Praying Psalm 23 when you have an anxious heart. This is a beautiful Psalm and each verse has so much power packed into it. We are going to look at how praying Psalm 23 will bring calm, hope and encouragement to your heart. I have prepared a resource for you to use yourself or to give to a friend. In it you will find some prayer cards to enable you to pray when you feel overwhelmed and for when you need that extra bit of encouragement.
Here is a pic. of the poster:
How well do you manage when it comes to trusting God ? Do you trust Him to take care of your need for food, clothing, a home to live in? Or do you fear that perhaps He won't supply what you need?
Do you trust God to supply encouragement, protection, love and to look after all the other needs that your soul longs for?
Just remember that the Lord is your shepherd. He leads you to His living water and guides you along the right path. He carries you when you stumble and watches over you during the dark nights and valleys that you go through, making you feel secure.
This Psalm is part of our scripture reading / writing plan, 28 Scriptures For An Anxious Heart. You can read about that HERE. We have been unpacking those bible verses in our daily devotionals in the Restoring Beauty For Ashes Facebook Group. It is a safe place to discuss and pray with each other as we 'sharpen each other as iron sharpens iron'. You are invited to join us in the group anytime.
A little bit of background:
Psalm 23 was written by King David and it is known and loved all over the world. It is cherished because it brings calm to your soul and leaves you feeling secure and loved. Psalm 23 paints a picture of a loving Father who cares for both you and me! I'm sure you have read or heard of the stories of David as a shepherd boy and of his fight with Goliath, how he saved the Israelites with just a sling shot and a stone. David was not considered of much importance as a shepherd boy but I love how God transforms his life and lifts him out of obscurity and crowns him king of Israel! You can read all about that in the books of Samuel and the books of Kings in the bible. One very important thing to note is that David wasn't perfect but he is known as a man after God's heart and this quality of character was why he was chosen by God to be a king of Israel and it was out of this tender heart that he wrote this psalm.
Psalm 23 : From the New Living Translation.
A psalm of David.
1 The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. 2 He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. 3 He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name. 4 Even when I walk through the darkest valley,[a] I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me. 5 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. 6 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.
As a shepherd boy, David had to make sure the sheep didn't wander off or get eaten by predators. Later on he would become the most famous and beloved king of ancient Israel and the head of a mighty army. However the journey to become king was not a smooth one and he had many battles against King Saul. It is recorded in the books of Samuel and the books of Kings in the bible of how David had been a lonely fugitive, running to stay alive ahead of his enemy King Saul. David got great comfort from knowing God as his shepherd.
Let me tell you some amazing things about shepherds that will enable you to grasp how much God loves you as your shepherd.
In eastern tradition, a shepherd walks at the head of the flock, while in western tradition the sheep are driven from behind. The shepherd calls the flock of sheep out of the pen in the early morning and they are led to a place to find water. The shepherd guides and protects them as they find pasture. When they return to their field at night, the shepherd settles in for the night to watch for predators.
An exciting fact to note about shepherds in ancient times is that they knew each sheep by name and did you know that Jesus, our shepherd knows each of us by name? He also counts every hair on our head!
John 10:14-15: NLT
“I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me, 15 just as my Father knows me and I know the Father. So I sacrifice my life for the sheep."
Matthew 10:30 NLT
30 And the very hairs on your head are all numbered.
The Lord is our shepherd and we are His sheep. He will lead us to living water and guide us along the right path. He carries us when we stumble and watches over us during our dark and anxious times in our lives, making us feel secure. All that the Lord asks is that we respond to His voice and follow Him.
So let me show you how I use Psalm 23 to pray. Here is a sneak peek of the resource I have for you. If you enjoy this post make sure to pin this to your favorite Pinterest board to save for later and to share with others!
I love praying scripture! Have you tried it yet?
I find it puts into words what is on my heart to pray but sometimes, especially if I'm feeling a little overwhelmed or anxious, I find it hard to put into words.
When you pray scripture, you are praying God's truth over the person or situation that is on your mind. You are praying God's words back to Him and there is power in those words! When you pray or speak the living, breathing, activated word of God, it becomes a double edged sword and cuts through all spiritual battles from our enemy that tries to overwhelm and stop us from living the life that God has created us to live.
The psalms have a calming effect on your mind and heart when you pray them. You can pray directly from your bible but I have found greater joy when I take a portion of scripture or even just a verse and turn it into a prayer.
You will find below examples of how I have turned Psalm 23 into a prayer, verse by verse. When you have finished reading them, make sure to download the free resource. The prayers have been made into six cards. You could put them in your bag, place in your bible, pass along to a friend or someone that needs scripture encouragement.
Praying Psalm 23 :
There you have it, all six verses turned into prayers. I hope this post and resource blesses you! I was asked by a wonderful customer to put Psalm 23 onto a necklace and that is how this design for Psalm 23 was born! It turned out really beautiful and I have been blessed with my printing partner, Zazzle to have some awesome products to design on . You will have to check out the collection HERE. I will show you some of the products below:
Before you leave this post, I just wanted to invite you once again to join our Restoring Beauty For Ashes Facebook Group for our daily devotionals, prayer and encouragement. Here is some information on it:
Thank you for joining me in reading and praying Psalm 23. Let me know your thoughts on this post via our Facebook page, group or email karen@scripturalgrace.com.
xx Karen.