Prayer
– Lord, I’ve just gotten too busy. Please give me Your calming peace…and do the
same for my friends who have been sick or just stressed with this time of the
year. We need a vacation from turmoil, temptations, and trials. We want to
honor You…always.
The
LORD is my shepherd;
The Lord is my Shepherd
I
have all that I need.
He
lets me rest in green meadows;
he
leads me beside peaceful streams.
Psalm
23:1-2
Meditate.
Peace.
Did you
have a peaceful moment yesterday…or today so far?
Psalm 23 gives many people peace…at
times of loss or trembling. You’ve seen it printed in numerous mortuary folders
at memorial or funeral services. It is a comforting Psalm. We are reminded that
as our shepherd the Lord provides everything we need…and makes us rest. Ahhh.
Rest. That is what we need. A time-out. Not the punishment type—but a relaxing
time.
Do you know the danger that sheep
face when they are near water—especially fast-moving streams of water like you
might see in the raging waters of wadies in the valleys of Israel after a rain storm?
Sheep cannot swim and once they’ve lost
their balance in the water, they’d be swept away and drown. The Lord leads His
sheep beside quiet, still waters—peaceful streams. They can safely take a drink
of water from that tranquil water and not fall in and drown.
Spiritually
can you relate to that? The Lord provides everything we need…spiritually. He won’t
let us flounder and drown if we are following Him as our shepherd. God knows us…personally
and individually. He wants us to know Him, so as we seek to know God more
deeply, we can be assured that He will reveal Himself to us. He will draw us in,
if we don’t ignore or turn away from Him. Think about how you respond to God
the Father and Jesus as you read your Bible, pray, and listen for guidance on
what you need to do to serve the Lord, your Savior.
For no one can come to me unless the
Father who sent me draws them to me, and at the last day I will raise them
up. As it is written in the Scriptures, 'They will all be taught by God.'
Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me. (Not that
anyone has ever seen the Father; only I, who was sent from God, have seen him.)
I tell you the truth, anyone who believes has eternal life. Yes, I am the bread
of life! John
6:44-48 (Underlined for emphasis.)
And so, dear brothers and sisters,
we can boldly enter heaven's Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. By
his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the
Most Holy Place. And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God's
house, let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully
trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ's
blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water. Hebrews 10:19-22
Jesus
declared that He is the Bread of Life, providing physical and spiritual food
for those who come to Him. Remember how He fed 5,000 and then 4,000 men and their
families? He provided spiritual training for His disciples—and the crowds that
followed Him. Jesus promised that anyone who believes in Him will have eternal
life. That is a promise to which I cling.
The
author of Hebrews tells us that as believers we can go through the curtain in
the holies of holies and right into the presence of God. Imagine—into the
presence of the Almighty God. Now, that is our privilege as believers. Be in
awe of God—respectfully honor Him in all that you think, say, and do. We don’t
have to wait until we die to be in the presence of God. He invites us to know
Him…to be in His peaceful presence even now. The choice is for each of us. Day by Day…moment
by moment. What do you choose?
Verse
of Salvation ~ How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger who
brings good news, the good news of peace and salvation, the news that the God
of Israel reigns! Isaiah
52:7
© 2024 Text, photos, and illustrations by Mickey M. Hunacek. All
rights reserved.
All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless
otherwise noted.
New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale
House Foundation.
Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream,
Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm.
Books by Mickey M.
Hunacek
Available as e-books or paperbacks at Amazon.com
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