Monday, January 30, 2023

My Morning Prayer: God’s Grace Is Beyond Words

-Roy Lessin and Marina Bromley

God’s Grace Is Beyond Words
-Roy Lessin

And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others (2 Corinthians 9:8 NLT).

Grace is truly a word that goes beyond description.

Grace is not God’s “a little bit more.” Grace is God’s “so much more.” How much more? More than you could ever ask for, more than you could ever think about, more than you could ever grasp, hope, or dream.



My Morning Prayer
-Marina Bromley

Father, thank You for the abundance of grace You give us. You provide it before we ever ask, before we ever know that we need it. Please give us wisdom and discernment to hear Your voice as You ask us to extend Your grace to others. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

©2023 Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow. Photo by Carin Bergen, used with permission. All rights reserved.


Friday, January 27, 2023

God Words: Unshakable

God Words: Unshakable
-Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow

 

You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! Trust in the Lord always, for the Lord God is the eternal Rock (Isaiah 26:3-4 NLT).

 

What can be counted upon in a person’s life that isn’t shakable? When something is shakable it means it is subject to change, is unreliable, will decay, or come to an end. Everything about the world—it’s resources, its people, its governments, and its systems—are shakable. When people put their trust in anything or anyone other than God, they are building their lives on a shakable foundation that cannot sustain or uphold them.

 

When someone builds their life upon a shakable foundation it is easy to be overcome with worry, fear, and anxiety. The wise build their lives upon the foundation of Jesus and His words.

 

Jesus said, “Therefore  whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall” (Matthew 7:24-27 NKJV).




There are no cracks, fault lines, or sink holes in God’s kingdom. His will and His word are unshakable. His love toward you and His care for you cannot be diverted, disturbed, or distracted.

 

God’s peace can’t be agitated, His throne can’t be removed, His glory can’t be dulled, His worth can’t be diminished, His authority can’t be overruled, and His scepter can never be taken from His hand.

 

He is the eternal rock. Nothing about God can be tossed around—nothing causes Him to be moved or to tremble. His word is forever and will remain when everything else has crumbled, rusted, and decayed.

 

The Word of God is unshakable because no warrior can dull its blade, no intellectual can undermine its truth, no skeptic can lessen its authenticity, no mocker can weaken its foundations, no philosopher can out-think its penetrating insight, no strongman can weaken its power, and no religion can replace its freeing truth.

 

Trust God’s Word and His power more than you trust your own feelings and experiences. Remember, your Rock is Christ, and it is the sea that ebbs and flows with the tides, not Him.

-Samuel Rutherford

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#godwords #unshakable #meetinginthemeadow #roylessin #devotional


©2023 Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow. Photo by Marla Koch, used with permission. All rights reserved.


Wednesday, January 25, 2023

Hospitality, Part 4

Hospitality, Part 4
-Char Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow

 

I desired to do more hospitality in our home but I held back as I was embarrassed with our drapes. They were clean, but had water stains. Our carpet was an outdated ugly green, our dishes were old and handed down from others and did not match in color or design. One day as I sat at our kitchen table thinking about these things the Lord took me back to a meal served to us when we were first married…

    

The most unforgettable meal I have been served was in a poor village in Mexico. We sat on cement blocks for chairs on a dirt floor. We ate off of chipped dishes. The hostess made us rice, beans and eggs on tortillas in a pan set on an open fire in a hole in the kitchen wall, her stove. There was no furniture to fill the room. The experience of that visit which was so unusual was the peaceful yet powerful presence of the Lord.  The reality of her walk with the Lord radiated on the face of our hostess.  I could have been in a palace with royalty, for the experience lifted me out of the poverty into the richness of His presence. She served us with joy and graciousness like I had rarely seen. Her example taught me that happiness is not in things. The Lord filled her home, and that filled our hearts…



I realized it was not my carpet or my drapes or my dishes that would minister to people, but it would be the presence of the Lord touching hearts, just as I had experienced when sitting on cement blocks in a home of mud bricks, in a poor woman’s home in central Mexico.

Now godliness with contentment is great gain (1 Timothy 6:6 NKJV).

...

Char Lessin was raised on a Minnesota farm and grew to love the Lord at a young age. She and Roy met while they attended Bethany Fellowship in Bloomington, MN and early in their marriage they served together as missionaries in Mexico and Puerto Rico. She continues to serve the Lord through their home in NW Arkansas, ministering to the people that the Lord brings to her.

