PSALM 23

The LORD is my shepherd;
I shall not want.

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:
he leadeth me beside the still waters.

He restoreth my soul:
he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness
for his name's sake.

Yea, though I walk through
the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil: for thou art with me;
thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

Thou preparest a table before me
in the presence of mine enemies:
thou anointest my head with oil;
my cup runneth over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life: and
I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever

God's Help Is Near

The Lord is close to everyone

who prays to him,
to all who truly pray to him.
Psalm 145:18

Healing begins when we do something. Healing begins when we reach out. Healing starts when we take a step. God's help is near and always available, but it is only given to those who seek it. Nothings results from apathy...

God honors radical, risk taking faith.

When arks are built, lives are saved. When soldiers march, Jerichos tumble. When staffs are raised, seas still open. When a lunch is shared, thousands are fed. And when garment is touched - whether by the hand of an anemic woman in Galilee, or by the prayers of beggars in Bangladesh - Jesus stops. He stops and responds.

This passage is an excerpt from Max Lucado's book "He Still Moves Stones" and republished on "Grace By The Moment" devotional book. This is actually the February 4th devotion and nothing could come close and relevant to my situation right now that this passage. My dear friend Cassie gave me this devotional book for Christmas and it never fails to encourage me. Interestingly, she knows everything I am going through right now and I know she would agree that this is a perfect devotion for me today.

Risk Taker - that's what I am right now.

***
UPDATE: Adam posted this on Facebook. I thought it'll be good to post it here too:

Psalm 94:19 - A Verse To Soothe The Anxious Mind

"When my anxious thoughts overwhelm me,

Your consolations delight my soul."
Psalm 94:19

Psalm 37

Fret not yourself because of evildoers;
be not envious of wrongdoers!
For they will soon fade like the grass
and wither like the green herb.

Trust in the Lord, and do good;
dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
Delight yourself in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him, and he will act.
He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,
and your justice as the noonday.

Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;
fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way,
over the man who carries out evil devices!

Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath!
Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.
9 For the evildoers shall be cut off,
but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land.

In just a little while, the wicked will be no more;
though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there.
11 But the meek shall inherit the land
and delight themselves in abundant peace.

The wicked plots against the righteous
and gnashes his teeth at him,
but the Lord laughs at the wicked,
for he sees that his day is coming.

The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows
to bring down the poor and needy,
to slay those whose way is upright;
their sword shall enter their own heart,
and their bows shall be broken.

Better is the little that the righteous has
than the abundance of many wicked.
For the arms of the wicked shall be broken,
but the Lord upholds the righteous.

The Lord knows the days of the blameless,
and their heritage will remain forever;
19 they are not put to shame in evil times;
in the days of famine they have abundance.

But the wicked will perish;
the enemies of the Lord are like the glory of the pastures;
they vanish—like smoke they vanish away.

The wicked borrows but does not pay back,
but the righteous is generous and gives;
for those blessed by the Lord [3] shall inherit the land,
but those cursed by him shall be cut off.

The steps of a man are established by the Lord,
when he delights in his way;
though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong,
for the Lord upholds his hand.

I have been young, and now am old,
yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken
or his children begging for bread.

He is ever lending generously,
and his children become a blessing.

Psalm 145:17-19 and Psalm 147:10-11

The Lord is righteous in all his ways
and loving toward all He has made
The Lord is near to all who call Him
to all who call him in truth
He fulfills the desire of those who fear Him
and He hears their cries and saves them

His pleasure is not in the strength of a horse,
nor His delight in the legs of a man;
the Lord delights in those who fear Him,
who put their hope in His unfailing love.

* verses from Psalm 145 and 147.

Psalm 62

Psalm 62

1 My soul finds rest in God alone;
my salvation comes from him.

2 He alone is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.

3 How long will you assault a man?
Would all of you throw him down—
this leaning wall, this tottering fence?

4 They fully intend to topple him
from his lofty place;
they take delight in lies.
With their mouths they bless,
but in their hearts they curse.
Selah

5 Find rest, O my soul, in God alone;
my hope comes from him.

6 He alone is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.

7 My salvation and my honor depend on God ^[a] ;
he is my mighty rock, my refuge.

8 Trust in him at all times, O people;
pour out your hearts to him,
for God is our refuge.
Selah

9 Lowborn men are but a breath,
the highborn are but a lie;
if weighed on a balance, they are nothing;
together they are only a breath.

