Psalm 23

Psalm 23

Thoughts from Kimber Gilbert

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Swipe to read today’s written devo!

Be Still - Swipe
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“The Lord is my shepherd, I will not be in need. He lets me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness for the sake of His name. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, 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 have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows. Certainly goodness and faithfulness will follow me all the days of my life, and my dwelling will be in the house of the Lord forever.”

Psalm 23

Be Still - BTS
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The American Psychological Association recently released a document stating that, “We (Americans) are facing a national mental health crisis that could yield serious health and social consequences for years to come.” A lot has happened in the past few years…from economic downturns to the impact of political conflict including racism, abortions, and the LGBTQ+ community. Christians specifically have also been targeted as a ‘problem group’, adding stressors on our faith community as to how to react/handle these ‘hot topics’. On top of all of that, the average American says that they have approximately 26 minutes of free time in a week after calculating all demands (job, family, sleeping, cooking, cleaning, etc). How are we even surviving?

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That paragraph was a lot to take in, so take a second and just breathe. That’s what God intends for us to do. He is not a God of chaos; He is a God of rest. He makes us lie down in green pastures. He leads us beside still waters. He restores our souls. Do we allow Him to instill those things in us though? Or are we too busy running around trying to manage every task that we do not have time to trust in His rest? I’m guilty as charged, and it’s something that I’ve been working on.

Be Still - MIR
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We are so blessed to live in a state where our green pastures have a backdrop of colorful mountains filled with fireweed in the summertime, golden leaves in autumn, magical white in the winter, and budding flowers in the spring. We are surrounded by His Creation where He calls us to rest. But I think oftentimes, we still find ourselves too busy to truly rest in His provision for us. We think that we are the ones who need to manage our own time, but when we sit in His presence, our striving melts away. He guides us to prioritize in a way that leads us to live in a restful, peaceful way.

Slide

The world is watching Christians right now. There have been some difficult topics about which Christians have been questioned, criticized, and to certain degrees, silenced. One thing that we should be exhibiting though is a peaceful, restful state in the way that we live. I don’t get this right all the time, but this passage is a great reminder to slow down and lay down our lives to Him. The difference in our countenance is different when we abide in His calming presence. This is a passage that I memorized a while ago, and if you haven’t memorized this psalm, I encourage you to! It’s a beautiful image of His desire for us in our daily lives.

Be Still - EIP
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Dear Lord, I pray that you will help me to abide in this passage. I give all my burdens and daily tasks to you. You are a better manager of my time than I will ever be, so I give my schedule to you. I’m sorry for the times when I don’t prioritize being still with you. Teach me your ways so that I can live the life that you’ve designed for me. And teach me your ways so that I may be an example to those around me.

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“The Lord is my shepherd, I will not be in need. He lets me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness for the sake of His name. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, 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 have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows. Certainly goodness and faithfulness will follow me all the days of my life, and my dwelling will be in the house of the Lord forever.” 

Psalm 23

Behind the Scenes

The American Psychological Association recently released a document stating that, “We (Americans) are facing a national mental health crisis that could yield serious health and social consequences for years to come.”  A lot has happened in the past few years…from economic downturns to the impact of political conflict including racism, abortions, and the LGBTQ+ community. Christians specifically have also been targeted as a ‘problem group’, adding stressors on our faith community as to how to react/handle these ‘hot topics’.  On top of all of that, the average American says that they have approximately 26 minutes of free time in a week after calculating all demands (job, family, sleeping, cooking, cleaning, etc). How are we even surviving? 

That paragraph was a lot to take in, so take a second and just breathe. That’s what God intends for us to do. He is not a God of chaos; He is a God of rest. He makes us lie down in green pastures. He leads us beside still waters.  He restores our souls. Do we allow Him to instill those things in us though? Or are we too busy running around trying to manage every task that we do not have time to trust in His rest? I’m guilty as charged, and it’s something that I’ve been working on.  

Make It Real

We are so blessed to live in a state where our green pastures have a backdrop of colorful mountains filled with fireweed in the summertime, golden leaves in autumn, magical white in the winter, and budding flowers in the spring. We are surrounded by His Creation where He calls us to rest. But I think oftentimes, we still find ourselves too busy to truly rest in His provision for us. We think that we are the ones who need to manage our own time, but when we sit in His presence, our striving melts away. He guides us to prioritize in a way that leads us to live in a restful, peaceful way.  

The world is watching Christians right now. There have been some difficult topics about which Christians have been questioned, criticized, and to certain degrees, silenced. One thing that we should be exhibiting though is a peaceful, restful state in the way that we live. I don’t get this right all the time, but this passage is a great reminder to slow down and lay down our lives to Him. The difference in our countenance is different when we abide in His calming presence. This is a passage that I memorized a while ago, and if you haven’t memorized this psalm, I encourage you to! It’s a beautiful image of His desire for us in our daily lives.  

Ali Bair

Ali Bair

ACF Social Media Assistant

End in Prayer

Dear Lord, I pray that you will help me to abide in this passage. I give all my burdens and daily tasks to you. You are a better manager of my time than I will ever be, so I give my schedule to you. I’m sorry for the times when I don’t prioritize being still with you. Teach me your ways so that I can live the life that you’ve designed for me.  And teach me your ways so that I may be an example to those around me.  

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