Never Alone

Never Alone: God With Us

Do you have a favorite Psalm?

I actually have two – Psalms 23 and 139.

Psalm 23 by King David is short enough to memorize, and yet, in just six verses, we have powerful and reassuring truths that comfort countless believers to this day. 

The Psalm begins this way:

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want . . .1

He is our shepherd and we are the Savior’s sheep.

Never alone

If you know anything about sheep, they’re very dependent animals.

They need the guidance of a shepherd to help keep them safe.

Like sheep, we too can easily be led astray without our Shepherd to guide us.

We may feel confident in our own strength, but it’s only through Jesus that we can have eternal life.

Never Alone in Every Storm of Life

During the April – May springtime storm season this year in Texas – no kidding, it seemed like every single day we were facing tornado weather.

One of those nights my husband wasn’t home yet, and a bad storm was approaching.

Nonstop TV weather alerts warned our area that a developing tornado was heading right for our county.

I hate tornadoes.

I remember during my reporter days interviewing a family who lost their mother during a dangerous tornado.  I’ve never forgotten the emotional pain in their eyes.

Whenever I see that little red triangular-shaped icon on the TV map aiming for our county, I go into storm prep mode.

I’m leashing dogs, gathering important papers etc., and preparing to head to the shelter just in case.

The soothing words of Psalm 23 came to me in that rush to prepare.

Over and over, I recited the entire Psalm out loud.

It seemed like an eternity until my husband got home.

By the grace of God, our particular area was spared from the tornado.

But, even if it we didn’t have a good outcome, there was comfort in knowing that we’re never alone through life’s storms.

God has not promised to bring peace to every storm, but He has promised to give us peace through any storm if we will trust Him to take care of us. – got questions.org.2

Psalm 23 – We Are Never Alone

Trust in Jesus and find refuge.

It’s no wonder that Psalm 23 with its powerful message has inspired countless songwriters over the years.

Speaking of which, have you heard the song, “Not Alone” by Christian vocalist Meredith Joy Keller?

As of this writing, the song’s debut on YouTube has garnered over 40,000 views so far.

This is a great song and I’m happy to share!

Every note speaks to the heart.

Please enjoy.

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Scripture quotation is from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation.

2 Quotation from gotquestions.org, from “What did Jesus mean when He said, “Peace, be still”? n.d., para. 7. Web. Accessed June 30, 2024. Retrieved from Peace, be still

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Does Your Heart Hurt?

Heart Condition: Does Your Heart Hurt?

How is your heart these days?

Does your heart hurt?

I’m not talking about a heart defect, but rather the emotional hurt that comes when you feel powerless to stop bad things from happening.

My heart hurts.

My heart hurts when I think of persecuted Christians here in America, and overseas.

It breaks my heart when I hear that some churches closed their doors out of fear-pressure due to the virus. 

Especially considering what kind of businesses stay open.

It hurts my heart when I hear of the growing discrimination against non-vaxxed people.

Intimidation and accusations directed towards anyone, whether they’ve had the shot or not, is discrimination.

We should aim to do better than that.

Respect each other’s decisions!

The world can be so ugly at times, wouldn’t you say?

Give us a renewed hope, Lord.

Help us to see the world through Your eyes.

Waiting for His Return

We are a hurting and lost world in need of our Savior.

There’s such a pervasive divide between the Good and the Bad now that any little glimpse of grace can sometimes bring tears to my eyes.

Those glimpses of grace are a window of what’s to come in our eternal home – for those who trust in Jesus for their salvation.

I am sad for our country, but our blessed HOPE is on the horizon, closer now more than ever.

I love this from Christian author Susie Larson.

Daily Blessing . . .

May you be honest with God about the hurts in your heart. May you discern the difference between grief and self-pity. May you be okay with not always being okay. God will one day wipe away every tear from your eyes, but until then, He’ll help you walk this journey with peace in your heart and assurance in your step. He is with you. One day Jesus will turn your mourning into dancing and your sorrow into songs of joy. In the meantime, enjoy the little graces you find along the way. Celebrate the small victories. Dare to dream. And take one step at a time. You’re going to be okay. Blessings on your day today. – Susie Larson, Christian author.

Lord, grant us peace in these trying times.

Does your heart hurt?

Heart Hurt and Glimpses of Grace

Does your heart hurt?

Keep going.

Keep your eyes on Jesus.

Don’t throw in the towel.

In other words, those little glimpses of grace along the way are reasons to thank God.

You’ve reached another day to celebrate God’s blessings, and it’s another day that you’ve moved closer to your eternal home.

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1Susie Larson, courtesy of Susie Larson.com, “One Step At A Time.” Daily Blessing. September 7, 2021. Retrieved from https://www.susielarson.com/daily-blessing.

2Scripture quotation is from the New American Standard Bible 1995 (NASB1995) Copyright © 1960, 1971,1977,1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.

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The Lord Is My Shepherd Forever

Why The Lord Is My Shepherd Forever

The Lord is my shepherd forever

My defender, my protector, the Lord is my shepherd forever

Psalm 23 has always been dear to my heart.

The entire psalm talks about trusting our Savior – as an illustration that we can rest in Him, no matter what life brings.

“The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.”– Psalm 23, (NASB).1

In fact, history tells us that a shepherd will do anything to protect his sheep, even lay down his life against a predator.

The Lord is my shepherd

The Lord Is My Shepherd Song

With the comforting picture of Jesus as our Savior in mind, I recently found a beautiful Christian song to share that I have literally listened to over and over.

Turn it up if you can.

The song is from Nashville Life Music and it’s called, “Shepherd.”

It really blessed me, and I hope you find it as uplifting as I do for the days ahead.

Make sure you check out their new album, “Here For Jesus” that will release May 15, 2020. In addition, the Nashville Life Music group is nominated for a GMA Dove Award for their song, “My God.”

Furthermore, here’s a fun fact you may not know: The group started out nine years ago in gospel legend, CeCe Winan’s living room.

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*Opening Shepherd photo is free to use, licensed under under a Creative Commons CC0 License.

1 Scripture quotation is from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. 

2 Quotation from M.G. Easton M.A., D.D., Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Third Edition, published by Thomas Nelson, 1897. Public Domain, Web. Accessed 29, April, 2020. Retrieved from https://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionary/shepherd/. Sheep photo is free to use, licensed under a Creative Commons CC0 License.

 

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