PSALM 23 – THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD

This is probably the most beloved of all the Psalms, and likely one of the most well-known passages in all of Scripture.  Even folks who are not very familiar with the Bible are often familiar with the saying, “The Lord is my Shepherd…”

Today I want to take a walk with you through this short Psalm, made up of six powerful verses.  Jesus called Himself the Good Shepherd, and that we are His sheep.  Have you ever wondered why He compared us to sheep, and not some other animal?  And what is the meaning of His being a Shepherd?  Let’s start with a list of characteristics of sheep, in general: 

·       Of all livestock, they need the most care; they are totally dependent upon the shepherd for their every need.

·       They are vulnerable to predators because they have no weapons – no claws, no poisons, no disguises, etc.  All they can do is run.

·       They are meant to be in a herd, not alone, as this is their only defense. Yet, they will wander if they don’t have a shepherd.  Also, they are easily led by a “leader sheep” that can lead them down the wrong path.

·       Their nature: Timid, fearful, easily panicked, dumb, gullible, stubborn, jealous, competitive for dominance. They are also creatures of habit, and they often get into ruts.

·       They are prone to get stuck in brambles, often due to a heavy coat.  Yet, they don’t like to be sheared and cleaned.  Too much wool can cause sheep to “cast” or fall over.  It is difficult, if not impossible, for them to right themselves, so they become even easier prey for predators.

·       Unlike some animals, they cannot go for days without refreshment.  They constantly need fresh water and fresh pasture.  Yet, they have poor discernment in choosing good food and water.  They need a shepherd!

·       Because they are lazy, they frequently look for the easiest place to lie down and rest.  Often, though seemingly nice and quiet, this is not the safest place for them.

·       A positive!  They are capable of knowing their own shepherd’s voice.

Suddenly, I feel very “sheepish…”  That’s right, and, if you do, as well, it’s because we are so much like sheep.  Against the enemy of our souls, we are defenseless.  That is, without our Shepherd.   Against our own stubborn ways, we are bound to sin.  That is, without our Shepherd.  However, with our wonderful Shepherd, Who knows exactly how to care for His sheep, we are completely safe.  It is up to us to trust Him.  And we can.  So, now let’s take a look at the Shepherd, Who He is, and what He provides.

Verse 1:  The LORD is my Shepherd; I shall not want.

·       Jesus compares Himself to a shepherd because a shepherd gives his life for his sheep.  He is on duty 24 hours a day.  He takes care of utterly every need.  His commitment is like none other.

·       The LORD is my shepherd.  And the Lord is perfect in all His ways.  The Lord lacks nothing, so I lack nothing.  The Lord is the Creator of all things.  The Lord knows all things.  This is Who my Shepherd is.  I do not have a second-hand shepherd.

·       I lack nothing that I NEED (not necessarily want).

Verse 2:  He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.

·       He makes – that means “He makes it so that I am able to…”

·       I will only lie down because I feel safe (sheep are skiddish).

·       He is meeting my needs with lush green, sweet smelling, soft, safe places to rest – regardless of what is around me.  He is on watch.  Always.

·       Sheep are afraid of running water; my Shepherd leads me to still waters.  Again, He meets my every need.  He does not chastise me for being a sheep.  Rather, He says, “Trust me to provide.”

Verse 3:  He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His namesake.

·       Daily He gives me new life, restoration, strength.  My needs are met.

·       My Shepherd guides me on the right road/path.  I never need to question if I’m where I need to be if my eyes are fixed on my Shepherd.  There is no gray area.

·       For HIS namesake – HIS word/promise.  He is a promise keeper.

Verse 4:  Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff they comfort me.

·       Sheep coming back at dusk – shadows – predators.  In my own life, as I go through trials and tough times, in the midst of them, surrounded by them, I am safe.  My Shepherd sees to it.  I can keep going on the path He lays out for me.

·       Rod – With this, the shepherd beats off predators.  For me, my Shepherd fights for me, once again, against the enemy of my soul.  The battle is His.

·       Staff – With this, the shepherd gently guides, or corrects the sheep when they stray off the path.  The hook is also used to pull them up out of the ditches, etc.  For me, my Shepherd gently corrects me of my own sins.  He pulls me up out of the messes I get myself into when I cry out to Him.

Verse 5:  You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.  You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over.