10 Do not trust in extortion
or take pride in stolen goods;
though your riches increase,
do not set your heart on them.

11 One thing God has spoken,
two things have I heard:
that you, O God, are strong,

12 and that you, O Lord, are loving.
Surely you will reward each person
according to what he has done.

***

I know I am supposed to be on a bloggy break but
this Psalm ministered to me I thought I'd share it here

Psalm 121

I lift up my eyes to the hills --

where does my help come from?
My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot slip --
He who watches over you will not slumber;
indeed, He who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

The LORD watches over you --
the LORD is your shade at your right hand;
the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.

The LORD will keep you from all harm --
He will watch over your life;
the LORD will watch over your coming and going
both now and forever more.

Psalm 121

Turning Anxious Thoughts Into Prayer

I woke up today with many anxious thoughts. Monday has it's way of doing that to as I face the new week and think of the many things and chores I did not accomplish the week before and the many things and chores I have to do this coming week. I prayed and I was reminded of the verse "Cast your cares upon Him and He cares for you. I googled the verse so I can cut and paste here. I landed on a wonderful blog called:

“But as for me, I will always have hope…” Psalm 71:14

Yeah, that's the title of Lisa's blog. I copied this post and pasted here (sorry, without permission, but I will tell her after this), but I encourage you to go there and read her post for June 8. Amazingly, it's the same message and it's what I need to hear. So go there and read what she wrote.

Here's what I copied:

It is so easy to live lives full of anxiety and worry, but as believers in Christ we are called to trust in Him. Charles Spurgeon once said, “Anxiety does not empty tomorrow of it’s sorrows, but only empties today of it’s strength.” Living in this fallen world requires us to earnestly cast off worry and fear and to actively embrace peace and trust. The wonderful news is that Christ is so worthy of our trust and is in control.

Psalm 125:1 “Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever.”

1 Peter 5:6 “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”

Isn't God so good that He meet us on our every need especially when we cry out to Him. Thank you Lord for understanding my anxiety and for providing an answer on how I should deal with it. Here's a quick run down of my worries, I cast them off to Jesus:

1) Back to work. help me to accomplish the task I need to accomplish.

2) Kids at the Camp. I wish I can stay home and spend more time with the kids this summer. But since I have to go to work, I need to find something for them to do. Help them have fun at the Nature Center camp. Keep them safe. May the meet and enjoy new friends there. May they find favor in the eyes if the counselors.

3) Hubby's knee surgery on Tuesday. Make it successful to totally heal what needed to be healed.

4) Karen and Joe, Jaime and Joanne for comfort and peace in time of grieving.

5) For myself to continually trust you and not be anxious.

6) My parents back in the Philippines, for provision, good health etc.

7) My brothers and their families - for provision and blessings

8) My mother in law - for comfort, and personal relationship with Jesus

Thank you Lord...

***

I'm joining Heather here on Scriptures Speak and More of Him Monday.

Psalm For This Morning

PSALM 143:8-10

Let the morning bring me Word
of your unfailing love,
for I have put my trust in you.
Show me the way I should go,
for to you I lift up my soul.
Rescue me from my enemies, O Lord,
for I hide myself in you.
Teach me to do your will,
for you are my God;
may your good Spirit
lead me on levelground.

***

Scripture Speaks, more at Not a DIY Life

Psalm 100

1 Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.

2 Worship the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.

3 Know that the LORD is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his [a] ;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.

5 For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.

***

For an inspiring story, go to MAGNANIMITY and read her post on Patrick Henry Hughes

Why Are You Downcast, O My Soul?

Psalm 42

5 Why are you downcast, O my soul?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and

6 my God.
My soul is downcast within me;
therefore I will remember you
from the land of the Jordan,
the heights of Hermon—from Mount Mizar.

7 Deep calls to deep
in the roar of your waterfalls;
all your waves and breakers
have swept over me.

8 By day the LORD directs his love,
at night his song is with me—
a prayer to the God of my life.

***

For more Scripture Speaks, visit Sunshine on My Shoulders.

Unless The Lord Builds The House ...