#hospitality #charlessin #meetinginthemeadow #asuntothelord #mrsroylessin 

©2023 Roy and Char Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow. Photos by Grace Nast, Marina Bromley, used with permission. All rights reserved.

Monday, January 23, 2023

My Morning Prayer: Truth Keeps You in Balance

My Morning Prayer: Truth Keeps You in Balance
-Roy Lessin and Marina Bromley

Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him (Colossians 3:17 NKJV)

Truth does not hop around on one foot. It walks forward on two strong, well-balanced legs. Jesus taught the truth and lived the truth.

Sometimes we can put an emphasis on “doing” and make that the most important thing, and sometimes we can put the emphasis on “teaching” and make that the most important thing. One of these truths must never be emphasized at the expense of the other. As believers in Christ, we are called to live the Gospel and preach the Gospel; demonstrate the Kingdom and proclaim the Kingdom; do good works and teach good doctrine; live a life of love and speak the truth in love.
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My Morning Prayer
-Marina Bromley

Father, thank You for being with me today. Please help me to take these words to heart, learning to speak truth in love. Sometimes I let my emotions overtake the acts of teaching and living, and I need to learn from Your example to do them in balance. Also help me to remember that You alone are qualified to judge, and so often Your example through Jesus was not to give punishment, but to give mercy.  You love sinners, even me! Help me to love. Teach me to love like You do. In Jesus' name, amen.

#meetinginthemeadow #mymondayprayer #love #truthkeepsyouinbalance #truth #biblicaltruth

©2023 Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow. Prayer and Photo by Marina Bromley, used with permission. All rights reserved.

Friday, January 20, 2023

God Words: #3 Almighty

 God Words: #3 Almighty
-Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow

 

Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might (Ephesians 6:10).

 

God’s greatness means God is mighty. 

How mighty is He? Almighty!

 

God is not only big, He is powerfully big. He can part a sea, flatten a fortress, or remove a ruler. Nothing is too difficult for Him. His strength is righteous might, His word is authoritative might, His character is holy might, His wrath is just might, His right arm is miracle might, His throne is royal might.

 

The Lord reigns!

 

God’s salvation is mighty enough to pull someone out of a horrible pit, break the chains of enslavement to sin, deliver a soul from darkness and deceit, transform a selfish heart to a heart of love, uphold that which has fallen, and make new what had been broken, destroyed, or left for dead.

 

There are many accounts in scripture that reveal God’s might to deliver. One of the best known is David and Goliath. The account below includes a fictitious conversation between God and David. Although this conversation isn’t in scripture, it does illustrate an important truth about God’s might.

 

Goliath was BIG.

Big man, big armor, big shield, big spear, big words.

 

David was small.

Small in stature (compared to Goliath), small in family rank, small in influence, small in military experience. 

 

Let’s imagine the following conversation between David and God…

 

“Who does Goliath think he is? No one can mock You or Your people and live to tell about it. I know Goliath is big, has big armor and big weapons. 

I want to come against him and bring him down…can you give me bigger weapons that can overpower him?” asked David.

 

“I can.” answered God.

 

“What will the weapons be?” replied David.

 

“Small rocks from a small brook.” 

 

“Nothing more?” asked David.

 

“That is all that will be needed. Put those small rocks in your small pouch. Select one and put it in your small sling. Then, use your small arm and hurl it with all your might. Once that rock leaves your sling I will move it at a speed and with a force you would never think possible. I will direct its flight to the perfect place in Goliath’s forehead and bring him down.” replied God.

 

Then God said to David…

 

“I want you to always remember, that every battle you face is mine, and every victory is mine. I reign overall! I am your shield and defender, no weapon formed against you will prosper. Mine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory. I am the Lord, the ALMIGHTY God of Israel. Is anything too hard for Me?”

 

So David went out to face Goliath and spoke these words of faith…

 

“You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you up into my hands” (1 Samuel 17:45-46).

 

So David did his small thing (in obedience and faith) and God did His big thing. Goliath and the Philistine army were defeated….and so it shall always be. The future of Israel was never dependent upon David’s skill and aim, but upon God, who is almighty!



How do you become strong in the Lord? You become strong by being in the Lord! It is not your strength that makes you strong, it is His. Your faith places you in the Lord, His might keeps you strong as you remain in Him. 

