Greetings Life House Family,
Time is going by so quickly. We blinked and January is over. We have good news that this cold weather is going to leave us this coming week. We sure have had a cold spell. Our hearts go out to all those who have had to brave the elements and work in this cold this past month. Let us continue in the "depths of the familiar" in this email, and continue to look into the 23rd psalm. This psalm is referred to as the shepherd's psalm. David used the example from his experience as a shepherd tending his father Jesse's sheep. (The word for shepherd is ra'ah which also is the Hebrew word for "best friend". The translation includes both meanings. The Greek word for love is "agape" which is a merging of two words and two concepts. "Ago" means "to lead like a shepherd and "pao" is a verb that means "to rest". Love is our Shepherd leading us to the place of true rest in His heart. )This is taken from the passion translation . Let's continue and look at verse three. The Amplified version says" He refreshes and restores my life - my self; He leads me in the paths of righteousness (uprightness and right standing with Him-not for my earning it but) for His Name's sake." When the cares of this life bring exhaustion, we can always turn to Him for refreshment. His Word and Holy Spirit bring us fresh encouragement again. One word from Him and our vision is improved. When I had cataract surgery, I didn't realize how bad my vision was impaired, until the film over my eyes was removed. The cares of this world can hinder our vision and sometimes we don't realize that it is happening. Thankfully The Lord can remove this condition when we turn our eyes on Him again. He does not only refresh but He can restore. He restores our soul (our mind ,will, emotions). He can restore my thinking. He rids me of preconceived ideas that are not leading me in the right direction. In the passion translation the reference for verse three says "circular paths of righteousness". It is a common trait for sheep on the hillsides of Israel to circle their way up higher. They eventually form a path that keeps leading them higher. This is what David is referring to here. Each step we take following our Shepherd will lead us higher even though it may seem we are going in circles." Again this is another reminder of the spiral of our life in God, leading upwards and ever expansive. What a wonderful truth! It is so comforting to know He can restore my life and align me, so my emotions are not leading me but He is. He can even restore lost and broken things. I love the picture in Luke 15 when He tells us the parable of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son. The sheep was lost because of his ignorance, the coin was lost because of neglect, and the son was lost because of his willfulness, but in every situation, there was restoration. True restoration comes through repentance. We want His ways. In the case of the lost son, he didn't receive restoration until he came to the end of himself in repentance, and turned and went home to His father. That is a picture of all our lives. We needed to realize we were lost without our Heavenly Father and come home to Him. Then there is not only restoration, but rejoicing for what was found. In Joel 2:25 it says" I will restore unto you the years the locust have eaten." As we receive from our Shepherd Jesus and yield to his leading, He can restore what seems naturally impossible. In Isaiah 58: 12 KJV He says " They shall build the old waste places; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; and you shall be called, the repairer of the breach, the restorer of paths to dwell in. " Let's meditate on this verse and draw all the richness it contains. When we walk with Him, He gives us His ability so we can be part of His restoration process. What a privilege! We will continue to go through Psalm 23 in our next email. Let us pray. Heavenly Father we give thanks for Your Life in Your Word. Let us drink deeply from the refreshment You provide, You are our restoration. We ask that You would bring restoration to all the situations represented in the lives of those reading this email. Would You restore broken relationships, broken hearts, broken health, broken finances, broken trust, and broken paths Lord. We look to you to restore our lives and taste Your Goodness in these situations. We are so grateful that You can undertake when it feels like all is lost. Holy Spirit, please fill us up again with fresh faith to believe for new life. We remember all those affected by this pandemic. May we have fresh strength once again. We stand in Your Righteousness Lord. We thank You for our right standing in You. We rest in Your love for us. Nothing can separate us from Your love. Romans 8: 35-39. We ask for all our loved ones, that they will experience Your love in greater measure. Thank you for keeping us in these challenging times. We look to You to continue to "shepherd " us on Your ever upward path. We are full of gratitude for being able to share together. We pray this in Your Name Lord. Multiplied Grace and Faith to all of you in Christ Jesus.
Much Love and big hugs, Cheryl
Comments