My Shepherd

 Psalm 23:1
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

The familiar Psalm is a favorite for many. It is a Psalm of comfort and reassurance. Jesus is the good Shepherd that will give us peace during troubled times. In this life there will be trials and tribulations. Trouble times will come, and storms are inevitable. Sorrow and suffering come to all who live, the just and unjust. But those who have put their trust in the Shepherd have been given the promise of peace. Jesus said, “Let not your heart be troubled, you believe in God, believe also in me.” When we find ourselves going through the valley of despair, He is there to lead us and walk beside us. We are prone to fear and fret about tomorrow because it is our human makeup to stress and worry about “What if.” But the Holy Spirit gives us the strength and power to lean on Jesus and let Him direct our paths. I find comfort in the song written by Bill Gaither, “Gentle Shepherd.” For there is no other we can turn to show us the way and give us peace and comfort. 

Gentle shepherd come and lead us.
 For we need you to help us find our way
Gentle shepherd come and feed us
For we need your strength from day to day
There's no other we can turn to
Who can help us face another day
Gentle shepherd come and lead us
For we need You to help us find our way

World of Trouble

 John 16:33
These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

Trouble-free days don’t come very often. A day when everything goes as planned and turns out the way you envision. Surrounded by those you love, no conflicts at home, work, or church. All the bills are paid and no one close to you is suffering from an illness. A little heaven here on earth. But we all know that’s a world of fantasy. Because in this world, we will have trouble. It is the nature of living. There is a time for all things to happen, a time to celebrate the birth of a newborn, a time to mourn the death of a loved one, a time to start something new, and a time for it to end, a time of healing and a time to suffer. Trouble is unavoidable on this side of heaven. Rain falls on the righteous and unrighteous. We cry out, “Why Lord?” For what purpose? The wisest man who ever lived wrote, “To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven:” And Jesus said, “Be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” The trouble we face from day to day are taken noticed by the one who cares and understands the problems and difficulties we go through. He who commanded the sea to be still, is able to still our hearts during the storms of life. Trust Him, believe Him, hold on. He who lives in you is greater than he who lives in this world.

Help During Trouble Times

Psalm 46:10, 1 Be still, and know that I am God… God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

The rain falls on the just and unjust. Bad things happening is no respecter of persons. When a plane crashes, when a terrorist bomb explores, or an earthquake destroys cities. People of all color, nationalities and religions are taken from us. Many hold God responsible and become bitter in their heart and refuse to acknowledge Him as a good God. To the believer in Christ, our lives are in God’s hands and He knows the number of our days and those of our loved ones. He is God and He knows what He is doing. He sees the beginning to the end and understands what we are going through. Instead of becoming resentful toward Him, He invites us to call on Him for refuge and strength. During our most trying times, He is our helper in time of trouble. We need to get alone with God and be still before Him. For in Him, we know He does and allows all things for His purpose. 

Trouble Times

John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

We all go through trouble times. We face things in life that bring uncertainty. We become anxious, and our hearts become fearful of the “What if’s” of life. Our minds are filled with “If only” we would had done it differently. Then there is the trouble of the soul when God seems to be afar off and it appears we are all alone facing life’s unwanted circumstances. Where is peace? Will trouble never cease? In times like this we need Jesus, we need a comforter that will calm life’s trouble waters. In the eye of the storm, the Holy Spirit is there, sent by the Father to bring peace and assurance that He will never leave us or forsake us. His promise is for those who love Him and keep His commandments. He knows our heart and knows our desire to live for Him. He said, He will not leave us comfortless. He will come, and where Jesus is, there is peace.

My Hiding Place

Psalm 32:7 Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah.

A hiding place is where we can get away from the rat race of life and be alone with God. It is a place of shelter from the storms of life and protection from the attacks of Satan. When we hide in the clef of the rock, or in the palm of His hand, we can know He will keep us from trouble and evil. The storm may rag around us and we may feel and sense the fierceness surround us, but we our safe from destruction because we are hiding in Him. He is our hiding place, and we can know that He cares for we are His and He loves us so. 

God Alone

Isaiah 37:20 “…You are the Lord, You alone.”-

There is only one God and He is Lord of all. God alone created heaven and earth, God alone took man from the clay of the earth and formed him into His image. God alone is all we need when life gets stressful and the worries of life load us down. When trouble comes are way, God alone is able to make a way through and help us walk the path before us. The problems we face are real and there are many who have fallen because they have failed to trust God alone. They have relied on their own strength or earthly means to help them. They failed to pray and seek God alone. In the dark times, when we cannot see our way through, we can turn to God who is Lord of all, and He alone will be there to meet our every need.

Storms of Life

Mark 4:37 “And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was now full.”-

When life happens a storm is surely to come. It matters not if you are a Christian or a non believer in God, the storms of life will rock our boat and fill it with problems and unwanted circumstances. We often wonder why things are happening in our life, especially when we are doing our best to please God. We do our best to live right and to follow His Word. We give of our self to help others or to see God’s kingdom go forward. Then all of a sudden, BAM! a wave hits us. We are shaken up and begin to fret in fear that God has forsaken us or no longer cares for us. Life happens! We are in the storm of confusion and uncertainty. In times like these, we need to remember that Christ is in the hind part of the boat. He will not let anything happen that is not His perfect will. We must learn to trust and have faith that He will calm the trouble waters, He will give us the calming peace we need to ride the storm. In times like this we have an Anchor, we can trust Him to do what is best. Life happens! But, Jesus also happens!

Trouble Times

Psalm 77:2 “In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord”- 

Things don’t always turn out the way we want. We set goals and have dreams for the future, but there is always something that gets in the way. It is the rare occasion that everything goes as plan and there are no problems. Troubles and problems along our journey will bring disappointments. We are tempted to get discouraged and become desponded. There is so much in life that we don’t understand why things happen. In time like these, we need a Savior, one who knows our every need and understands what we are going through. Heartache in this world is certain, but so is the grace of God to all who will trust in Him. To those who will seek the Lord in the day of trouble and disappointments He will be found.

My Help Cometh from the Lord

Psalm 121:1,2 “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help! My help cometh from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.”- 

Problems are just part of life and it is so human to focus on earthly matters. By nature, we are often driven by how we feel, the mood we are in. Our emotions most often dictate how we make decisions. In times of desperations, we look around us to find a way out, or for someone to come to our aid. We forget that we serve a great God, who knows all about us, He knows the problems we face and desires to help us. We just need to readjust our eyes upward, and get them off the circumstances around us. Our God is a awesome God who created the universe and knows the numbers of hairs on our head. Help awaits us if we can only lift our eyes heavenward and trust God to solve our problems. There is no problem too hard for God, that He is not able to solve. In time of weakness, in times when there seems to be no solution, we can lift our eyes to Him and trust Him to help us in our time of need.