 

Consider a jet plane. The engines of the jet give it great power for flight. What do you need to do to fly across the country? Simply get in the plane. Once in, be seated. The plane has all the power needed to get you to your destination.

 

Great is the Lord you follow, and mighty is His arm to perform all that He has promised.

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#godwords #almighty #roylessin #meetinginthemeadow #davidandgoliath


©2023 Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow. Photo by Marina Bromley, used with permission. All rights reserved.

Wednesday, January 18, 2023

Hospitality, Part 3

Hospitality, Part 3
-Char Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow

 

Some close friends of ours from California had taken their vacation to come visit us in Arkansas. One afternoon while they were out canoeing on a nearby river and exploring, I thought I would surprise them and my husband with a blueberry pie! My husband loves pies and blueberries were in season. The whole time I was making that pie I was imagining how happy they would be and how expressive they would be in their enjoyment of the pie! They would think what a great baker I was and my husband would tell me in front of them what a great pie it was!  

 

Come serving time I cut my husband a piece and in handing it to him he said, “I‘m sorry but I’m just too full, I couldn’t.”


I was in shock! All my expectation burst and I felt very disappointed.  In that moment the Lord spoke very clearly to my heart and said “You baked that pie for man, not me.” Trying to please people can bring a striving and discontentment to the heart. But, what peace when we do all things to Him.

 


One day, many years later, I was expecting guests and went ahead and baked cookies for their arrival. When they came and I offered them the cookies, their response was, “We couldn’t, we just came from the Wooden Spoon Restaurant. We are way too full!” 

 

It was a test, but I think I passed, as they had been baked as unto the Lord.

...

Char Lessin was raised on a Minnesota farm and grew to love the Lord at a young age. She and Roy met while they attended Bethany Fellowship in Bloomington, MN and early in their marriage they served together as missionaries in Mexico and Puerto Rico. She continues to serve the Lord through their home in NW Arkansas, ministering to the people that the Lord brings to her.

#hospitality #charlessin #meetinginthemeadow #asuntothelord #mrsroylessin 

©2023 Roy and Char Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow. Photos by Grace Nast, Marina Bromley, used with permission. All rights reserved.

Monday, January 16, 2023

My Morning Prayer: Jesus Reaches Out to Bless You

My Morning Prayer: Jesus Reaches Out to Bless You
-Roy Lessin and Marina Bromley, Meeting in the Meadow

Jesus Reaches Out to Bless You
-Roy Lessin

He [Jesus] put forth His hand, and touched him (Luke 5:13 KJV).

He reaches out to the sorrowful and gives them comfort.
He reaches out to the discouraged and gives them hope.
He reaches out to the weak and makes them strong.
He reaches out to the humble and gives them grace.
He reaches out to the childlike and draws them close to His heart.
He reaches out to those in despair and brings them the hope of His salvation.
He reaches out to the needy and gives them His blessing
...


My Morning Prayer
-Marina Bromley

My beautiful Father, thank You for meeting me here now. Thank You for Your gifts and provisions. Thank You for the gift of Your presence and Your touch when I need it most...even before I ask for You.

Lord, please be working in me and around me. Comfort me. Help me to feel Your hope and grace, and Your strength—because You promise that when I am weak You are made strong in my weakness.

Whatever we face today, You and I, help me to feel Your hand carrying me in every circumstance. Let me see all things as a blessing, and to accept Your will at work in my life. Even when things don't look like the way I think they should, help me believe that You are working in them, and that the end result will be so much better than what I could have imagined. Only You know my tomorrows, and I trust You with all the details. In the name of Jesus I pray, amen.

...

#prayer #mymondayprayer #meetinginthemeadow #roylessin #marinabromley #jesusreachesout #jesusblesses

©2023 Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow. Prayer and Photo by Marina Bromley, used with permission. All rights reserved.

Friday, January 13, 2023

God Words: #2 Greatness

God Words: #2 Greatness
-Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow

 

The Lord is great (Psalm 96:4).

 

There are many ways people measure personal greatness. Awards for great achievements can be found in business, entertainment, science, and medicine, to name a few. In sports the acronym G.O.A.T. is used to identify the “greatest player of all time.” Of course, it is a title that is often debated due to the differences regarding the era, the equipment, and how the game was played.