Psalm 127

Unless the LORD builds the house,
they labor in vain who build.

Unless the LORD guard the city,
in vain does the guard keep watch.

It is vain for you to rise early and
put off your rest at night,
to eat bread earned by hard toil -
All this God gives to his beloved in sleep.

Children too are a gift from the LORD,
the fruit of the womb, a reward.

Like arrows in the hand of a warrior
are the children born in one's youth.

Blessed are they whose quivers are full.
They will never be shamed
contending with foes at the gate.

Psalm 139:13

For you created my inmost being;
You knit me in my mother's womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully
and wonderfully made.
Your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.

Psalm 139:13

Where Does my Help Come From?

I lift up my eyes to the hills --

where does my help come from?
My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot slip --
He who watches over you will not slumber;
indeed, He who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

The LORD watches over you --
the LORD is your shade at your right hand;
the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.

The LORD will keep you from all harm --
He will watch over your life;
the LORD will watch over your coming and going
both now and forever more.

Psalm 121

Psalm 116

PSALM 116

5 The LORD is gracious and righteous;
our God is full of compassion.

6 The LORD protects the simplehearted;
when I was in great need, he saved me.

7 Be at rest once more, O my soul,
for the LORD has been good to you.

Psalm23

Last Sunday, Craig (our pastor) taught on Psalm 23. Today I got this and want to share it with you. Please click the photo to make it bigger, so you can read. Take note of the added italics on the side (a simple explanation of the verse). Happy Sunday!

Psalm 103

¹ Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and all that is within me,
bless his holy name.
² Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and do not forget all his benefits—
³ who forgives all your iniquity,
who heals all your diseases,
⁴ who redeems your life from the Pit,
who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
⁵ who satisfies you with good as long as you live^*
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

⁶ The Lord works vindication
and justice for all who are oppressed.
⁷ He made known his ways to Moses,
his acts to the people of Israel.
⁸ The Lord is merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
⁹ He will not always accuse,
nor will he keep his anger for ever.
¹⁰ He does not deal with us according to our sins,
nor repay us according to our iniquities.
¹¹ For as the heavens are high above the earth,
so great is his steadfast love towards those who fear him;
¹² as far as the east is from the west,
so far he removes our transgressions from us.
¹³ As a father has compassion for his children,
so the Lord has compassion for those who fear him.
¹⁴ For he knows how we were made;
he remembers that we are dust.

¹⁵ As for mortals, their days are like grass;
they flourish like a flower of the field;
¹⁶ for the wind passes over it, and it is gone,
and its place knows it no more.
¹⁷ But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting
on those who fear him,
and his righteousness to children’s children,
¹⁸ to those who keep his covenant
and remember to do his commandments.

¹⁹ The Lord has established his throne in the heavens,
and his kingdom rules over all.
²⁰ Bless the Lord, O you his angels,
you mighty ones who do his bidding,
obedient to his spoken word.
²¹ Bless the Lord, all his hosts,
his ministers that do his will.
²² Bless the Lord, all his works,
in all places of his dominion.
Bless the Lord, O my soul.

Read this exposition by Charles Spurgeon on Psalm 103.

Psalm 127

Psalm 127

Unless the LORD builds the house,
they labor in vain who build.

Unless the LORD guard the city,
in vain does the guard keep watch.

It is vain for you to rise early and
put off your rest at night,
to eat bread earned by hard toil -
All this God gives to his beloved in sleep.

Children too are a gift from the LORD,
the fruit of the womb, a reward.

Like arrows in the hand of a warrior
are the children born in one's youth.

Blessed are they whose quivers are full.
They will never be shamed
contending with foes at the gate.

Psalm 121

I lift up my eyes to the hills --

where does my help come from?
My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot slip --
He who watches over you will not slumber;
indeed, He who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

The LORD watches over you --
the LORD is your shade at your right hand;
the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.

The LORD will keep you from all harm --
He will watch over your life;
the LORD will watch over your coming and going
both now and forever more.

I discovered a new blog called Finding Grace and the blogger wrote a wonderful reflection in this Psalm titled "the opposite of doing". click HERE to read it.

The photo was taken by me from our lanai (deck). "Thank you Lord for such an incredible view that reminds me of your love each day".