Surely Goodness and Mercy

. . . Will Follow Me All The Days of My Life

God gives us gifts and experiences that are beneficial to us. We hear of a friend who is going through a difficult time and we have been through the very same problem or something similar. While we experienced the circumstances, we were not able to think about it at that time but God’s goodness guided us through. Now because of His mercy, we can share with the friend who contacts us and seeks our guidance.

God’s goodness allows us to continue when we have those times of great stress. His mercy extended to us grants pardon when we are guilty of sin against Him. He excuses us from guilt when we least deserve it.

When we walk with God, we can be certain of our salvation. We realize we will receive God’s goodness and mercy for the rest of our lives. Now that is not to say we won’t ever have problems or difficult times but we will receive God’s guidance and compassion to carry us through to victory.

You Anoint my Head with Oil,

. . . My Cup Overflows.


God, the Shepherd, makes us holy -sets us apart-so that we reflect Him in our daily lives. When God anoints us, He equips us to do work for the Kingdom. He softens our hearts, gives us discernment, guides us in our days, and gives the right words to say.

We spend time each November listing things we are thankful for. Might these items be results of God’s act of making us holy? The answer here could be some but not all.

We see persons who never seem to exhibit spiritual growth in their lives. Do some of God’s children receive more of God than others? The answer here could be God chooses the Spiritual gifts He wants each of us to have but it is up to us to develop them. Is it because God loves them any less than He loves the missionary or the evangelist? No, God loves us all the same.

You Prepare a Table Before Me

. . .In the Presence of My Enemies

God provides special moments-just for us-when circumstances that could tear us apart or hem us in. Someone complements us on how we look. We receive a phone call from a friend who knows we have transportation problems. She offers to pick us up to go to a meeting or to the hospital to sit with a friend’s family. Or an unexpected package arrives with all sorts of nice cookies and candies and gadgets just for us and our family. Someone compliments us on how we look. They notice our new outfit. They notice we are losing weight. These moments are special because the initiators don’t know we might be experiencing a tough time-no one except us, God and his adversary.

God leads us into a personal Bible study that transforms our minds and our thinking and then the way we react to certain stressful incidents touching our lives.

God places our names on the hearts of these people who care about us because He loves us. Our friends are vessels for His blessings. When we face a trial, God assures us He will provide something to help us through the harsh time-even when the enemy is at work on us.

God does this out of His goodness.

Your Rod and Your Staff, They Comfort Me

Your Rod and Your Staff, They Comfort Me

A shepherd uses tools to assist him in caring for his sheep. He employs a rod, a straight pole-like apparatus to check the sheep coats for hidden problems. He can also use it as a weapon against wild animals. The rod also acts as an extension of the herder’s arm.

Each shepherd has a staff, a hook-like tool that was unique to his profession. No other worker in any calling uses a staff. The staff comes in handy when a shepherd is standing watch and gets tired. He can lean against it and prop himself up. Each shepherd makes his own staff and rod. The young shepherd goes into woods and selects the wood he wants to fashion into his tools. They make their staff in proportion to their own height.

The shepherd uses his staff to place new-born lambs next to their mothers. If the shepherd handles the babies, the mother could smell the scent of the shepherd on the lamb and will have nothing to do with it. The staff is also a rescue tool. A young lamb or sheep might get lodged between two boulders. The shepherd might see there is only so much room. He uses the staff’s hook end to get a grip on the endangered sheep and allows it to go free.

Our Heavenly Father, our Shepherd, who loves us very much, comforts us in ways He chooses. He uses His Word. He employs others to speak kindnesses to us. He soothes those who hurt.

I Will Fear No Evil

We see a lot of evil in this world. The headlines in our newspapers speak of murder, theft, suicide, and mayhem. We should not fear these things. No matter how strong evil seems, He is stronger.

God’s word tells us numerous times not to be afraid. If we fear something, that event or action becomes our master. We start dwelling on that thing. It becomes real to us. We begin to worry--to the point of making ourselves sick.

This is where our faith and trust come to the forefront of who we are. Believing in God allows us to trust Him for the outcome. We are not to fear because God has all things under control.

Our nation, at present is besieged by an economic crisis. Many areas of our lifestyle are affected. God knows what we need. We have to trust Him for the outcome, no matter how long it takes us to get through it.

Even Though I Walk Through . . .

. . . the Valley of the Shadow of Death

We never know where God will lead us-down a road of bleak uncertain times or into a protected canyon of comparative ease and comfort. We do not control our futures-God does. He might lead us away from our homeland to a place where He calls us to rely on Him completely. He might choose to take us through a time of lingering illness, ours or that of a loved one. God might choose to take that loved one home to heaven.

When we have a less-than-perfect day, we should stop and remember God may have something He wants us to learn that might make us better people. No matter what our valley happens to be, we have to go through it. God allows us to have these valleys in our lives to make us stronger.

God lays out our paths. Sometimes we have several conflicting plans--all worthwhile--for an evening. God steps in and leads us to yet another option. God’s input into the list gets the priority. This blogger and a friend lived this scenario in the past few months.

Even if the path we walk is extremely bleak, we aren’t alone. God walks it with us.

Ps 23He Leads me Besides Still Waters

He Leads me Besides Still Waters. . .


A shepherd leads his flock to quiet streams so they can drink. Animals need water to help digestion and to refresh and cool their bodies. A sheep’s body is 70% water.

When we, as God’s children, have emotional upsets, He allows us to rest and remember good times of our past: a special anniversary, the birth of our children, or a good memory of dear friends.

When we watch fish in an aquarium we feel calmer, several years ago psychologists said watching fish allowed people to relax. Whatever our stressors, the Lord leads us to a quiet place --maybe a lake or a river--to bring us to a new understanding of who He is and who we are.

Sometimes when we approach God, we have to get quiet before Him. There are those tension filled moments in an emergency situations where we can’t always do this. In these stress heightened instances, we just blurt out our prayer and continue on. When we have the anxiety-ridden times, He still hears us.

The shepherd’s main concern is the welfare of his sheep. God is our shepherd and he cares for each and every one of us.