Psalm 23 Prayer: Find Strength in God’s Love | Morning Prayer To START YOUR DAY

before we pray let's take a moment to listen to God's word there are places in Scripture that are powerful so deep that to recite them is to experience them Psalm chapter 23 is one of those places as one scholar said the psalm itself is green pasture the psalm itself is still water the psalm itself restores my soul Psalm 23 is very personal there are no references to we or they but only my and me and I and you this is David's testimony his personal experience with God and what makes this a constant friend is that

it covers all of life with simple beauty it speaks of Green Pastures and Still Waters as well as dark valleys and enemies and adversities but what Comforts us and helps us is the Psalms confidence David really believes this about God we realize as we linger over these words that what David writes is not poetic exaggeration or theoretical theology he has experienced God in these ways heard his voice followed his lead felt his care beneath the beauty of his words there are solid convictions formed in The Crucible of Crisis so as we go through our own

times of Crisis and storms we get the strength we need as we meditate on this powerful chapter when you find yourself weak in the dark uncertain of the future when all the color is drained out of your life and your soul is downcast look up fix your eyes on Jesus stick close to him I want to focus on a few parts of Psalm 23 that stand out to me the first and most important point is mentioned in the first verse the Lord is my shepherd Psalm 23 verse1 this chapter is about what God does for

his people and like all the Bible it points us to Jesus Christ he is our Shepherd and that is an important aspect of who Jesus is that we must always remember in the Book of John Jesus declared I am the Good Shepherd the Good Shepherd lays down his life for the Sheep John 10:1 Jesus our loving Shepherd laid down his life for us when the enemy tried to destroy us our Good Shepherd stepped in and delivered us from him we can be so grateful that he is our Shepherd now it is sometimes alleged that because

most of us live in cities or suburbs we don't know what a Shepherd is and we can't grasp what a Shepherd does but even if you have never seen a flock of sheep in your life the psalm tells you all that you need to know about a shepherd a Shepherd leads the sheep and our Good Shepherd leads us into rest and into righteousness a Shepherd restores the sheep and our Good Shepherd retrieves us when we are lost and restores us when we are spent a Shepherd protects the sheep and our Good Shepherd protects Us from

Evil and from our enemies a Shepherd feeds the sheep and our good Shepherd invites us to his table and presents us with an overflowing cup a Shepherd loves the sheep and our Good Shepherd loves us with a love that pursues us and one day will welcome us into his presence 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 at me Psalm 23:4 we all walk through the valley of the shadow of death and it's a scary

place but even though it's scary and even though it seems like we are all alone we are not alone because the Lord is with us as we walk through the valley of the shadow of death don't believe the lie that you are all alone and that you will stay there because Jesus will lead you through he will comfort you and protect you when the enemy comes against you today if you feel like you are walking in the Valley of the shadow of death remember this the only way you can see a shadow is if there

is light behind you and the Lord is that light in your dark times the Lord is my light and my salvation Whom Shall I Fear the Lord is the stronghold of my life of whom shall I be afraid Psalm 27:1 it's important to remember that as David wrote this Psalm he knew what it took to be a Shepherd because he was one himself this is what he did in his teenage years it was a dangerous job wild animals would attack the Sheep sheep the sling he used to overcome Goliath would have been used to ward

off wild animals who came to attack the Sheep there's nothing sentimental about the work of a Shepherd when The Lion and the bear came David stood with the Sheep to protect them even at risk to his own life and that's what the Lord did for us and defeated the enemy when You Face difficult decision s this Psalm is for you when you are losing heart this Psalm is for you when you face enemies or when you have seen the face of evil this Psalm is for you 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 God's goodness and mercy will follow us all the days of our lives he is not saying there will be no trouble ever but amid tough times and challenges when everything seems to be against us the Lord's goodness and mercy will follow us all the Days of Our Lives the enemy wants us to believe that good things won't happen to us but that is not true the Lord who is our Good Shepherd will be with us and will lead

us through the valley of the shadow of death and his goodness and mercy will follow us all the Days of Our Lives we have nothing to fear because he is our Good Shepherd now let's pray together Heavenly Father we come before you today humbled and grateful reflecting on the beauty and Truth of Psalm 23 Lord you are Our Shepherd and we are your sheep wholly dependent on you you lead us guide us protect us and provide for us with a love that surpasses all understanding we thank you for being our constant companion and for never

leaving us no matter where life takes us Lord as we meditate on these words we aore that you are the Good Shepherd you know our needs before we even voice them you lead us to Green Pastures and Still Waters providing rest for our weary Souls thank you for being the one who restores us when we feel empty and lost thank you for being the one who leads us in Paths of righteousness for your name's sake father we know that this journey of life is not without its challenges we walk through valleys of darkness and at

times we feel overwhelmed by fear uncertainty and sorrow but Lord your word reminds us that even in the Valley of the shadow of death we are not alone you are with us your rod and your staff comforting us help us to trust in your presence even when the way ahead feels unclear help us to find courage in knowing that you walk with us steadying our steps and protecting us from harm Jesus you are the light of the world shining Even in our darkest moments thank you for being the light behind us that casts away Shadows

of fear thank you for being the stronghold of Our Lives the one we can turn to do when everything else feels unstable strengthen our faith Lord that we may look to you in every trial and trust that you are working all things for our good Lord you prepare a table before us in the presence of our enemies you anoint our heads with oil and our cups overflow with your blessings even in the midst of adversity you remind us of your goodness and mercy help us to fix our eyes on you and not on the challenges

around us teach us to trust in your provision and to remember that your love never fails father your goodness and mercy follow us all the Days of Our Lives thank you for this promise that no matter what comes our way your love is steadfast you pursue du us with Grace never leaving us to wander far from you fill our hearts with gratitude for the assurance that we will dwell in your house forever Lord we lift up our lives to you when we are weak be our strength when we are lost guide us back to your

path when we are afraid remind us of your presence when we are surrounded by enemies or challenges fill us with your peace May Our Lives reflect the trust and faith David displayed as he declared the Lord is my shepherd we pray for those who feel alone in the Valley of the shadow of death today shine your light on them Lord and let them feel your comforting presence be their Shepherd and guide them through to a place of peace and rest help us to encourage one another with this truth reminding our brothers and sisters that you

are a faithful and loving God as we go forth may this Psalm remain in our hearts as a constant reminder of your goodness may we find strength in your word courage in your promises and joy in your presence let us live as people who know that we are loved and cared for by the Good Shepherd we give you all the glory Lord you alone are worthy of Our Praise thank you for being Our Shepherd our protector our provider and our savior we love you Lord and we commit Our Lives to your care in the name

of Jesus Christ Our Good Shepherd we pray amen thank you for joining me in this powerful prayer today if this prayer touched your heart type Amen in the comments as a sign of faith and agreement let's encourage each other in this journey of Grace and don't forget to subscribe for more prayers encouragement and uplifting messages together we'll continue to grow stronger in faith and closer to God stay blessed and may God's peace be with you always om om om [Music]