My Shepherd Will Supply My Need

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Recently my sister reminded me of a song our dad loved to sing.  My dad loved the Psalms and had a dream to see all 150 of them put to music in a form that anyone could sing.  He wrote music to five of them himself.  The lyrics to this particular song is a paraphrase of Psalm 23, written by Isaac Watts who wrote many hymns in the 1800s.  It was put to an old Southern folk hymn melody and is a simple, beautiful melody that runs through your mind for a long time once you hear it.  If you would like to listen to it, here is one  version of it:  My Shepherd Will Supply My Need.  Here are the lyrics: 

My Shepherd will supply my need:
Jehovah is His Name;
In pastures fresh He makes me feed,
Beside the living stream.
He brings my wandering spirit back
When I forsake His ways,
And leads me, for His mercy's sake,
In paths of truth and grace.

When I walk through the shades of death
His presence is my stay;
One word of His supporting grace
Drives all my fears away.
His hand, in sight of all my foes,
Doth still my table spread;
My cup with blessings overflows,
His oil anoints my head.

The sure provisions of my God
Attend me all my days;
O may Thy house be my abode,
And all my work be praise.
There would I find a settled rest,
While others go and come;
No more a stranger, nor a guest,
But like a child at home.

 --Isaac Watts

My sister led me to meditate more on the last stanza, where the Psalmist talks about dwelling in the house of the Lord.  Our Bibles read in Psalm 23:6, "Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." (NIV).  What does it mean to "dwell in the house of the LORD?"  

Letting Scripture interpret Scripture shows us that dwelling in the house of the Lord is a life of constant praise to our God.  Psalm 84:4 says, "What joy for those who can live in your house, always singing your praises” (NLT)  Dwelling with God is a place of perfect comfort as told in Revelation 21:2-4:  "And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.  And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” (ESV)  

As I compared these thoughts with Isaac Watts' hymn, I thought of how beautifully he captured these ideas.  "...may Thy house be my abode, and all my work be praise."  Living in constant praise of our Savior should be the desire of our heart, just as the psalmist reminds us over and over in the book of Psalms.  With our hearts focused on praising God at every moment, we find a place of beautiful comfort and rest.  "No more a stranger or a guest, but like a child at home."  What perfect picture of total peace.  A child in its home does not worry about anything because they rest in the security that is provided by a loving father and mother.  We have that in our Father and can experience that same security.   It all starts by choosing to live every moment in praise to our Savior.  He provides that beautiful rest as we dwell in His presence.  


💓Heather Sparks💓

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