Lampstand Review, June 2018~Julie

​There is something so beautiful that can happen as we set ourselves before the Living God to worship Him.  When we lift our gaze to Him, our perspective changes.  And, when a group of people come together to lift up His name, sometimes He will weave together an amazing tapestry.  Through the prayers and thoughts of our hearts, combined with the songs that are sung and the prayers that different people pray all weave together into something that is clearly a theme.  You are left in awe of the way God is able to communicate with His people.
 
This is what happened at our Lampstand meeting in June.  We spent time worshiping, led by Bethany Oakes, and the songs, prayers, and scriptures all flowed together to bring great encouragement to our herats. 
 
Worship:
Bethany sang a song called Conquering Lion that led us into praying about how the Shepherd leads us so well to fountains of living water.  Bethany didn't know when she chose the song Conquering Lion that we would be talking about Psalm 23:2 which refers to the Lord leading us to quiet waters. This is an illustration of the way the Lord can weave things together as we seek Him.  I love to see His Holy Spirit work in this way.
 
At the end of worship, Matthew shared about a recent experience in which he went to the eye doctor who told him his eyes were dry and needed oil.  He played a song by David Ruis called “True Love.”  There is a spontaneous part of this song on the CD where David Ruis shares about people with contact lenses and how they get dry.  He said spiritually sometimes our eyes get dry and we need the gift of tears.  God gives us tears to cleanse our hearts. 
 
As Matthew played this song for us, I personally felt such encouragement and healing.  It's easy to get frustrated, dry, and irritable.  Times of focus on the Lord bring such healing and restoration.  I think this was a time for many of us to find refreshing tears and just encouragement in the Lord.
 
Message:
We are in a series about Psalm 23 using the book A Shepherd Looks at the 23rd Psalm by Phillip Keller.  We highly recommend this book to anyone!  This is a powerful look at the way the Lord Jesus is our Good Shepherd.   This Lampstand we were focusing on Psalm 23:2.
 
 He makes me lie down in green pastures.  He leads me beside quiet waters. 
 
Some highlights from the message are:
 
-Sheep do not lie down unless they are free from fear, friction with other sheep, pests, and hunger.  In each of these circumstances the presence and ministry of the Shepherd makes all the difference. 
1.He protects us and His nearness reminds us that we do not have to fear.
2.When He is near, we don't tend to fight with one another! 
3.He applies the oil that frees us from pests that distract and destroy us. 
4.He works to ensure we are fed and nourished. 
 
-He leads us to quiet waters.  He knows where the water is and has provided the watering places! 
            Sheep have 3 main sources of necessary water.
1.Dew!  Getting up early and beginning our day with the Lord is like drinking dew from the grass.
2.Deep wells!  He digs these out and provides them for us.  Jeremiah 2:13...let's drink from the sources He provides and not from unhealthy substitutes.
3.Streams!  Are we drinking from potholes along the path or are we drinking from the beautiful streams He leads us to?
 
As Matthew shared about these things, we were all encouraged to trust the excellent leadership of our Good Shepherd who always leads so well. 
 
Taking time to respond to this message helped to seal these words in our hearts. 
 
 

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