July 31, 2020 A Study Journal by Darlene Frost. (NASB)

Psalm 23, The Lord, the Psalmist's Shepherd. A Psalm of David.

23 The Lord is my shepherd, -I like to insert my name in the "my" place. The Lords is Dar's shepherd.

I shall not want. - Want has two meaning for me personally. It tells me that my Lord will provide for me all that I need to stay in His will and thrive there. But it also convicts me to guard myself from wanting the materialism of this world. I have never really suffered from materialism, but lately I find myself bombarded by the advertisements that are generated from my algorithm on the internet. They show me just what I like to see and I hear myself saying, "oh, I love that", "I want that", or "I need that". I will not give into the wanting of this world which, sometimes, "things" represent.

He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside quiet waters. -Now, I grew up in the inner city of Los Angeles and I do not remember green pastures or quiet waters. Maybe the pond at Elysian park at the Sheriff's station. But East LA was blotched with gangs, cruelty and disturbing events. I, however, had a safe and loving, dysfunctional home. It was the green pasture and quiet waters I was given. He restores my soul; -Even in the hardest of times or days, the Lord has provided me with green pastures and quiet waters. In other words, He restores my soul with the peace that surpasses understanding, no matter the setting or circumstances.

We can expect tribulation. He guides me in the paths of righteousness... Not necessarily the easy path, but His path of righteousness. It is easy in the turbulent times of 2020 to take up a civil cause and fall into the trap of Poligion (the practice of politics/social causes being your religion; Dar's dictionary). God kept me to His purpose no matter how I tried to veer off the path of my commission to spread the Gospel. And He did it for... For His name's sake. -For whom He is and who He is to me, He deserves all the power and glory.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, Just like the green pastures scenario, the "valley of the shadow of death" seems like "I ain't seen nothing yet" especially when I think of Christians all over the world persecuted for their faith. Unless, the psalmist, David, would say to me today, Dar, you were walking through the valley of the shadow of death, you walked in rejection of your Lord because of your stubbornness. Friends that are dead in their trespasses and sin would like it if you had never been saved. Wow, what worse death could there be? God, however, will not lose one of us. He had me. He had my undeserving back when I fellowshipped with the world. Now, even while walking that "lonesome valley", I will lean on this knowledge to relieve my fears.

I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. God is with me and I belong to Him. I do not fear death, but I do fear God's great and mighty holiness, I have gained a mustard seed of wisdom... As for His rod and staff, I know my Shepherd and He knows me. A shepherd's crook, by the way, has two parts; the staff and the rod. Like any walking stick it acts as support and stability in rough terrain, but it is also used for the guidance of the flock. Like The Word does with us. The hook was used to save/rescue a sheep and they came to know their owners crook when it was time to separate the flocks of each shepherd. Yes, overall, it was for protection and ownership. When I read "rod and staff", I think of my Lord and His word, I belong to Him and He never lets go.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows. I am soooo blessed! In God's mercy, regardless of what my enemies think or do, God has prepared a place for me, He has anointed me worthy to sit at His table and he gives in abundance. WoW!

Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, Blessed assurance! And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Eternal Life! AMEN!