Monday, March 2, 2015

My All - Sufficient Shepherd


Because the Lord is my Shepherd, I do not lack anything.
He satisfies my needs. That is the place to which God wants to bring us.
He wants us to be independently dependent upon Him,
to need Him alone. There are really only two options in life.
If the Lord is my Shepherd, then I shall not want;
but if I am in want, then it is obvious that the Lord is not my Shepherd.
~ David H. Roper ~

(Psalm 23:1)
"The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want."
~ I have all that I need ~

~~~***~~~

I'm naturally an early riser
but there are times when the Lord awakens
me during the wee early hours of the morning.
How about you?
Does He wake you and then softly and gently
lead you to a quiet place so he can show you
great things that He has for you in the Scriptures?
Those times do not happen every day,
but when they happen I know it will be a special
time with my Lord.
It is as if He is verbally ~ in a gentle voice ~ saying to me,
come... I have something wonderful for you.
Without fail, He does.
I walk away from those times feeling as if I had been on holy ground.

~~~***~~~

I love my quiet time with the Lord in the mornings,
but these special times seem to happen
when there is something going on in my life
and God knows I need that little extra care and time with  Him.
What I would like to share with you is one of those times.
~
A few days after I returned home from my time away
my father was hospitalized with internal bleeding
and some heart issues.
Why couldn't this have happened when I was with them
just a few days earlier was my question to God?
Being a care-giver comes natural for me
and I longed to be with my parents.
Not that I could do anything, 
but my presence would be there with them.
 I struggled as to whether I should get right
back on a plane and go to them,
but God in His infinite wisdom and goodness
showed me through His Word that
 HE IS ALL-SUFFICIENT
 for every need in this situation.
The needs of my dad the needs of  my mother and my needs as well.

~~~***~~~

When the Lord is our Shepherd, 
He takes responsibility for our lives.
He becomes personally involved with His sheep,
and He cares and provides as needed
for each individually.
He is wholly committed to the welfare
of His flock and to meeting all their needs. 
This was what the Lord wanted me to see
through His Scriptures early that morning.




"Fret not thyself, Debbie, I'm in total control
of this whole situation"
were the tender words of my Shepherd.
I was concerned for my dad while he was in the hospital.
You see, my dad was struck with polio when he was 2 years old
and his one good hip doesn't do well on those hospital beds.
With his pacemaker and heart problems he does not take pain meds
therefore causing him great discomfort.
Two days had gone by and the Dr. still had not
done the test to see why he was bleeding.
Why, I questioned God?
According to my dad he hardly ever saw a nurse.
Why, was another question I asked?
By this time they had given my dad 4 units of blood
and still no answers.
Dad was weak tired and down in spirit.
 And then my mother ~ all alone.
For me to just hop on a plane and fly out
was not possible for a few days,
now my spirit was down.

~~~***~~~

 Can you see why my Shepherd woke me early?
I was in need of a quiet place
so I could be all alone with my Shepherd. 
He woke me at the right time
and drew me to Himself
so He could lift my spirit by showing Himself
to me through His Word
and drawing me ever so close to His side.




