The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.”

Psalm 23 is one of 150 songs and prayers in the book of Psalms, a collection gathered over many centuries. The tunes are lost to us, but the words still carry us when our own run out.

Every season of change has its own emotion: a move, a loss, a new calling, an ending we didn’t choose, a moving on, divinely decreed.

Psalm 23 meets us right there, and it tethers us to timeless truth.

• God is faithful. He leads “for His name’s sake,” because of who He is, not because of how well we’re doing.
• God restores. He restores the soul before He asks us to take the next step.
• God provides. The table is set, and the cup runs over with abundance.
• God is present. “Thou art with me” is the center of the psalm, especially in trouble-filled transitions.
• God, the Holy Spirit meets us in the trial. The oil and the overflowing cup point us to the Comforter Jesus promised, who is with us and in us (John 14:16-17).

Notice the psalm doesn’t promise we’ll avoid the valley. It says “though I walk through.”

God can shield you from the valley, and He may not. But He will be with you through it all.

So fear no evil. Whatever is changing in your life right now, Christian, you are not alone. In this season, God promises an overflow of what you need most: His presence in the form of goodness and mercy.

I have been pressed by many difficulties this week but God’s goodness and mercy met me at every crossroad. Glory!!

That presence of the LORD can also come in the form of concerned friends and Christian sisters and brothers. This video is a bible study from a ministry I dearly love: Restoration Christian Ministries in the Bronx, NY.

At 55:55 one of the ministers testifies of an extremely difficult time in her life where God used the precious presence of other Christians to pour out the anointed, restoring oil of His own presence.

Be restored, in the Presence of the LORD!

Kimberly