From Edified!
“…he leads me beside the still waters., he restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.”
Psalm 23:2b
Glory be to you, my Good Shepherd, my Lord Jesus, for leading me beside the still waters. Every day you call me to your Word to drink deeply from the waters of Truth, to be refreshed with the revelation of your character, to be washed with the water of the Word.
I don’t see a great deal of change on a daily basis, but you are definitely at work, altering my soul, bringing growth, deepening and transformation. You are restoring my soul, moving it in the direction of its original, pre-fall condition so your relationship with me can be more profound, more transparent, higher and deeper.
Praise be to you, my Great Shepherd, my Heavenly Father, my Heavenly Brother, my Heavenly Spirit, for this faithful, powerful and wonderful work in my life. As I spend time with you in worship each day, you have been giving me strength in my soul, you have been quietly transforming my being into the likeness of Christ, so that when the disappointments of life come, there will be strength in me to pass through them with your endurance.
You are removing my fear of man, empowering me to make tough decisions for the good of the people involved without letting fear of how they will react control me. You are teaching me to think like you, rather than being swayed by my feelings. This is your doing. You truly are Glorious, Great and Gracious!
You lead me in paths of righteousness: warning, guiding, teaching, disciplining. You nudge me when I am about to say something negative, out of bounds, unhelpful or gossipy. And when I heed your warning, there is a sense of freedom—freedom from the selfish desire to give myself a thrill by being the one to pass on information or to be the authority in some matter. To deny self, to obey you, that is following you in the paths of righteousness.
I praise and thank you for your wonderful shepherding, for your faithful goodness, for your continued, gracious patience. You are marvelous, merciful and magnificent in your persistent, powerful, positive transforming work in the lives of your children.
As the Great Shepherd, you are leading, guiding, disciplining, protecting, providing, commanding—therefore you are worthy of all exaltation, worship, glory, honor and praise. It will require more than eternity to give you what you deserve, and I glorify you for that!
Prayer: “Today, may my drinking of the pure waters of your Word and my walking in the path of righteousness you have prepared, bring glory to you, Lord, and transformation to me so that I may give you more and more honor each day. Amen.”
