In the Midst of the Storm - Himalayan Heights – June 23 Readings: Psalm 23:2 – Peace and Quiet

Psalm 23: The Lord Is My Shepherd

All Scripture is God-breathed and useful, but there are some Scriptures that we can consider the Himalayan mountaintops of the Bible. In the next few months, we will be looking at a series of great texts that inspire and move us - the "Himalayan Heights" of God's Word.

Today's Reading:  Psalm 23, focus on verse 2

David was a shepherd in his early years. In this great song of praise, David considers God as his shepherd and reflects on what that means. Each verse is a gem.

Each day this week, meditate on this psalm. The highlighted potion will be our focus verse.

1  The Lord is my shepherd;

I have what I need.

2 He lets me lie down in green pastures;

he leads me beside quiet waters.

3 He renews my life;

he leads me along the right paths

for his name’s sake.

4 Even when I go through the darkest valley,

I fear no danger,

for you are with me;

your rod and your staff—they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me

in the presence of my enemies;

you anoint my head with oil;

my cup overflows.

6 Only goodness and faithful love will pursue me

all the days of my life,

and I will dwell in the house of the Lord

as long as I live.

Through the Bible Readings: 2 Chronicles 3-4, Acts 1:1–11, Psalm 77:1–3, Proverbs15:28–29

If you wish to read through the Bible in a year, follow these readings. 

Devotional: In the Midst of the Storm     

We were in seminary in Dallas when, around Labor Day in 1979, Hurricane David made its way up the Florida Coast, threatening the town my parents lived in, Tequesta. I called them to see how they were doing. My dad, always the smart-aleck, answered the phone. When I asked him how they were surviving the storm, he asked me innocently, "What storm?" He went on to tell me that the sky was blue and there was not so much as a breeze there in northern Palm Beach County.

Of course, they were in the eye of the hurricane. They'd been battered but when the eye was over them, all was calm. A few minutes after my call, the eye passed and the Category 5 storm began to display its wrath again. They were safe in the eye of the storm, but only in the eye.

When we read our focus verse for today, verse 2, we can come away with a mistaken idea. Our Good Shepherd causes us to lie down in green pastures and leads us beside quiet waters, but that does not mean that everything in our lives is going to be easy. In fact, if you read the Bible from start to finish, every great servant of God walked through firey trials on a regular basis. God intends to use us on the front lines of battle, building his kingdom in the midst of the sin and darkness in this world. There will always be storms raging around us as we walk with Jesus, the Good Shepherd.

We are not promised freedom from these trials - just the opposite. Our Shepherd gives us peace and contentment in the midst of the storm. Jesus is the eye of the storm. When you walk close to him, when you serve him, your spirit can be at peace and at rest regardless of the circumstances of life. The green pastures are the sustenance he gives our souls even when life is a bleak desert. He gives us quiet still waters for our souls to drink from even when life's storms rage all around.

We simply have to stop thinking that circumstances control our lives. Jesus is love. He is our peace. He is our joy. He is all we need. He is our quiet place of rest and our gentle waters for our souls.

Jesus is the eye of the storm - stay close to him!

Father, I thank you for the sustaining grace of Jesus Christ who forgives, loves, heals, and restores. 

Think and Pray:

Do you expect that living for Jesus will give you a life free of pain, stress, and hardship?
Do you walk close to Jesus, staying in the eye of the storm?