 

In Scripture, God’s greatness is clearly proclaimed. God is never called “the greatest of all time” because God has no competition or competitor. There is no “god” to compare with the true and living God. God’s greatness is beyond any form of measurement. God does great things because He can do no less.

 

God alone is great! A small child can grow into a big adult, but God didn’t grow into His greatness.


He didn’t become great. He didn’t sharpen His skills to become great. He is eternally great. No unknown god or false god is going to appear one day and become the “great god”. No little “g” god can ever become the capital “G”. Only our great God can do great things.

 

God is great in character, authority, power, attributes, and worth. His greatness is notable, remarkable, exceptional, and unmatchable. God’s greatness can do the biggest things (like creating the stars, and the galaxies). 

 

God is so great He doesn’t miss a thing. His greatness also means He can do the smallest things, down to the tiniest detail. His knowledge is so great that there’s not a detail in your life He overlooks, not a need He’s unaware of, and not a circumstance that takes Him by surprise.



God not only cares about you, but He greatly cares about you. He not only loves you, but He greatly loves you.  He not only blesses you, but He greatly blesses you with all the spiritual blessings that are in Christ. Let Christ be your future and your future will be great; let Him work through you and your work will be great; let Him be your reward and your reward will be great.

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#GodWords #greatness #roylessin #meetinginthemeadow

©2023 Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow. Photo by Marina Bromley, used with permission. All rights reserved.


Wednesday, January 11, 2023

Hospitality, Part 2

Hospitality, Part 2
-Char Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow

 

I began to do the laundry and the dishes with an attitude of ‘as unto the Lord’ and what joy and peace began to fill me! His presence began to fill those places in my day! When having guests for dinner I would look forward to preparation beforehand and clean up afterwards as His presence would be so real and special at the kitchen sink. In fact, as my whole day became ‘as unto the Lord’ my day was surrounded in His presence! He met me at the vacuum cleaner, at the washing machine, in the car running errands— everywhere! Tying my child’s shoelace - what a privilege! Serving my family brought such heart happiness. Nothing could or would replace it.

 

Whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men (Colossians 3:23).


And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus… (Ephesians 3:17).


...

Char Lessin was raised on a Minnesota farm and grew to love the Lord at a young age. She and Roy met while they attended Bethany Fellowship in Bloomington, and early in their marriage they served together as missionaries in Mexico and Puerto Rico. She continues to serve the Lord through their home in NW Arkansas, ministering to the people that the Lord brings to her.

#hospitality #charlessin #meetinginthemeadow #asuntothelord #mrsroylessin 

©2023 Roy and Char Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow. Photos by Grace Nast, Marina Bromley, used with permission. All rights reserved.

Monday, January 9, 2023

My Morning Prayer: Jesus Reaches Out to Touch You

My Morning Prayer: Jesus Reaches Out to Touch You
-Roy Lessin and Marina Bromley, Meeting in the Meadow

Jesus Reaches Out to Touch You
-Roy Lessin

He [Jesus] put forth His hand, and touched him (Luke 5:13 KJV).

He reaches out to the sick and brings healing.
He reaches out to the hungry and provides bread.
He reaches out to the guilty and extends mercy.
He reaches out to the repentant and brings forgiveness.
He reaches out to the lepers and makes them clean.
He reaches out to the fearful and gives them peace.
He reaches out to the brokenhearted and binds their wounds.


My Morning Prayer
-Marina Bromley

Father, I invite You to come and sit with me. Let me feel Your presence—Your Spirit covering me, the warmth from Your hand on me, the gentle beat of Your heart as I draw near to You.

I come to You broken and hurting. I am guilty, and I repent for the wrongs I have done against You. I am fearful, brokenhearted, dirty, hungry and sick. Lord, forgive me through the blood of Jesus Christ.

If it be Your will, work these things out for my good, because I love You. Make me more like You, and teach me to extend Your grace and mercy to those around me that need a touch from You. In Jesus' name, amen.

...

#mymondayprayer #roylessin #marinabromley #prayer #devotion #jesusreachesouttotouchyou #jesusreaches #jesustouchme 

©2023 Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow. Photo and prayer by Marina Bromley, used with permission. All rights reserved.

Friday, January 6, 2023

God Words: #1 Immutability

Happy New Year! We are blessed to be starting off 2023 with a new series from Roy called "God Words." Our prayer is that these new devotions will encourage you in your walk with God and remind us of all He is. -Marina


God Words: #1 Immutability
-Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow

 

I, the Lord, do not change (Malachi 3:6).

