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(Presented by Lisa Bishop)
The next hope builder is preaching the truth to yourself.
I don’t know of a better way to be reminded of the hope we have in Jesus than to spend time in his Word, meditating on it and letting truth wash over our minds and purify our hearts.
Psalm 1:2-3a reminds us that, “Those whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither….”
As we anchor ourselves in hope today let’s look to Psalm 23 which reminds us of the truth of who Jesus is. Our Shepherd. And who we are. The flock under his care.
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, mercy 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 ).
As followers of Jesus it can be easy to get preoccupied, overwhelmed, and distracted and take our focus off of our true hope, Jesus. We can easily fall into the trap of forgetting who God is.
Consider memorizing Psalm 23. A few years ago I read a book about Psalm 23 and the author encouraged his readers to commit it to memory. I memorized these words several years ago and let me tell you, being able to quickly rehearse these truths has been a lifesaver time and time again. In fact, Psalm 119:11 instructs us to store up God’s Word in our heart. Memorizing scripture is an important practice as we love and follow Jesus.
Remember that Jesus is your Shepherd. He watches closely over you.