The Good Shepherd

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He refreshes my soul. – (Psalm 23:1-3a, NIV)

The Lord is my shepherd. I will always have everything I need. He gives me green pastures to lie in. He leads me by calm pools of water. He restores my strength. – (Psalm 23:1-3a, ERV)

The Eternal is my shepherd, He cares for me always. He provides me rest in rich green fields beside streams of refreshing water. He soothes my fears; He makes me whole again. – (Psalm 23:1-3a, VOICE)

A shepherd looks after, cares for, and protects their sheep. God is the ultimate shepherd of all who choose to follow after and trust in Him. He is faithful to supply what we need as we need it and provides spaces of rest to refresh us when we are weary. Over the last several months, I have gone through an unexpected ordeal with skin cancer. A spot of concern turned into a removal surgery that required plastic surgery to close the removal site. From there, what was removed was sent to be tested genetically to determine the likelihood of the cancer metastasizing. The outcome deemed that I was at moderate risk, which resulted in orders for a CT scan. Yesterday, after a very long day of teaching and coaching, followed by a car issue that delayed heading home by more than an hour, I was able to login to MyChart to read the outcome of the scan. Through the process of all these things, I knew He was holding me in His hands. He brought me to a space of knowing that no matter what, He had me. Thankfully, the results of the scan were delivered electronically rather than by a specialist, as that is an indicator that things are good. Indeed, all is well. Additionally, we are two weeks away from Spring Break, and I know rest is coming. May we ever trust in the Lord to be our shepherd, for He leads us, guides us, protects us, and provides for us, every day we draw breath.

God’s our good shepherd,

He leads and provides;

Protects and directs,

As we choose abide.

He’s faithful always,

Forever is near;

To supply us strength,

And calm all our fears.

No matter what comes,

In Him we can trust;

His love knows no end,

He’s faithful and just.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that You are our good shepherd. Thank You that You lead us through all things with love, kindness and grace, and You remain present always. Forgive us for giving fear a foothold when facing the unknowns. Teach us to ever trust in You, for You care for us far better than we can care for ourselves. Lead us to spaces of rest when we are weary and strengthen us anew with Your love. Show us how to love those around us well, so that all may experience the fullness of Your overwhelming goodness and grace. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we come to You every morning to be our strength, supply, and space of rest, so that we may love as You love us. Amen.

© Shannon Elizabeth Grabrick and Revelations in Writing, May 2011 – present

For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and encouragement they provide we might have hope. – Romans 15:4

Rest in His Grace

For great is His love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord. – (Psalm 117:2, NIV)

He loves us very much! The Lord will be faithful to us forever! Praise the Lord! – (Psalm 117:2, ERV)

For He loves us very dearly, and His truth endures. Praise the Lord. – (Psalm 117:2, TLB)

 

After a long week, there is nothing quite so sweet as time with family. There is something about time together that reminds us of the Father’s love, and His faithfulness that knows no end. Last evening, both up north and down south, our family was appreciating the Lord’s faithfulness that carried us through the week. For my husband and I, we were grateful for the opportunity to take our eldest to dinner and enjoy time with him, one-on-one. He works graveyard shift, so time together has been rare over the last year. As for my sister, mom and family down south, it has been an insanely busy week as well. Between work, appointments, preparing for school to start, senior pictures, and everything else that goes along with life, an evening out together was enjoyed and appreciated by all. This weekend is intended to be one of exploration and discovery of the new, as well as the enjoyment of one another, both of which are things that remind us of God’s faithfulness to us, and of the endless reasons to give Him praise. May we ever be aware of the Father’s love and faithfulness forever, and praise Him as His goodness knows no end.

 

The love of the Lord,

Endures for all time;

His grace knows no end,

As we seek, we’ll find.

Faithful forever,

Worthy of all praise;

Gracious Redeemer,

The Ancient of Days.

Trust in the Lord God,

And rest in His grace;

He loves us to life,

Leads us in His ways.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that You love us and are faithful forever. Thank You that You bring us to spaces of rest and refreshment when we need it the most. Thank You for the gift of family. Thank You for the countless reasons to praise You. Forgive us for the times that we get caught up in the momentary struggle and distracted from the ways in which You are at the ready to be our strength. Teach us to trust You more. Show us how to love and encourage those around us, so that they may come to know and understand the depth and faithfulness of Your love through us. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we praise You for who You are and Your unending faithfulness. Amen.

 

© Shannon Elizabeth Grabrick and Revelations in Writing, May 2011 – present

 

Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. – Matthew 11:28