 

Immutability means God will never change. He can’t. It is impossible. God cannot deny Himself. Who He is, He will always be. For God to change He would have to become less than He is, or more than He is.

 

God is perfect. He is without flaw, error, or weakness. He lacks nothing. He doesn’t need to improve, become wiser, more loving, or more mature. He is never taken by surprise, unprepared, or caught off guard. Nothing is too hard for Him, and nothing is impossible with Him.

 

Knowing God is immutable should help to quiet our anxious hearts. Here is one example why:

God tells us in Deuteronomy 7:9 that He is faithful. Because faithfulness is a part of who God is, it means He is eternally faithful. He can never change and become unfaithful!

 


Because God’s faithfulness will never change it means there will never be a time when we cannot trust Him with all our hearts, no matter what our circumstances or difficulties are.

 

Dwell in the land and feed on My faithfulness (Psalm 37:3).

 

It should bring our hearts great comfort and reassurance to know that if we have confessed our sins to God, He is faithful to forgive and cleanse us 1 John 1:9. Think how unthinkable it would be if 1 John 1:9 read, “God is unfaithful to forgive and cleanse us.”

 

When I cannot feel the faith of assurance, I live by the fact of God’s faithfulness. -Matthew Henry

 

Never dream of His failing you. The God who has been sufficient until now can be trusted to the end. -C.H. Spurgeon

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©2023 Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow. Photo by Marina Bromley, used with permission. All rights reserved.


Wednesday, January 4, 2023

Hospitality: Part 1

Hospitality Part 1
-Char Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow

 

I had finally arrived on foreign soil! I would now happily ‘serve the Lord’ as a missionary telling the people about Jesus! I would finally ‘be spiritual’! 

 

I had also arrived at my lifelong dream to one day work in an orphanage.



I found as time went along that our laundry, preparing our meals and mopping floors interfered with my vision of what I thought serving the Lord meant. Playing the piano at a Sunday evening church service only helped strengthen my vision a little bit! Sorting used burned down candles and raggedy clothing that people had donated to an orphanage barely helped the image. The ‘generosity’ of people in their giving was near embarrassing as I unloaded box after box of broken things.

 

One day while riding the bumpy roads into town on our way to the post office to fetch our mail, I was feeling disappointed and discouraged as missionary life was not the exciting life-changing experience I had envisioned.  I heard the Lord speak very clearly to my heart that day and said, “Char, I have called you to be a homemaker and serve me within your home. Your ministry is hospitality to your family and others.” Suddenly a calm and peace flooded over me that I really liked. 

 

The scripture that brought rest inwardly was, “Whatever you do, do it whole heartedly as unto the Lord, and not to men.” I would learn through the rest of my life what this verse would mean. It was no longer my minds’ image of how I should look and be, but rather what the Lord had for me! The attitude of ‘as unto the Lord’ would change me. I would learn that the ‘whatever’ would be washing a cup, doing the laundry, and vacuuming the floor or grocery shopping. It would be serving at my kitchen sink rather than a pulpit.

Whatever you do [whatever your task may be], work from the soul [that is, put in your very best effort], as [something done] for the Lord and not for men (Colossians 3:23 AMP).

...


Char Lessin was raised on a Minnesota farm and grew to love the Lord at a young age. She and Roy met while they attended Bethany Fellowship in Bloomington, MN, and early in their marriage they served together as missionaries in Mexico and Puerto Rico. She continues to serve the Lord through their home in NW Arkansas, ministering to the people that the Lord brings to her.

#hospitality #charlessin #meetinginthemeadow #asuntothelord #mrsroylessin 

©2023 Roy and Char Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow. Photos by Grace Nast, Marina Bromley, used with permission. All rights reserved.

Monday, January 2, 2023

My Morning Prayer: Prayer Reflections from the 23rd Psalm

My Morning Prayer: Prayer Reflections from the 23rd Psalm

These past few days we have focused on the 23rd Psalm, verse-by-verse and word-by-word. As we start the New Year, let’s pray Psalm 23 with detail and intention. May we remember the fullness of who He is in our life, in our world, and who He wants to be for us, and to us. He is aware of everything going on and will walk with us through it. He is intentional in the things He allows, and has purpose in it, to bring people closer to Him and to enlarge His kingdom. He is never caught off-guard, never surprised. He has a plan, and we are included in it. He is the Lord of everything in our past, and our future. May we live the coming year bringing Him honor and glory. -Marina

Prayer Reflections from the 23rd Psalm
-Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow

1. The Lord is my shepherd.
What could be sweeter or dearer than to know that no one is nearer to your heart, your soul, or your deepest desires than the Lord. His caring eyes are upon you, His protecting hands are over you, His assuring voice speaks peace to you, His loving heart responds to you. You can come to Him in quietness and confidence, in faith, in hope, in trust, in thanks, in worship, in praise, and in prayer.

