THE VERSE
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.~Psalm 23:1
THE THOUGHT
When reading things like Psalm 23, are you ever struck by a twinge of guilt or regret that your experience doesn't live up to that of the Psalmist? You want to be able to say, "I shall not want," content in the Lord, and yet you find your heart grasping for more and more. You want to say, "I will fear no evil," yet your days are characterized by anxiety. Today's Daily Verse is a poem by Eric Potter based on Psalm 23, expressing a gospel-centered discontent with himself. Perhaps you can relate.The Lord is (supposed to be) my shepherd;
I should not want, though I often do.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures;
He leadeth me beside still waters,
yet my heart still longs to run the rapids.
He restoreth my soul,
over and over because I keep defacing it;
he leadeth me--stiff-legged and halting--in the paths
of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I may fear no evil, but I will worry chronically,
although thou art with me.
Thy rod and thy staff they confine me.
Thou preparest a table before me,
still I turn up my nose at the menu,
and the presence of my enemies distracts me.
Thou anointest my head with oil,
which drips in my eyes and runs down my back
while I dab at the spill from my over-full cup.
Surely goodness and mercy should
abandon me for my ingratitude,
but they shall hound me all the days of my life,
and I will dwell (in spite of my self)
in the house of the Lord forever.
THE PRAYER
Merciful God, Surely goodness and mercy should abandon me for my ingratitude, and yet You still hound me with relentless, pursuing grace all the days of my life. And I will soon enter Your house-- not because of any good I have done, but because of Your great mercy.EXTENDED READING
Psalm 5:4-7Psalm 23:1-6
THE QUOTE
“There is no mode of life in the world more pleasing and more full of delight than continual conversation with God.” ~Saint John of the LadderTHROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
Jeremiah 10-11Ecclesiastes 3:16-22
John 1:43:51
James 2:14-26
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