It is hard to believe we have been in lock-down now for over 5 weeks.  I hope and pray you are encouraged in the Lord and adjusting to this new normal that we all find ourselves in. 

Being separated from Church, friends and family we can feel lonely sometimes.  What do you do when you feel lonely?  Several years ago, a dear lady encouraged me to move into a season of loneliness that I was going through, but to see it in a different light.  To choose solitude, instead of loneliness.  Being intentional and moving into the space with the Lord seeing the time as a gift.  Choosing to take moments to be on my own knowing God was with me and would meet me there.  Slowing down.  Listening.  What could I hear?  What could I see?  What was God trying to tell me in His word and through the many gifts He was giving me every day?  She also encouraged me to take a Bible verse and mull over a sentence or a word.  

On one particular day, I was spending time with the Lord by a river, listening to the water fall and the water lapping on the pebbles.  I stood there for 10-15 minutes resting, calm and peaceful.  It was so beautiful.  I watched the water run at different speeds and take different courses down the river.  Some sections of the water were going over rocky and rough sections at a faster pace.  Other sections gently moved along and then others lapped onto the pebble beach.  I remember thinking it was like our lives.  Sometimes smooth, sometimes rough, sometimes stopping and sometimes resting.  Sometimes it is a mix or going from smooth to rough and then back and forth.  As I stood there Psalm 23 came to my mind and I slowly spoke it out loud by the river:

"The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside still waters. 

He restores my soul; He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, 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 goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever. "

I felt overwhelmed that this was the passage the Lord put on my heart at that time.  What provision, comfort, rest, nourishment, hope, security is there in the Lord, our Shepherd, in these words?

What stands out to you?  Does a verse or a word grab your attention?  What does your heart need to hear today?  Can I encourage you to pause today and read over the passage again?  Wherever you are, whatever you are feeling, may you rest in the knowledge that the LORD is with you and He restores your soul.