Did that title get your attention?  I tend to be too hard on myself, at least in some ways.  Can you relate? In other ways, I am probably not hard enough on myself.  Lately I’ve been thinking about how foolish it is to keep beating myself up about sins that God has freely forgiven and chooses to never remember against me.  And how foolish it is to feel worthless, or like I need to punish myself for my imperfections.  A good friend recently reminded me of these truths from the Bible:

Micah 7:18-19:  Who is a God like Thee, who pardons iniquity and passes over the rebellious act of the remnant of His possession?  He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in unchanging love.  He will again have compassion on us; He will tread our iniquities under foot.  Yes, Thou wilt cast all their sins into the…

Psalm 23 has become one of my main Bible life lines.  It isn’t just a Psalm for a funeral recitation.  When depression, anxiety, illness, or other “enemies” attack me, reciting and praying this Psalm has proven reliable to help me in time of need.  I hope it might be a help to someone else. My prayers are in italics below.  I pray these prayers for myself and for any readers of this blog–may God draw us near to Himself through His precious Word, the Bible.

 Jesus Is My Good Shepherd. 

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.  Thank you Jesus for being my Shepherd. I know you will provide for me.  I choose to be content.  I am okay and blessed. 

Jesus makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters.  He restores my soul.  Show me when and where to lie down…