Daily Bread:  Thoughts and Prayers from the Psalms

~  Psalm 23  ~

Do you long to be fully known?  Understood?  Accepted?  Loved?
I do.  And I suspect we all really do.  Most often I have read and prayed Psalm 23 thinking of the way the God provides and cares for me.  However, I don’t think I had a picture of the intimacy of relationship that these words painted until just recently.

“He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out…
I am the Good Shepherd;  I know my sheep and my sheep know me—   
just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—
and I lay down my life for the sheep. ”     -John 10: 14-15

Yes.  I know this isn’t Psalm 23.  We’ll get to that in just a sec.
I’ve been studying through the book of John recently and as I was praying  Psalm 23, and writing this post, I couldn’t help feel the depth of Jesus’ own words…
“I am the Good Shepherd;  I KNOW My sheep, and My sheep know Me!”

-> “know”  (ginṓskō) – to know, especially through personal experience
                        (as in first-hand acquaintance).

Not only is He good. 
Not only does He shepherd each of us.
Not only does He lay down His own life for us
Not only does He know (through personal experience) us intimately. 
Not only does He allow us to know (by first hand acquaintance) Him.

BUT  we get to have the same “ginosko” relationship with Him, that He has with the Father!   Isn’t that life changing?!?

So as we pray Psalm 23 together today, THINK about your Good Shepherd!  The One who knows you!  The One who calls you out by name!
And so we can say,

Jesus, our Good Shepherd…
I long to know You, as You know me.
It is sure that Your
GOODNESS
and
LOVE
Follow me.

O LORD,
My SHEPHERD
I hear Your voice.
How good it is to
FOLLOW you.

Lead me to
RESTING PLACES
into green pastures & quiet waters
where Your presence will
RESTORE my soul.

LEAD me
along paths of
RIGHTEOUSNESS
for my good
and
for Your glory.

LEAD me
THROUGH
the valley where
the shadow of death
hangs low.

YOU ARE WITH ME.
And I am
COMFORTED.

PROTECT and DIRECT
me with your rod and your staff.
With you, I will have
no fear.

PREPARE
the table for us
as my enemies watch.
My cup
OVERFLOWS
and
YOU anoint my head !

SURELY
SURELY
GOODNESS and LOVE
will follow me
ALL the days of my life.

And I will 
DWELL
in your house 
FOREVER !

~Read or Listen to Psalm 23.

I’ve really been enjoying Shane & Shane’s Psalms Vol. 2 this week.
Here’s their version of “Psalm 23″~

OR
If you’d like to see the whole CD, the link is –>  HERE.
*This is an Amazon affiliate link. This means I receive a small commission for purchases made through this link… at NO EXTRA COST whatsoever to you. THANKS for your support ! xo !

~Praying Psalm 24 is next!

~Praying the Psalms Table of Contents~

–Psalm 1
–Psalm 2 & 3
–Psalm 4
–Psalm 5
–Psalm 6 & 7
–Psalm 8
–Psalm 9
–Psalm 10
–Psalm 11
–Psalm 12
–Psalm 13
–Psalm 14
–Psalm 15
–Psalm 16
–Psalm 17
–Psalm 18
–Psalm 19
–Psalm 20
–Psalm 21
–Psalm 22
–Psalm 23
–Psalm 24
–Psalm 25
–Psalm 26
–Psalm 27
–Psalm 28
–Psalm 29
–Psalm 30
–Psalm 31
–Psalm 32
–Psalm 33
–Psalm 34
–Psalm 35
–Psalm 36