·       Even though sheep may be surrounded by wolves and other predators, the shepherd provides a bountiful feast for them with fresh pasture, etc.  In my life, regardless of what I am going through, regardless of what is going on around me, my Shepherd provides a banquet of joy and peace that surpasses all understanding right in the midst of the mess!  Right in the midst of the storm!  Right in the midst of enemies – whether they be people or demons.  I can be completely calm right in the midst of it all and feast upon the goodness of my Shepherd.  I do not have to wait until the storm passes.

·       If a sheep had a cut on its head, the shepherd would put some soothing oil on it in the evening, as the sheep went into the herding pen.  How my Shepherd soothes me when I am hurting.  He also anoints me, as was done in the Old Testament, for a special purpose – the purpose He has for my life.  And it is different than that of any other person.  The same can be said of you.

·       My Shepherd is constantly giving me more than I need!  More than I ask for!  More blessings than my heart can contain!  It all spills over and out, and, prayerfully, onto others.  My Shepherd is so good to me.

Verse 6:  Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the House of the Lord forever.

·       I can be confident that God will PURSUE me, with His mercies new every day.  Psalm 136 says His mercies endure forever.  Everywhere I go, I find His goodness and His mercy – kindness, forgiveness for my sins, an ever present help in time of need, and so much more.

·       I am not just an overnight guest in God’s house.  Here on earth, His Spirit lives within me, and when I go to Heaven, I will live there forever with Him.

I pray that this blog helps you better understand that, with our Great Shepherd, we are completely safe.  We simply have to acknowledge that we need Him.  Without Him, we are defenseless and lost.

I need a Shepherd.  I want a Shepherd.  I have a Shepherd – the best one of all.  Recognizing all of this is such freedom.  Placing my trust in Him to guide me and take care of my every need has been a life changer.  And when I get off the path, His gentle staff gets me right back on track.  His gentle Hand, His anointing oil, His banquet – it is all there for us.

Come and see that the Shepherd surely is Good! 

THE LORD IS MY GARDENER…

A TALE OF THREE GARDENS 

Did I catch you off guard?  Surely, He is my Shepherd, as well.  In fact, I’ll have another blog about that one.  But, as I sit here on a chilly January morning, with a very persistent cat on my lap that is vying for my attention, I am recalling springtime, and how I look forward to planting again.  And I’d like to share with you about my Gardener.  In fact, He is a Master Gardener.

I am an avid gardener myself.  I try to tend to something every day, weather permitting, even if it’s just for 5 or 10 minutes.  It’s very therapeutic, and, as my dear momma used to say, I am blessed with a green thumb.  I have so many plants, and cuttings from plants, that it would take the entire blog to list all of them, so I’ll just share two of my favorites. 

I love growing antique roses and miniature roses.  The antiques often have such a lovely bouquet that you don’t typically find in big box varieties.  When the flowers begin to wane, I snip them, drying and storing them for later, as they make a delightful cup of tea, with the added benefit of some vitamin C. 

I also grow my own herbs, both for cooking and for immune booster purposes.  As the purpose of this blog is not about this, I encourage you to search these things on the internet to find out more about them.  But, I will say, adding fresh herbs to cooking is the way to go!  Talk about aroma!!!

So, are you ready to walk through some Gardens with the Lord and me? I have had experiences of walking through at least three types of Gardens with my Lord.  Sometimes, there would simply be one type, and that would be it for the day. Other days, all day long, we would walk, and all three types would be visited.

The first Garden is a type of Garden of Eden, in which God and I simply walk through the cool of the day.  It is His Garden.  He walks with me and He talks with me…and, yes, the joy we share is so very intimate, tailor-made for us.  He shows me the firmament of the heavens, and how He is in control of everything.  I don’t need to be concerned about a thing.  He shows me all of His handiwork here on earth – everything runs like clockwork.  It is all so exquisite.  In the deep forests, He walks as if He were a Lantern, not simply just carrying one (I John 1:5).  He teaches me about His Goodness and His Character, His Awesomeness and His Trustworthiness.  He instructs me how to be more like His Son, the Rose of Sharon and the Lily of the Valley.  I find myself wanting this walk to go on forever.  Surely, He is the Master Gardener, and I am overwhelmed with His Loveliness. 

