2020 Daily Devotion - Day 23
Psalm 23 NRSV
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff—they comfort me.You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long.
Notice it says we “walk through the valley of the shadow of death”. It is a valley we walk through; not the place where we are meant to reside or live. This valley is not to be our home. And it is the “valley of the shadow of death”; not death itself - merely its shadow. Because of the Resurrected Jesus, death is now only a shadow.
Then, it says all this is possible because “you are with me”. We do not walk this journey alone ,because the living Jesus walks with us.
Bishop Lajos Ordass, of the Lutheran Church in Hungary, spoke many years ago to a small group gathered at the Lutheran World Federation assembly in Minneapolis. As bishop, he protested the Communist regime’s confiscation of church schools, and for that was imprisoned for twenty months. Later, he was under arrest for six years. He was a tall stately man who quietly told his story to those gathered: “They placed me in solitary confinement. It was a tiny cell, perhaps six feet by eight feet, with no windows and soundproofed. They hoped to break down my resistance by isolating me from all sensory perceptions. They thought I was alone. They were wrong. Jesus Christ was present in that room, and in communion with Him, I was able to prevail.”
Pray with me:
Heavenly Father, we thank You, because we do not walk alone. The living Jesus Christ walks with us “through the valley of the shadow of death”. We need not be afraid, for your rod and staff comfort us. Easter reminds us of this. Help us to remember this each and every day. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff—they comfort me.You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long.
Notice it says we “walk through the valley of the shadow of death”. It is a valley we walk through; not the place where we are meant to reside or live. This valley is not to be our home. And it is the “valley of the shadow of death”; not death itself - merely its shadow. Because of the Resurrected Jesus, death is now only a shadow.
Then, it says all this is possible because “you are with me”. We do not walk this journey alone ,because the living Jesus walks with us.
Bishop Lajos Ordass, of the Lutheran Church in Hungary, spoke many years ago to a small group gathered at the Lutheran World Federation assembly in Minneapolis. As bishop, he protested the Communist regime’s confiscation of church schools, and for that was imprisoned for twenty months. Later, he was under arrest for six years. He was a tall stately man who quietly told his story to those gathered: “They placed me in solitary confinement. It was a tiny cell, perhaps six feet by eight feet, with no windows and soundproofed. They hoped to break down my resistance by isolating me from all sensory perceptions. They thought I was alone. They were wrong. Jesus Christ was present in that room, and in communion with Him, I was able to prevail.”
Pray with me:
Heavenly Father, we thank You, because we do not walk alone. The living Jesus Christ walks with us “through the valley of the shadow of death”. We need not be afraid, for your rod and staff comfort us. Easter reminds us of this. Help us to remember this each and every day. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Yours because of Him,
Pastor John R. Steward
Senior Pastor
Mount of Olives Church
Pastor John R. Steward
Senior Pastor
Mount of Olives Church
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