2. I shall not be in want.
You will never lack anything that His grace cannot give you, and He will give to you over and over again. Because His supply is abundant you will never be without…because His heart is full you will never be empty… because His resources are endless there will never be a time when He cannot meet your needs. Your life couldn’t be in better hands. As you come to Him in prayer remember how much He desires to bless you.

3. He makes me lie down in green pastures.
The place God daily brings you to is green with life and nourishment…Cool with delight and refreshing…pleasant with freedom and beauty. It is a place of rest to quiet your heart…a place of hope to renew your spirit…a place of joy to delight your soul. You are so blessed to be able to share the Lord’s quiet company. It pleases His heart to hear your heart speak words of praise and thanks to Him. 

4. He leads me beside quiet waters.
In your quiet times or busy times God has a quiet place for you to rest. As you gaze upon the waters of the Holy Spirit, you will see the reflection of His face. His waters are present to wash you, delight you, and refresh you.  They will bring you rest from all your fears, worries, cares, and anxieties. In His quiet place there is no weight upon you, no confusion around you, and no clouds over you. It is the place where you can peacefully open your heart to Him.



5. He restores my soul.
It is delightful to come before the Lord in quietness, in adoration, and in prayer. As you kneel at His feet and gaze upon His face, renewal gently comes. In your weariness you will be refreshed, in your weakness your strength will be renewed, in your heaviness your heart will sing a new song. His wings will be your covering, His faithfulness will be your shield, His loving kindness will be your sweet reward. Beautiful are His ways with you.

6. He guides me in paths of righteousness for His name's sake.
As you walk the paths of prayer you will be guided into everything that is true and right…into all that is best for you and others…into all that will take you to the highest expressions of His love. He will lead you by His way, by His words, and by His will. He will guide you down the paths that lead you straight to His heart. Each prayer He answers will be for your good and for His glory.

7. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.
The greatest thing your heart can experience when you are alone with God is His presence. He is greater than any of His gifts. What He is to you is greater than anything He can do for you. His lovingkindness is better than life…in His presence is fullness of joy…at His right hand are pleasures forevermore. When God gives Himself to you there is nothing higher that He can give.

8. Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
Comfort in prayer comes by knowing that the One you look to is always looking out for you. He is not only with you, but He is actively doing everything that is necessary to keep you safe within His care. You can be assured that above you are His tender mercies…around you is His unfailing love…and underneath you are His everlasting arms.

9. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
Even though you may have a lot of things that come against you, you have so much more going for you. While your enemies try to rob you of your joy, God spreads a lavish table before filled with spiritual blessings of goodness, kindness, and love. As you come to Him in prayer you find a table your soul can delight in…your faith can feast upon…and your heart can rejoice in.

10. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
When you come to God in times of personal dryness, when you are in need of help or healing, or when you are in a desert place, you will find His loving hand pouring out the oil of His Spirit upon you—comforting, refreshing, and filling you to overflowing. His oil heals and soothes, calms and relieves, and causes your face to shine with the glow of His presence.

11. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life.
How glorious and wonderful are the things that follow you into prayer—kindness, beauty, goodness, mercy, grace, favor, blessings, faithfulness and lovingkindness. In His great generosity He has given to you freely, bountifully, cheerfully. He has given you the finest, the highest, the deepest, and the fullest measure of His love. All that He has given He will continue to give to you all the days of your life.

12. And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Prayer is for time, not for eternity. Now you are a pilgrim with needs to be met and people to minister to along the way. One day you will be in your Father’s house, the need for asking will have passed away and only praise will remain. In Jesus, your future is secure and your destiny certain. Today is the time to bring before Him all those who, like you, are in need of hope and encouragement on their journey home.

The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever (Psalm 23:1-6).

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©2023 Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow. Photo by Marina Bromley. Used with permission. All rights reserved.

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