Pastor's Ponderings: Prayer Break & Old Testament bible study of Psalm 23 (July 10, 2025)

July 10, 2025:  Thursday Bible Study on Old Testament of Psalm 23

May the blessings of God's Grace surround your life every day.

My apologies for missing the Wednesday Prayer List yesterday. So here it is today at the beginning of the Psalm Study:

• Pray please for Trixie, a 4-pound dog who is headed to Mexico for surgery this AM. Trixie's surgery would be too expensive for her family if done by a vet in the U.S.

• Pray for Jeff and Rachel and Jonah and Caleb. Their much loved and treasured Pit Bull had to be put to sleep yesterday. This was a tough one for our whole family.

• Pray for the continuing success of the ELCA's Disaster relief program, as they aid in the relocation of people fleeing war and disaster, both nationally and internationally.

• Pray for all the uncertainty about cuts to Medicaid and SNAP food programs for those in need of extra aid with their expenses. These cuts also include reduced cost housing where we have members living, like the Council House.

• Pray for peace in the Ukraine, Russia, Israel, the Palestinians, over the whole earth. God's intervention may be the only answer to humankind’s proclivity toward violence.

• Pray for our community, and all who are out traveling around town in the heat. Pedestrians, motor cyclists, drivers of cars and trucks, all need to be more diligent in taking care of themselves and the people around them.

• Pray for people who experience violence in their homes and places of work.

• Pray for the leaders of our denomination, that they might find the courage to truly become the conscience of the government in our country. The loss of compassion today in our nation is staggering and unholy.

• Pray for change in the whole world, that we might all become advocates for those who Jesus would have been reaching out to. He spent little time with the well to do people in His own time, and instead, called His disciples to spread the Good News of God's love to every corner of their known world. How are you and I doing this today?

• Pray for Lisa Kartchner who is having a number of tests and procedures done for her own health care needs, all as she cares for Kandice and carries the load of being a full-time caregiver.

• Pray for families who are having a hard time with commitment, that the forgiveness of Christ might guide them to healing and hope.

• Pray for the victims of the floods, and their families, in Texas, New Mexico, and the southern state as all battle to come back from grief and loss from massive rainfall totals.

• While we are at it, let’s pray for rain in the desert and the entire Colorado River Basin.

I hope you will take some time, perhaps a half hour, or forty-five minutes today, or over several days to be aware of the importance of your prayers, offering prayers from the above list.

Today we are on the 23rd Psalm. It is the most widely known, and much-loved Psalm. We even have a hymn that encompasses this Psalm. For many years, when American had a large contingent of youth, we attended the Pine Canyon Methodist Bible Camp in the mountains south and east of Willcox. It was beautiful, with a stream coursing through the center of the camp, relatively cool temps most of the time, and plenty of opportunities to wander and hike, both through the valley where the camp was located and up to the rocky peaks of the surrounding mountains.  However, there were some complications with this pastoral place. It was loaded with rock rattle snakes, and with bears, and who knows what else. In orientation we always received information about how to manage either one of these run-ins with nature. The snakes were so prevalent that Steve Irwin even did a part of one of his popular shows on how many could be easily found. What I am trying to say here is that the camp counselors knew how to manage these wild animal encounters, just like the shepherd in the 23rd Psalm. The shepherd, our Lord, always knows about all these dangers that lie in wait for our very lives, and instead of turning us loose to run into all this tough stuff, prepares us by assuring us that we are being cared for, even watched, as we plow ahead in life.  The shepherd is with us to help us remember that our lives can indeed be full of difficult times, yet with the shepherd's accompanying presence, we are able to find that comfort, that place of experiencing God's Grace. And perhaps the greatest reality of the first half of this Psalm, and this is critical in our relationship with God, our shepherd is always and forever faithful, knowing just what we need to make it through the trials and tribulations of our lives. We must always remember that we are in a reciprocal relationship with our Shepherd. When we live with our trustworthy Shepherd, we must trust in our Shepherd's care for us, even when we might question how things are going. The best good news is that our Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, have always had a place prepared for us. In Christ we have what the enemies of God's Grace want, but with our Shepherd, though those enemies can see in and know how peaceful the Shepherd's safety can be, how well provided for we are, and our journey which always holds us in the fullness of Christ's Grace, they are unable to experience it themselves!  Every one of us will walk through the valley of the shadow of death, but the care of our loving God will always be there to hold us safe in His care. No wonder we like this Psalm so much at the time of our victory over death itself. Our Shepherd's gate is always open for us to come into the abundance and life which Christ has promised for us eternally with Him in Heaven.

God bless you today. Stay safe in this heat. Pray with Thanksgiving for our Shepherd, Jesus Christ.

In His Love. Pastor Kim