The next Garden is akin to the Garden of Gethsemane.  I do not cherish going to this Garden, per se, but I go, knowing from experience that I must.  Sometimes, the need for this Garden is to grasp the prayer rock, as I sweat and pray through deep intercession for others.  Sometimes, I am brought here to bow low, humbly confessing my sins, knowing the pain I have caused my Lord, and sometimes others.  The Master Gardener knows just what to do here, as well.  As I confess my sins, He is faithful and just to forgive me of those sins, and to cleanse me of all unrighteousness (I John 1:9).  This is where the Gardener prunes me, refines me, purges me of anything that does not belong.  Any dead branches, anything out of place – the Master Gardener goes to work.  I want Him to.

The last Garden is my Garden!  It is the path through life He has for me.  It is filled with the gifts He has given me, as well as the challenges.  Here, again, the Master Gardener shows me how to use the gifts and work through the challenges.  He teaches me what to plant during certain seasons, and when to rest and not plant at all.  I have nine special pots of delightful herbs.  Their names are Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self Control (Galatians 5:22-23).  One or more of these is always calling my name, needing special attention….hmmmm.  One last thing: The Master Gardener teaches me how to grow clippings and cuttings, so that I can share my Garden with others!  

Oh, how I love to share my Garden with other people, telling them about the Master Gardener, and how He will walk through the Gardens of their lives as well.  Whether it is the cool of the day and I am learning about my Lord and His wonderful ways, or I am kneeling besides my bed in agony over my own sins or over a lost loved one, or, finally, I am traveling through my own life and learning to use the gifts God has given me to His Glory, I will certainly always be an avid gardener!  And, no matter what is to be enjoyed, corrected, or grown, I have the greatest Master Gardener the world could never imagine.  And, so do you!

Let me know if you’re a gardener, too!  Blessings upon blessings!  Until next time.

Teri

VICTORY DESPITE PTSD

ACTION OR ATROPHY 

I am NOT a medical professional, and this is NOT medical advice.  I am simply a survivor with a story.  A victory story.  Regardless of…

I like to think of it as Pushing Through Stuff Daily; Pressing Through So Diligently; Consistently Pushing Through Satan’s Deception.  I could go on and on.  And, by the way, the “C” is for C-PTSD – Complex PTSD.   I know all about it.  Wish I didn’t.  But, I also know victory in the midst of it.  Glad I do.

So, what is this Victory in spite of it all about?  Isaiah 54:17 says that No weapon formed against me shall prosper.  It doesn’t mean that weapons weren’t formed or that they weren’t used.  Of course they were.  We wouldn’t be talking about the subject if they hadn’t.  The arrows came.  They pierced.  Damage was done.  I cannot do anything to change the past.

The weapon I’m referring to is Satan’s continued arrows targeted at me by means of memories, triggers, flashbacks, dreams. That’s the “Post” in PTSD, and I can do everything in the now to change the enemy’s attacks on me through these devious means of his.  I have a lot of tools and weapons at my disposal, given to me by the Lord Himself.  I want to share some of them with you today.

I take things one day at a time.  Looking at the “big picture” – the great big rest of my life – is just too overwhelming.  But, one day at a time, and sometimes increments smaller than that, well, that’s do-able.  It’s kind of like quitting a bad habit.  If I just take care of it one incident, one trigger, one flashback, one day at a time, I can tackle it.  And the great thing is – the tools and weapons work every time.  Foolproof.

Philippians 4:13 says that I am able to do all things through Christ Who strengthens me.    So, when I lean on Him, and take things one incident at a time, those arrows are rendered broken, powerless.  No weapon formed against me prospers.  It doesn’t grow.  In fact, the arrows break.  I am victorious.  And I am even stronger.  Then, to come full circle, I am here willing and able to help others.

Take a look at that word flashback.  Did you notice that “back” is in there?  That’s right.  Back.  Back there.  Then.   Not now.  What was then is not now.  Whether it was a single incident or years and years of trauma, it doesn’t matter.  It’s all behind me.  It’s all behind you.  That’s why they are just memories.  They are not in the here and now.  They cannot hurt us anymore.  That’s the reality check.

I am going to share with you something I came up with that has helped me fantastically when it comes to keeping things where they belong – back there.  It’s called the Black Curtain.  It hangs right behind me.  Everything in my past is behind it.  It’s a living curtain, meaning that it moves with time.  Every minute that passes, every second, as I move forward in time, so goes the Black Curtain with me.  And every moment that becomes the past is behind it.

