Mar. 19, 2023
Heluhelu Baibala
ʻO IĒHOVA koʻu Kahu hipa; ʻAʻole oʻu mea e nele ai. Nāna nō wau i hoʻomoe iho ma nā ʻāina uliuli: Ua alakaʻi ʻo ia iaʻu ma kapa wailana mālie. Ke hoʻāla mai nei ʻo ia i koʻu ʻuhane: Ke alakaʻi nei nō ʻo ia iaʻu ma nā ala maikaʻi no kona inoa.- Halelū 23:1-3
The Lord is my shepherd, I will not be in need. He lets me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He restores my soul. He guides me in the paths of righteousness for the sake of His name.- Psalms 23:1-3
Ka Manaʻo o ke Kumu Chloe Keane, Strategy & Transformation Shared Support
The last year has been full of change. My family and I experienced shifts in major areas of our lives; changes in home location, school campus, job role, and church. Although each aspect was diligently prayed for, change is difficult for me. With these changes came great mourning. And at times, fear and doubt. There were physical rhythms that would change, but the hardest was the relational rhythms. People we wouldn’t see as much, do the same things with, or maybe not see at all. I was so focused on what we were letting go of that I doubted what we would be moving toward.
As we prepared to move into our new home, the Lord shared Psalm 23:1-3 with me. I realized later that He was also sharing a promise with me. During a time of prayer, I expressed fear of regret and doubting decisions we were making. I wept and questioned God. He quietly embraced me in His arms and let me share the overwhelming emotions of sadness, frustration, and worry. He was so gracious and gentle with me. And in His loving way, He said, “In obedience, you will always have peace and no regret.” I cried in great gratitude, knowing He was speaking directly to me and that it was exactly what I needed to hear.
As I surrender to God, my sweet and caring Shepherd, He will guide me to His good and perfect plans. It is there I will be in green pastures and quiet waters; nourished, restored, content, and satisfied.
Ka Manaʻo o ka Haumāna Keola Pilayo, KS Kapālama ‘23
In my recent life, I have been blessed beyond measure as well as tested near what I thought was my limit. I learned that God is there in the midst of it all.
Growing up in church, I had always heard this verse, and I understood it as God simply being my caretaker, provider, and protector. While this is 100% true, I recently have been understanding that this verse is so much more than that. This verse praises the Lord for all of his goodness and faithfulness. It is also an analogy to a shepherd and his herd; God being the Shepherd. I did some of my own research into this and learned about the culture of a shepherd at roughly the time that this would have been written. A shepherd served his sheep. The sheep (His followers) will have all we ever need because The Shepherd (God) will lay down everything to protect and provide for us.
With this new understanding, I could walk through life with a newfound hope that God is not just A provider, but he is MY provider. He always looks out for me even as I lay down beside the still waters.