Devotion for June 03, 2011 – Comfort
Photo: Cindy Seigle (Creative Commons license)
Today's Scripture Reading
Psalm 23
The Lord Is My Shepherd
A Psalm of David.
23:1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
3 He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
for his name's sake.
4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.
Today's Devotion
A friend of ours has been dealing with cancer for a very long time. It has come to the point where he is not seen by his regular doctor anymore. A team from Hospice comes to care for him every week. Looking at the guy, you would not notice that he has cancer. He goes to karate every single week that he can, and is active in his church. I understand the needs the regular visits provide, but they are reminders to us that he is in the process of dying. In other areas of the country, people are dealing with the aftermath of flood and tornado damage. Where do you find comfort in these trying times? To whom can you turn? The Billy Graham Rapid Response Team has sent chaplains to help communities hit by natural disaster.
Psalm 23 is a psalm, a song, of God's everlasting Hope, Love, and Faith to God’s people. I considered it a hug from the Bible. If I'm feeling like crying when the friend's visitors come every week, I try to think on that Psalm 23. Then I will get a hug from my husband and puppy, and anyone else I can find. I thought of another song that I could relate to when comfort is needed: “Bridge over Troubled Waters.” My husband sang it me during our wedding. Sometimes I get him to sing it to me, if I need to hear it again. I will watch a Youtube video of it if I need to. It is inevitable that storms, some may be soft or hard, but rarely smooth, are going to come into our lives at some point. Psalm 23, one of comfort, is a safe place to turn to when we are facing troubled and trying times. The image of Jesus caring for his sheep in turbulence helps me to deal with our friend's dying. I know Jesus is carrying our friend. Jesus carries me, too.
Today's devotion was shared by
Marci McCowen
Active Member, First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Asheville, North Carolina