Any time something bad from the past wants to jump over that curtain and hop into my present and TRY to hurt me, I quickly toss it back over the Black Curtain.  That means I am actively involved in keeping those triggers at bay.  Actively involved.  That’s important in itself because, if I am not active about it, my emotions render me atrophied.  Just like muscles.  I’ve got to work.  No, I didn’t want this or ask for this.  But it is what it is.   And working works.  Every time.

If you read my blog entitled the “Ten ‘Knows’,” you’ll remember I talked about using the weapons we have to fight the enemy.  Two of those are the Name of Jesus and the Full Armor of God.  First, let me share that the enemy HATES the Name of Jesus.  If you find yourself caught in the middle of a trigger or flashback and don’t have enough wherewithal to go through the Black Curtain exercise, or whatever else works for you, you can simply call on the Name of Jesus, commanding the enemy to leave in that Name, and he MUST GO.  Sure, he’ll be back, but just repeat the same thing.  It works, again, every time.  Again, foolproof.

What about the Full Armor of God?  What’s that?  In the book of Ephesians, Paul wrote in chapter 6, verses 10-18, a beautiful scenario of a Roman soldier dressed for man to man combat.  He spelled it all out for the people at Ephesus who lived under Roman rule, and who understood very well what a Roman soldier looked like.  He meticulously went through each part of the armor, using each piece as an analogy for spiritual warfare for us to use against the enemy of our souls.  It is priceless!  And, when used, it is very effective!

Although it’s out of order according to the way Paul presented it, I’ll share it with you from tip to toe: The Helmet of Salvation – it protects your mind against the enemy’s voice (it does so much more – another time, another discussion); the Breastplate of Righteousness – the enemy tries to tell you you’re not worthy, you tell him you bear Christ’s Righteousness; the Belt of Truth – again, any lies from the enemy, the king of deception, are thwarted by what you know to be true; the sandals of the Gospel of Peace – you are able to stand firm shod with the peace that surpasses all understanding; the Shield of Faith – to ward off all the fiery darts of the enemy with the faith the Holy Spirit provides you; and, finally, the Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God – you attack the enemy using God’s Word.  This last one is what Jesus used when He was tempted three times in the desert.

Recently, the enemy knew that I had been struggling with something in particular.  A very tough struggle.  I was tired.  I felt battle fatigued.  I was having bad dreams on top of everything else.  The enemy came to me and planted these thoughts in my head:

“Where is you God?  Where is He when you need Him?  Why doesn’t He answer you when you’ve asked for specific help so many times, and others are praying for you, as well?”

Oh, I knew this was not the voice of my Loving Saviour.  I recognized the sound of that heinous voice.  Even the smell of it.  I pulled out my Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God:

“The Lord says He will never leave me nor forsake me!”  (Deuteronomy 31:6)

“My ways are not God’s ways, and my thoughts are not God’s thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8)  I trust Him completely.

“All things work together for good.”  (Romans 8:28)

These may not mean as much to you, but, in my relationship with God, they mean a lot – a whole lot – to me.  And there are so many more Scriptures.  I jab the enemy every time with one of them.  I do warfare, combat, face to face with him.  He gets so close.  But not too close because he knows he is trespassing if he even touches me.  Every time I have a flashback, and he tries to use it to send me twirling into space, the sooner I am able to pull out that Sword, the sooner the flashback fades.  Another victory.

Here are other pieces of the Armor at use.  The enemy will say, “You’re nothing but damaged goods.  A good-for-nothing.”  Ha!  I boldly exhibit the beautiful Breastplate of Righteousness and the Belt of Truth.  He cannot argue with those.  He leaves for a while.  And, all the while, I am wearing those remarkably peaceful Shoes.  Ah, yes, He WILL keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Him, because he trusts in Him! (Isaiah 26:3)

Well, I’ve only scratched the surface of the topic of PTSD, victory in the midst of it, as well as tools and weapons to obtain and keep that victory.  If I find that it is something that readers are interested in, I’ll write more.

My story is a victory story, and it always will be.  And, all glory to my King of Kings!  Without Him, I know I would still be shriveled up on the couch or in bed, barely able to function on “those” days.  But, with Him, I am not only able to survive, I am able to THRIVE!  I am able to SHARE!  And, I pray I am able to help.  Again, I am not a medical professional; this is just my story.  I simply pray that those of you with similar stories have been able to glean some help from it.

To Him be all glory!  Amen and amen!  Until next time, dear friends!