The Good Shepherd

Near the beginning of the virus hitting in March, I was listening to my regular Lectio 365 meditation, and as they began to read Psalm 80 it seemed so appropriate to our situation. It reflected the cry of my heart.
 1 Hear us, Shepherd of Israel,
you who lead Joseph like a flock.
You who sit enthroned between the cherubim,
shine forth ² before Ephraim, Benjamin and Manasseh.
Awaken your might; come and save us.
3 Restore us, O God; make your face shine on us, that we may be saved.                                                             
 
It is a Psalm that reminds us that God is our shepherd. He has led before and will lead now. It is a prayer for Him to wake up and respond in power to our prayers. Then it pleads for him to make his face shine upon us.
 
This brought to my mind the 23rd Psalm
1 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 He refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil,
for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
 
This Psalm is so appropriate for this time when people are worrying about getting food and worrying about finances as they have to stop working or see pension funds potentially plummeting. Verse 1 reminds us that God is Jehovah Jireh; our provider.
 
In a conversation with a friend, she talked about how this was forcing us to jump off the treadmill of our lives. She was enjoying enforced time with her family.  “He makes me lie down in green pastures.” To some of us it may not feel like this but we need to take hold of the opportunity to step back and reconnect with the world that God has placed us in. Even if we can’t get out we can listen to the birdsong. As I write this I can hear a wood pigeon. Last night I heard the hooting of an owl. We can also watch the clouds as we did when we were children.  Even in this difficult time God can refresh our souls if we let him.
 
As I listened to this Psalm recently I noticed the change in the way the Psalmist refers to God. In the first few verses God is “He”. But then as he talks about entering that dark valley it changes. Not “HE“ is with me, but “YOU” are with me. In the dark times there is an intimacy with God that the Psalmist is aware of. We need to draw close to God in intimacy as we pass through these dark times.
 
The Psalm reminds us that even though we are walking through this dark valley he is still with us. He is there to comfort us. He spreads a table before us. he welcomes us to spend time in his company. This is a picture of plenty and blessing. The end of the Psalm reminds us that his love follows us wherever we are, whatever the circumstances. He is with us, even if the worst happens, it assures us that we will live with God forever. This is truly a Psalm for our time.
I hope that you too can find help and encouragement in it.
 
I hope that you find this clip from the streets of Brazil inspiring as well.
 
A few years ago, I was introduced to a thing called breathing prayers.
This Psalm is great for that. You just pick a couple of lines appropriate to your circumstances and pray them as you breath in and out.
 
For example, if you are worried about having enough money or food, as you breathe in pray “The Lord is my Shepherd”. As you breathe out pray “I lack nothing”. Just keep praying over these lines as you breathe until the prayer touches your soul, if you are afraid as you breathe in pray “even though I walk through the darkest valley” as you breathe out pray “I will fear no evil”.
I have found this really helpful myself.
 
If ever there was a time to draw close to God this is it. He promises that as we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us.
 
But before I go I want to give you another link that might make you laugh. Julie Andrews at her best!
 
Stay safe and stay connected
 
Steph