put my personal affairs in my Shepherd hands for His management and direction.

Instead of finding fault and always asking “why?” I am willing to accept every circumstance of live in an attitude of gratitude. Father, to know beyond doubt that You are handling my welfare is to be lead in to a wide area of peace, quietness and strength for every situation.

Instead of exercising and asserting my will, I am willing to learn to co-operate with Your wishes and comply with Your will. Instead of choosing my own way, I am willing to choose to follow in Christ's way, simply to do what You instruct me to do. I want to go where You invite me to go, say what You instruct me to say, to act and react in the manner You maintain for my own interest as well as for Your reputation. You make this possible by Your own gracious Spirit who was given to those who obey. (Acts 5:32) “For it is He who works in us both to will and to do Your good pleasure.” (Phil 2:13)

My Shepherd, continue to lead me in the paths of righteousness for Your names sake.

Thank You, My Shepherd for preparing a table in the presence of mine enemies. Your eagle eye is sharp for any sign of trouble and You are ready to pluck me up and set me down on solid rock before I fall.

Your scriptures warn me that Satan is roaring around like a Lion ready to devour me. But, You also point out that You are interceding for me in prayer to the Father, anticipating what dangers I may encounter and praying that I will not succumb to it.

My Shepherd, who knows every wile, every trick, every treachery of my enemy Satan and his companions, comes to my rescue.  So many times, we as Christians get into deep difficulties beyond ourselves, where we are stricken dumb with apprehension, unable to call or to cry out for Your help; we just crumble under our adversaries attack.  But, as my Shepherd, You are concerned about me, You will not allow this to happen. You want to forestall such a calamity. If I would just use common sense and stay close to You, You will protect me. I must spend time in Your Word each day and spend time talking to You and then give You the opportunity to converse with me by Your Spirit.

As my Shepherd, You clean up my life-You remove the dross that has clogged up my life, to bring forth the gold. You go before me in every encounter-You, have been tempted in all points as I have, You know my sufferings; You have experienced my sorrows; endured the struggles of life. You were a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.  Because of this You understand me. You have identified Your self with humanity. You therefore have compassion for us beyond our ability to grasp. You make every possible provision to insure that when we cope with Satan, sin or self, the contest will be one sided. It is with this attitude of rest in You, confident in Your care, that Your presence makes the Christian life one of calm and quiet confidence.

 

The Christian walk can thus become a mountain top experience. A tableland trip, simply because we are in the care and control of the Shepherd, who has walked over all the territory before us and prepared a table for us in plain view of our enemies, who would demoralize and destroy us if they could.

Just because my Shepherd has gone ahead and makes every provision for safety available, does not mean I will be free of adversities. Predators can still attack; storms of life can come swirling over the peaks, and a dozen other hazards can haunt me. My Shepherd insures me I shall have some gladness with my sadness, some delightful days as well as dark days, some sunshine as well as shadows.  

When I come to the Lords Table and partake of the communion service which is the feast of thanksgiving for His love and care. I think about what it cost Him to prepare a table before me. What love the world has ever known. God looked down upon sorrowing, struggling humanity and was moved with compassion for the contrary, sheep-like creature He had made. My Shepherd chose deliberately to give up deity to live amongst us so that He could set us free by His shed blood.  

This meant laying aside His splendor, His position, and His prerogatives as the perfect Faultless One. He knew what He would endure for a sinner such as I. He took upon Himself-all the sorrows, illnesses, crimes, murder, incest, drug abuse, alcoholism, thefts, adulteries and much more. He was branded as a glutton, a drunkard, and a friend of sinners.  Why, I ask would Jesus want to save a sinner such as I. In short, My Shepherds coming to earth as Jesus of Nazareth was a straightforward case of utter self sacrifice of love that culminated at the Cross. He laid down His life and poured out His blood for you and me. This was LOVE. This was GOD. This was divinity in action; delivering men from their own utter selfishness, their own stupidity, and their own suicidal instincts as lost sheep unable to help themselves.

Jesus told us that He had come that we may have life and have it more abundantly. He is so pleased when I (we) walk in the ways of holiness of selflessness, of serene contentment in His care, aware of His presence and enjoying the intimacy of His companionship.

Thank You, my Shepherd to find a table set before me because of Your love for humanity and me.

                                                                                          Written from Psalm 23   VSD-G  3/10/01

Psalm 23

As my Shepherd, You anoint my head with oil as You take me out into the green pastures, along the still waters, up though the mountain top to the high tablelands where there is clear running springs, where the forage is fresh and tender.

So soon, I must leave my mountain top experience to come down into the valleys because of a fly in the ointment. Most often it's the small petty annoyance that become burning issues that can well nigh drive me around the bend. Most times its some tiny, tantalizing thing that torments me to the point of where I feel I'm just beating my brains out.  Its then, I pray for Your gracious Spirit to counter act the ever-present aggravations of personality conflicts.

Just one filling of the Holy Spirit is not sufficient for me; it must be an ongoing anointing. The daily frustrations demonstrate that I must have Him come continuously to my troubled mind and heart to counteract the attacks of my tormentors.  In Luke 11:13, my Shepherd Himself urges me to ask for the Holy Spirit to be given me by the Father. I must have that daily anointing of Your gracious Spirit upon my mind. Only You can form in me the mind of Christ Jesus. The Holy Spirit alone can give me the attitude of Christ.

When circumstances beyond my control begins to bug me, It is then possible to be content and serene when the outside forces are counteracted by the presence of Your Spirit.  Romans 8:1-2 clearly states that it is the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus that makes me free from the law of sin and death.

It is the daily anointing of Your Spirit that produces in my life such personality traits as joy, contentment, love, patience, gentleness and peace. When it gets too hard to handle, I cry out to You with these petty, annoying, peevish problems. Please apply the oil of Your Spirit to my mind, my Shepherd, so I may cope.

To keep my mind and spirit from the contamination of the world, I must be conscious daily,  & hourly of the purging presence of Your Holy Spirit, applying Him to my mind. I invite Your Holy Spirit to come into my conscious and subconscious mind to monitor my thought life. By faith I believe and know and accept and thank You for coming into my life. I believe and know and accept Your anointing upon my mind.

You anoint my head with the Oil of the Holy Spirit to make it through one more day. Thank You, my shepherd for taking such good care of Your sheep. Thank You for being my Shepherd.

                       Written from the Psalms 23    VSD- G  4/21/01                                                                                                  

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