Psalm 23 brought comfort and peace to my heart.
It  assured me that my Shepherd will meet
my needs as well as my parents needs.
 He will cause us to lie down in green pastures.
There we will find complete peacefulness and rest.
He will lead us beside still waters.
A place of sustenance rest and refreshment.
He will restore our souls and lead us in the paths of righteousness.
God knows what He is doing with us.
His rod and staff will comfort us.
Your Spirit, O Christ, is my consolation.
He will prepare a table for us.
We can partake of the communion service
which is a feast of thanksgiving
for His love and care for us.
Goodness and mercy will follow us
all the days of our lives, and we will dwell
in the house of the Lord forever.
We live surrounded by God's presence
and He attends to us with care and concern
because we belong to Him.
We shall dwell in the presence (in the care of)
the Lord forever.
What an assurance!

~~~***~~~

I knew that the hand of God had gathered His lambs ~ my parents
and would carry them in His bosom. (Isaiah 40:11)
I didn't need to rush to the airport
for our Shepherd had everything under control.
~
Jesus our Good Shepherd sacrificed His life
for His sheep. His sacrificial death on the cross
is proof of  His love and commitment to us.
He sees and provides for our real needs
as only He can see them.




Our Precious Heavenly Father.
We love You ~ because You first loved us.
Draw us close to Thy side
causing us to depend upon You
for our every need.
May we not depend upon ourselves
but on You, and You alone.
In Christ's name
Amen.

God bless you
~ Debbie ~ 

As of today my dad is still in the hospital with issues that the doctors are looking
at very carefully. Until he is stabilized a couple of procedures will have to wait.
Many of you sweet and dear friends have gone before the Lord
in prayer for our family and I want to express
my heart felt gratitude.
Thank you!

22 comments:

Stephanie said...

The Lord is our comfort and joy, our strength and encouragement...He is our great Shepherd. This was a beautifully written post and the blessing your received from the Lord has poured out into your words and will bless many other hearts. Thank you for sharing.

Have a wonderful Monday! Love to you.

FlowerLady Lorraine said...

This was a beautiful post!

I pray that you will feel God's continued strength and peace as you trust Him for your Dad and Mom at this time. He knows everything that is going on every second of our lives, and what is going on in the future.

Love, hugs and prayers ~ FlowerLady

NanaDiana said...

Debbie- What a touching post. How sad about your Dad. It is so hard with aging parents, isn't it? And, I too, have a hard time resting in the Lord (even when I know He is in control) when I think "I could/should be doing something."

God bless you- praying for your dad..and mom...and you...xo Diana

Debby Ray said...

A beautiful post, Debbie. How blessed we are to have a God who knows us all as individuals and exactly what our needs are at the very moment we need them. I will say a prayer for you and your sweet dad right now. Hugs.

Jazzmin said...

Thank you for blessing my spirit through what you shared. How beautiful is this post! I don't think this could have reached me any more than it did: "How about you?
Does He wake you and then softly and gently
lead you to a quiet place so he can show you
great things that He has for you in the Scriptures?" I came away from reading that with a feeling of sweet refreshment. How beautiful.
Thank you so very much for these reminders, that the Lord loves us and cares for us individually and always! Not just at some times or in some matters. Your post reminded me of something I saw the other day that said something along the lines of: What makes you feel that God can care for you in every trial but this one? That made so much sense to me because it's funny how we often feel that we have come into something so difficult that there is no hope, but no trial is too difficult to God to lead us through.
I love all your photos of your sweet sheep. They are one of my favorite animals.

Love and blessings!
Have a wonderful day,
Jazzmin

Robyn said...

My prayers are with you, your Dad and your family, Debbie. It's so hard to be away from your loved ones and I'm so glad you find your strength in The Lord.
I admire your intestinal fortitude, friend, and I know it will see you through.
Lots of love to you.

living from glory to glory said...

Hello, I love it when the Lord awakes me with His comfort and a word that I must hear! You have filled the command to honor your parents!
Our Father is the great shepherd and we must stay put, till we hear His direction for each situation!
Blessings and Prayers, Love Roxy

Anonymous said...

A beautiful post. I will be praying for your parents and you. I know how difficult it is for you to be away from them. May the Lord give the doctors wisdom in treating your father.

Sola Scriptura said...

Your dad and entire family are in my prayers. Sending you a big hug!

Deborah Montgomery said...

I will pray for your dad and for your mother, too. How loving of our Father to give you that special assurance and peace that He is taking care of His children.

Sandi@ Rose Chintz Cottage said...

Dear Debbie,
It is so difficult to watch our loved ones suffer. But you have done the right thing and left them in His capable hands. We can trust Him to take care of them as we bring our requests before Him. I went through a difficult time with my mother back in January and we almost lost her. But God saw fit to bring her back to us.
I saw your comments on several of my friends' posts and decided to stop by and pay you a visit. I'm glad I did. I too be will glad to pray for your father and all of you. Take care.
I love your sheep, by the way; especially the first photo of the Good Shepherd and the sheep!

Blessings,
Sandi

CherylQuilts said...

Oh, precious Debbie, what a beautiful post and a wonderful reminder that our God is our Great Shepherd Who cares so deeply for us and indeed gives us strength, peace, and encouragement for the journey He gives us. Yes, it's so very hard when our parents' health begin to fail, and I am praying for you and trusting that God will give you strength even this moment as I lift up before Him in prayer! Oh, what joy to know He is with you this moment and with your dad and mom!! Much love and warm hugs!

Mindy said...

Praying prayers for healing for your Dad and continued peace for you. God is so amazing, leading us to Himself in times of need and restoring our souls. I am always comforted but the fact that although I love my family with all I have that God loves them even more...

Joyful said...

At times like you are going through we definitely need that extra closeness with God. I pray both of your parents will get the care they need and be in comfort. A big hug to you too. xx

Celestina Marie said...

Hi Debbie, So glad I found this post too and how it has touched my heart. We all need to hold close to our God and let him lead our way.

Praying for you and your father.
God Bless you and your precious family.
Hugs, CM

Conniecrafter said...

May the Lord continue to bless your father with his loving care and bring you peace as you await his timing

Karen @ Beatrice Euphemie said...

Oh, Deb, I know this is a difficult time, being pulled to honor your parents, but needing to attend to your own life as well. I have been where you are, and it is not easy. God always shows us the way, doesn't he? We just have to keep our faith that all is as it should be and that your Dear Father is attended by the Angels of the Lord at all moments. I have had those middle of the night callings and they are soothing to the soul. Wishing you peace, courage and comfort and sending prayers for your Dear Father. Please take care of yourself, my Dear. Hugs xo Karen

Linda Walker said...

Debbie,
So sorry to hear all that your dad and family are going through. Sending hugs, love and prayers for all. Please take care if yourself.
xo
Linda

Julie's Lifestyle said...

Hi Debbie, so sorry to hear the new about your dad and his health problems. I pray that he will get well. Take care and be well.
Julie

kitty@ Kitty's Kozy Kitchen said...

What a blessing you are to me, with your wisdom from the scripture, Debbie. Prayers are with you and your parents. Love and blessings are sent to you.

Camille said...

So sorry this is happening right now my friend. I am praying for you and for your Dad and Mom as you all face this trial. My favourite verses for the valley are found in Isaiah 43:1-3...how precious God's Word is!! Hugs and with love, Camille

Dee said...

The 23rd Psalm has always been a favorite of mine. It was the first chapter I learned by heart as a child and it continues to give me comfort to this day.

I'm sorry to hear that your dad is in pain and uncomfortable. I know how difficult that is to watch a parent suffer and I'm glad that God woke you early to give you peace. I want you to know that I will be adding your father to my prayer list. Blessings... :)

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