Psalm 23 The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name. Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me. You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings. Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.
Go, go, go, go, go….STOP! That seems to be the way we go about each day. We are constantly on the go. I usually wake up around 5:00 am to do my morning Bible study and write my devotional blog. Then it’s go, go, go. On my clinic days, I run for twelve hours taking care of my patients. It’s a great job, and it’s my passion, but it is definitely a busy one most of the time. Then on my days off, there are always a million little projects to complete…clean the house, crafting, family engagements, church activities, tending the critters and the farm. Yes, it is safe to say that we are some busy folks. Don’t get me wrong. I love it. I am not one to just sit around and be lazy, at least not for a very long period of time. I love to be busy, but sometimes, we have to slow down. We need to hit the refresh button in life.
This week, my husband and I did just that. We hit the refresh button. We left Wednesday morning for an archery hunt a couple hours away from home. We treated ourselves to a nice hotel room, a few good meals, and FOUR days in the woods together…just God, Jeff, and me. Oh, my it was so very nice. We did not kill a deer. We didn’t even see a deer that was legal. Only a couple of young bucks stepped out on us, but that is okay. We aren’t starving for meat, but we were starving for refreshment. These past four days have been truly wonderful. I spent time in beautiful hardwoods, lovely white oaks, and a whole bunch of other trees with leaves gradually changing from green to gold. I saw a multitude of birds, and they sang their carols loudly and proudly as I sat there under a big old oak tree. The squirrels were having a convention there this weekend. I giggled inside as I watched them frolic and play. They chased each other around the trees and through the woods. The weather cooled off the last two days, and it was absolutely perfect. I felt all of the tension of the previous weeks leave my body as I sat there with God, nature, and my favorite human in those beautiful woods.
Life gets too busy sometimes. We get carried away doing what needs to be done, and we tend to forget about taking care of ourselves and our relationships. Jeff and I spend a great deal of time together on a regular basis, but it is always good to get away for a bit for a husband/wife retreat. Four days in the great outdoors, away from all of the everyday chaos, was just what the doctor ordered! I can not express how refreshed I feel this morning and how excited I am about spending the day in the Lord’s house.
Sometimes, we don’t simply need to hit the physical refresh button. Sometimes, we need to also need to hit the spiritual refresh button. I think Psalm 23 is a great place to go to get some spiritual refreshment. The scripture I quoted above is from the New Living Translation. It is very easy to understand, and I think we can easily see that refreshment is oozing from these words. Verse one reminds us that God gives us all that we need. In verse two, we see that God lets us rest, and He lead us. In verse three, God renews us, and He guides us. In verse four, we see that He keeps us company, and we see that He protects us. In verse five, God raises us up, and He honors us. Finally in verse six, we see that God pursues us, and that we will spend eternity with Him. Wow! Isn’t that refreshing? Knowing that God is there beside us at all times should renew us daily, but knowing that He is actually pursuing us and that we get to spend eternity with Him, well my friends that refreshes our souls! The thought of it is so soothing. These words were written many years ago, but they still come to life each time that we read them. God’s Word truly is alive and active. God longs to have a close relationship with each of us. He wants to change us for our own good and His glory. We must make time for Him.
Take some time today to sneak away with God’s Word. Go to your favorite quiet place. It may be an old worn out chair, or it could be outdoors under a great big old tree. No matter the place, turn everything else off and tune in to God. I can guarantee that you will walk away feeling refreshed and renewed! God is so very good. Spend some time with Him today!
Inspirations from the Funny Farm 