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Hear the Devotional read here: https://bit.ly/2KJOTca
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever. (Psalm 23 King James Version)
Happy Thursday, dear Friend. I pray this finds you well and enjoying the guidance and blessings of the Shepherd.
It was at the deathbed of one of my friends and mentors in ministry. He had been a dear friend and coworker in district ministry matters of the church as a layperson; later he went and became a minister. He was our family pastor for six years while Nellie, our girls and I were in Edinburg, where I served as campus minister at then-Pan American University. The daughters and son of this dear pastor joined hands and were going to recite this precious psalm as a prayer. "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want..." The long pause made it evident that that's about all they knew of this psalm. I was holding my friend's hand and he laughed. I understood the situation and had it been my Dad on that bed I would have struggled remembering my name! I also remember hearing the story of a church holding a celebration banquet and they had invited a noted actor to come and recite this psalm as part of the closing of this celebration. The actor, advanced in years of theatre work, recited the psalm as a powerful poem. The audience enthusiastically applauded the delivery of this noted thespian. When the applause died down, the retired pastor invited to give the closing prayer moved slowly to the microphone and recited this psalm as his prayer. The delivery was much different from the powerful one given by the actor and one person was heard to say, "The actor knows the psalm; this man knows the Shepherd."
May it be said of us that we have known, loved, trusted, and walked with The Shepherd. We also want to affirm that the Shepherd has known us. May our lives reflect that every word written by David was a roadmap of the life we lived; provided and cared for by God; we traveled many a mille with Him, both good and bad, and all celebrations were given in our honor as a testament of His love for us; and as we have journeyed to the end, We have been anointed, appointed, and received as worthy to dwell with Him in His house for all eternity.
PRAYER: Loving Shepherd, You are ours, and we are Yours. May our lives celebrate that we have not wanted for a thing, because You lovingly and plentifully provided for us. You have led us to the right places at the right time. You have held our hands during the tough times, and embraced us when we shuddered with sadness and grief. When our enemies gathered to rejoice in our downfall, You threw a celebration in our honor. May we journey towards the fullness that is Thine for all who trust in You. And when our time comes to draw our last breath, may the breath of eternity be Yours. In Christ Jesus we pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Show someone that you belong to the Shepherd. Baa if you have to!
Receive my love and blessings,
Pastor Eradio Valverde.
