Thursday, November 10, 2016

Jehovah the Good Shepherd. Psalm 23.

A Psalm of David, a hymn written by David by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost (Spirit), an expression of not only of David's personal faith and trust, but of the confidence which all believers have in goodness, love, and grace of God and of their Savior Jesus Christ, brought out all the more strongly since it is spoken in the name of each individual Christian. The Lord Jehovah, the God of grace and faithfulness, the redeemer of mankind, not only God the Father, Gen.48, 15;  49, 24,, but also God the Son, Jesus Christ in particular, is "my Shepard", to whom every believer stands in relation of the most intimate fellowship, by whom and in whom he lives, through whose mighty power the life of his soul is sustained."I SHALL NOT WANT!" Being supplied with all gifts and blessings for this world and the world to come. The Psalms teach us to pray, to properly understand he psalms, the Isralite's attempts at expressing their experience of God. Bolt of lighting, the grandeur of a mountain , the warming of the Sun and the nourishing rain, all remaining them of abiding presence of the Lord. The psalms represent an effort to put into words their contemplative  experience of God. The psalm s are songs of the people who knew God as a personal God. We cannot Love a person we do not know. Praising God in the words of the psalms, and listening to what He is saying.
  He maketh me to lie down in "Green pastures"  where the best spirtual food is found in abundance; He leadeth me besides still waters, where the refreshing streams of His grace flow softly and gently with the beauty of the Gospel. The "Good Shepherd" gives food and drink, rest and peace. The gifts of love. for this world and the world to come. "He restoreth my soul, when my spirits droop, on account of sin and afflictions of this world. He leadeth me in paths of righteousness, where roads are straight, and there is no chance of stumbling: " for His name's sake. through these blessings nourish with true confidence of faith in our hearts as believers, for though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, where darkness and terror surround the believer, I will fear no evil in the proper defiance of death faith; for thou are with me. Thy rod and staff protecting me with,  the means of grace as in every trouble  affecting body and soul.
 Thou prepare a table before me setting a joyful and rich festival meal, in the presence of my enemies, for they are helpless in the presence of the mighty shepherd.
  Our privileged in life as Christians, is to praise God as sovereign Lord of heaven and earth. Our  whole life must be dedicated to this end. As we  behold the Lord in all his majesty and splendor, our natural response is to praise him.  One of the time honored methods of praising God as creator and king, as provider and protector, is by praying those inspired hymns of praise which makes up the Psalter. They are expression of adoration, worship, and honor to our glorious Lord and God.  Through the words of the Psalms we can voice gratitude. to our loving provident Father. In the Psalms we find prayers of petition. What ever is holding you back from getting close to Jesus, Finding peace in your faith, not trusting your own power, but, Jehovah's mercy in the means of grace. " For thou are with me, thy rod and staff they comfort me.
  Our privileged in life as Christians, is to praise and glorify God as sovereign  Lord of heaven and earth. One of the time honored methods of praising God as creator and King, as provider and protector, is by praying those inspired hymns of praise which makes up the Psalter.
 The Psalm are prayers that help us express the praise arising in our hearts. The humbled contrite heart he will not turn away," during our earthly life.  In the Psalms we find prayers of petition. Psalm 95 is a good place to start and end with the solicitous Good Shepherd (Christ), Psalm 23.
 With the psalmist, we come to the rock for strength and protection. Remember the Psalms are the songs of people who knew God as a personal Savior. They knew him with their heart. We can not love a God we do not know. Praising God in the words of the Psalms, and if we listen to what He is saying, it will help us know him better, which will increase our love for him. The Psalms are a record of salvation history. They are historical  as they relate God's dealing with his people in Old Testament times. The Psalms are also Christological. The are full of the incarnate word. Jesus prayed the Psalms. He confirmed the theology of the Psalms by quoting them in his own teaching ministry The Psalms have a ecclesial dimension they are used extensively in the liturgy of the church.
 Even though the psalms were composed in the Old Testament, they are deeply trinitarian. To the Father is attributed the work of creation. His on going providential care is praised and glorified in many psalms. The Royal psalms foretell the coming of the "Messianic King." (Christ).  In the songs of Israel, God's  work sanctification performed by The "Holy Spirit," is praised and glorified.
  This accent on praying with the Psalms is by no means new in the church. The psalms are the source of many different methods of prayer recommended by the church throughout the centuries. They play an important role in the sacramental liturgies , especially in the Eucharist (communion). They also form the main body of the church's daily prayer.
 One fundamental truth which the psalms can teach us is that real peace comes primarily from our submission to God's will, and our total trust and confidence in him as our Loving "Father!"
  As we pray the psalms, we expose our thinking to God's word. There we discover his will. As we rest in his presence, our will becomes gradually conformed to his. This is the source of great joy in our lives. Many of the psalms are particularly appropriate for time of suffering and trial. At some time we all fell short, being wounded, scarred, or broken by our sinfulness. The psalms show us how the suffering of the psalmist prefigured the agony of Jesus in the garden, his rejection and death, which eventually led to his glorification. We must submit to his will, Because prayer is a gift from God we must remain receptive to the kind of prayer in which he is leading us.
  Psalm 23, is probably the best known and most widely used of the whole collection of inspired prayers. It portrays, in beautiful  pastoral imagery, God as a shepherd caring for his sheep. His loving care as a shepherd covers all, protection, guidance, nourishment, and above all love.      































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