Hey hey heeey.
Hope your weekend was good? A word I can use to describe mine is- fulfilling. Most of it was spent with family and I’m grateful for the memories we’ve created.
Today’s word comes from a place of need. I sent our book (Letters to our Fathers) to a friend and we spent more than an hour talking about ways to edit it to make it better.
I was so thankful for her feedback, but after the call, I started feeling overwhelmed. It felt like the work I had to do was just too much for me.
God was speaking to my heart and calming me. He told me to relax and work on it later because as I stared at the words, it felt like too much to handle.
Haha. But I feel much better now. I meditated on Psalm 23 and found out that I had watered down the message in this scripture so much. I had recited it many times that I did not realize the power in it.
Well, I saw the power in Psalm 23 yesterday. I read the NLT and Message version.
A psalm of David.
1 The Lord is my shepherd;
I have all that I need.
2 He lets me rest in green meadows;
he leads me beside peaceful streams.
3 He renews my strength.
He guides me along right paths,
bringing honor to his name.
4 Even when I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will not be afraid,
for you are close beside me.
Your rod and your staff
protect and comfort me.
5 You prepare a feast for me
in the presence of my enemies.
You honor me by anointing my head with oil.
My cup overflows with blessings.
6 Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me
all the days of my life,
and I will live in the house of the Lord
forever.
Now, let’s take it one after the other.
The Lord is my shepherd;
I have all that I need.
Yesterday, I lacked peace after I thought about how I really want this book to be good and the amount of work I still have to do. God was drawing me in to receive His peace, but I was busy ignoring Him.
But when I read this verse out loud…I realized that because God is my Shepherd, I have all I need- PEACE, LOVE (especially love for others), JOY, FINANCES, HEALTH, etc. The problem is that most of us think we need God only for finances, but that’s a wrong notion.
When you lose your peace or joy, you can ask God to restore it to you because in Him, you have ALL you need. And we all need peace and joy and many other immaterial things.
He lets me rest in green meadows;
he leads me beside peaceful streams.
NKJV says He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.
Only God can give us the rest we desire. This doesn’t mean that troubles wouldn’t come, but God gives us rest.
He renews my strength.
He guides me along right paths,
bringing honor to his name.
I really like this part. Who else renews our strength when we’re down without hope? Who else guides us along RIGHT paths.
Have you ever asked for direction
in eko market
before, and someone directs you in such a reassuring way- only for you to find out you were directed to the wrong path. It can be annoying, especially when you find out the right path wasn’t that difficult- ONLY IF YOU HAD ASKED SOMEONE WHO KNOWS IT…
God already knows the route we’re supposed to follow. He is in the future, so it’s best to ask Him to guide us in OUR PERSONAL right paths. Just because you see Him leading someone else in their own right path, doesn’t mean that’s yours to follow.
There’s no way He will bring honour to His name if you’re on a wrong path. What’s the point?
He’s supposed to lead you so that when you get to your destination, you can put the spotlight on Him. Let Him lead you along right paths, so you can bring honour to His name.
Even when I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will not be afraid,
for you are close beside me.
Your rod and your staff
protect and comfort me.
How many of us are afraid? Maybe we need to read Psalm 23 everyday till we understand what it means.
Even I walk in unfamiliar places- when you’re scared of the economy, when you don’t know where your next School fees will come from, when you don’t know where divine provision for a first book will come from, when you hear your child is ill, when you hear that my mum fell in the bathroom, when your salary isn’t great, when you’re not excited about a new city, when you suddenly become jobless- YOU WILL NOT BE AFRAID, FOR JESUS IS CLOSE BESIDE YOU.
His rod and His staff protect and comfort us. Sometimes, we go through unimaginable pain (like my Aunty B who was raped as a youth and had cancer but beat it), only God protects and comforts us. No amount of sorry from people can be enough, until we feel God’s peace flood our hearts.
This might sound funny, but when Chaz B died (Sharing life issues with Chaz B radio show host); I cried so hard that my chest started aching me. I couldn’t believe it. I had never met him, but I had listened to him diligently almost everyday since I was like 10! I thought- how can he not come on the radio on Monday?
I was hurt and one Sunday, I asked God to comfort me. I was tired of the bitterness and my eyes were swollen. I was glad I asked, because He comforted me. I think I had a dream, or just some overwhelming presence that assured me that Chaz B was in heaven. I still miss him, but I’m no longer bitter.
Ask God for comfort, let Him protect you from depression.
You prepare a feast for me
in the presence of my enemies.
You honor me by anointing my head with oil.
My cup overflows with blessings.
Imagine God organizing a feast for you right in front of your enemies. Imagine making Jesus famous at a UN meeting when the devil told you you’d never even go to school. That’s having a feast in the presence of the ultimate enemy- and he can’t do anything about it.
We experience things that we don’t deserve. The fact that you’re reading this right now shows that God has honoured me with oil for this blog. It is a privilege writing something that blesses you. Left to me and things I’ve done in the past, I do not deserve to have a blog that people like. I do not deserve to connect with those who want to help and grow in Christ with me; it’s an honour God has given us! Indeed, our cup overflows with blessings.
Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me
all the days of my life,
and I will live in the house of the Lord
forever.
My fav! I love the sound of FOREVER. God’s goodness and love is unfailing and He pursues us all the days of our lives…
I officially started my freelance business of editing and event reporting. The business name is 274degrees and it was birth from my best scripture. Psalm 27:4
One thing I ask from the Lord,
this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the Lord
and to seek him in his temple.
Whatever happens, my aspiration is to remain in God’s house and presence forever.
Are you feeling overwhelmed?
Pick your Bible, read Psalm 23 out loud and declare it over every situation in your life.
Jesus is our shepherd and we have all we need. Amen.
Have a fantastic time ahead. Remember to share with a friend who needs this. Be a blessing.
Thank you for all the love you show. God bless bless bless you.
Love always,
Mobolaji.