Every year, the gospel on the Fourth Sunday of Easter tells us about the Good Shepherd. You might want to pray over Psalm 23 this morning before moving on to my Pause for Prayer for Good Shepherd Sunday...
The Lord is my shepherd;
there is nothing I shall want.
Fresh and green are the meadows
where he gives me repose.
Near restful waters he leads me,
to revive my drooping spirit.
He guides me along the right path;
he is true to his name.
If I should walk in the valley of darkness
no evil would I fear.
You are there with your crook and your staff;
with these you give me comfort.
You have prepared a banquet for me
in the sight of my foes.
My head you have anointed with oil;
my cup is overflowing.
Surely goodness and kindness shall follow me
all the days of my life.
In the Lord's own house shall I dwell
for ever and ever.
-Psalm 23
Lord, it's hard to imagine wanting for nothing but I love what you promise in Psalm 23: meadows, fresh and green? that sounds great! restful waters to lift my spirits? I'll dive right in!
Shepherd me to just such a place, Lord - not a vacation spot - but a place in my heart, in my soul, where solace abounds because you're there for me with gifts of peace that only you can give...
So many needs and problems nagging me, so many fears and concerns haunting me, too many worries and distractions keeping me from just that place within where I know you wait, inviting me to come, to settle down and find my rest in you...
Sometimes you give me grace to see what I so often miss: my running too fast, my waste of time, my selfishness; my thinking I'll get by without your help, that I can do it all alone...
Without your shepherd's lead I lose my way; without your shepherd's crook I go astray; without your shepherd's voice to call my name I wander in dark valleys, lost in grief and fear...
But you're there by my side, always my shepherd; your crook pulls me back when I’ve run off from the meadows of your presence and your peace... you call my name to call me home, home where I belong…
Guide me on my journey, Lord, on the right path: be true to your name and call me to be true to your word. When I step away from your side, find me, bring me back and show me the way you'd have me walk...
Turn me around and let me see how close you are, Lord; with your crook and your staff give me comfort and hope; open my heart and my ears to your voice and your word, and grant me the peace you offer each day...
When I'm hungry for bread and thirst for your mercy: prepare a banquet to nourish my soul with your wisdom, and fill me with your grace and goodness...
Help me see, Lord, how I'll only want for nothing when nothing comes between you and me and the peace you give to lift my drooping spirit...
In the quiet of my prayer, good Shepherd, let me rest in your presence and find the peace that waits for me each time I listen for your voice...
In the stillness of your meadow: calm my soul, forgive my heart; anoint me with your pardon and fill me with your Spirit...
In the quiet of my prayer, Lord, let your light shine in my dark valley and with your shepherd's crook dispel my fears and comfort me...
Shepherd me to just such a place, Lord - not a vacation spot - but a place in my heart, in my soul, where solace abounds because you're there for me with gifts of peace that only you can give...
So many needs and problems nagging me, so many fears and concerns haunting me, too many worries and distractions keeping me from just that place within where I know you wait, inviting me to come, to settle down and find my rest in you...
Sometimes you give me grace to see what I so often miss: my running too fast, my waste of time, my selfishness; my thinking I'll get by without your help, that I can do it all alone...
Without your shepherd's lead I lose my way; without your shepherd's crook I go astray; without your shepherd's voice to call my name I wander in dark valleys, lost in grief and fear...
But you're there by my side, always my shepherd; your crook pulls me back when I’ve run off from the meadows of your presence and your peace... you call my name to call me home, home where I belong…
Guide me on my journey, Lord, on the right path: be true to your name and call me to be true to your word. When I step away from your side, find me, bring me back and show me the way you'd have me walk...
Turn me around and let me see how close you are, Lord; with your crook and your staff give me comfort and hope; open my heart and my ears to your voice and your word, and grant me the peace you offer each day...
When I'm hungry for bread and thirst for your mercy: prepare a banquet to nourish my soul with your wisdom, and fill me with your grace and goodness...
Help me see, Lord, how I'll only want for nothing when nothing comes between you and me and the peace you give to lift my drooping spirit...
In the quiet of my prayer, good Shepherd, let me rest in your presence and find the peace that waits for me each time I listen for your voice...
In the stillness of your meadow: calm my soul, forgive my heart; anoint me with your pardon and fill me with your Spirit...
In the quiet of my prayer, Lord, let your light shine in my dark valley and with your shepherd's crook dispel my fears and comfort me...
Amen.
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