Day Dreaming
The Lord designed us with imaginations. Sometimes our imaginations run away with us and we find ourselves day dreaming that because our loved one is five minutes late, they must be in a ditch somewhere. {Oh yes, that was me. Ask my son and he'll joke about the proverbial ditch. lol}
In the beneficial sense of our imaginations, day dreaming can spur us on to follow our dreams. Day dreaming also calms the body when we are thinking pleasant thoughts.
No Time for a Vacation - Day Dream!
She brought me back this beautiful little painting which is actually a close-up view of what they saw from their hotel room window. The picture below doesn't do it justice. The colors are much more vibrant.
I find myself staring at this picture, day dreaming, Hearing the seagulls calling, the waves lapping and the breeze blowing through the palm tree...
Yesterday, I found myself on Pinterest. I rarely go on Pinterest, but I had a few minutes to kill waiting to be reunited with my daughter and son-in-law. I began scrolling through my feed which showed beautiful English cottages with lush gardens; cabins on pristine lakes, and beautiful screened in porches with incredible views. I found myself crawling into those pictures; imagining the sounds and wonderful smells of God's creation, day dreaming... A sense of peace and relaxation overtook me...
...In the same way, Psalm 23, can have the same effect on me, resonating with my imagination. I don't know if it is because most of my ancestors were farmers in New Jersey or that I also have Irish ancestors, but I have always found green pastures dotted with sheep so comforting.
The Word of God - The Perfect Day Dream
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.
Psalm 23
It seems that Believers and non-believers alike have memorized this Psalm. I would venture to say it is probably the most quoted portion of Scripture.
It's so easy to place ourselves in the scenes of Psalm 23. Come day dream with me...
Just imagine walking with the Shepherd, laying down in the cool grass smelling it's wonderful aroma, closing your eyes, feeling the warm Sonshine on your face. The Shepherd beckons you onward and you walk beside beautiful still waters which mirror the blue sky above and the white
puffy clouds flitting by... A sense of well being and restoration wash over you as you
follow Him on the meadow path which leads you in His righteousness.
As you move forward, you see a storm brewing in the valley, but to your surprise, you are still experiencing the same peace you did lying down on the green pasture floor. Fear no longer has dominion over you because the God of All Comfort has prepared you with His rod and His staff for such a time as this. The realization of their comforting purpose fills you with joy.
You arrive at the Banquet table, where the Shepherd says "Come, sit next to me".
He anoints your head, and your cup overflows with abundant love and gratitude for Him.
You then see, with eyes wide open, that goodness and mercy had followed you all the days of your life for you have arrived safe and secure to the house of the Lord where you will dwell forever.
And just think, this day dream will become a reality one day! We will dwell with Jesus in Paradise and experience peace like we never have before.
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.
John 10:27
He will wipe away every tear from their eyes,
and death shall be no more,
neither shall there be mourning,
nor crying, nor pain anymore,
for the former things have passed away.”
Revelation 21:4
If you have not given your life to Christ, you can do so at this very moment at which time you can be assured that you will experience the joys of Heaven as described above.
You can receive the free gift of Salvation, by confessing your sins and making a choice to turn from those sins believing that when Jesus died on the cross, He did so for you. He paid the penalty that your sins deserved. Your good works do not earn your Salvation. Only acceptance of what Christ did for you ushers you into the Kingdom of God. Then believing in your heart that when Jesus rose from the dead He raised you up to New Life in Christ Jesus, you will be born again into the family of God.
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Oh, what a beautiful, precious post! I loved reading your account of imagining being there, in person, with our Shepherd! Oh, it makes me think of the dear, old song we had sung by the freshly-dug grave of my mother, "Heaven Will Surely Be Worth It All". And, it WILL, my dear friend. It will be worth it all...it will be worth whatever we have to go through to get there. I was recently alone with Jesus one night, and He spoke to me, "Do you believe that I can help you through ANYthing?" His question startled me, at first, but I began to realize that He has been doing His utmost to teach me this for years. He said, "You need to KNOW that you believe that I can help you through anything." Because if we really, really KNOW this truth, we will no longer fear anything. Fear will no longer hold us in its terror. The end result will be just as you described above...we will be with Him for eternity, where ALL will be peace, and He is absolutely able to help us through whatever we still have to face. He is our Abba, and He loves us so much! Thank you for always pointing me to Him and for drawing me into a closer walk with Him each and every time I visit you here. You are a dear blessing to me!!
ReplyDeleteDear Cheryl, I believe you are my biggest cheerleader and for that I am so very grateful. All Glory to God.
DeleteOhh, I have never heard of that hymn before! But what a beautiful perspective to view our trials from.
Thank you so much for sharing that! Just this morning during a membership class I'm participating in at our church. We went over the verse talking about believing in Jesus and we boiled the word believe down to "trust". And what you said here is so true of not just believing and trusting what Jesus did on the cross, but believing every other Word of Scripture and knowing it for ourselves.
You are welcome sweet friend.
Sending you blessings and gratitude and so much love!
Yes; I agree with Cheryl; this is a beautiful post! And how it puts things into perspective . . . I was just reading a quote from Billy Graham this morning and he said, "I've read the last page of the Bible. It's all going to turn out all right." Indeed, in the midst of all the tumult in this world, He is our Comfort and Rest and Hope. Thank you so much for sharing these words of encouragement. <3
ReplyDeleteHi Bekki, Thank you so much for your sweet words. They encourage me so much.
DeleteIndeed! and Amen!
You are very welcome!
Miss you dear friend!
I love this post. Again I was reminded how a visual makes me understand something better and then I react to it better and for example, pray for someone as apposed to resenting them. This is such a wonderful idea, to daydream more on the Lord's word, visualize yourself as part of it. It truly will come alive to us then! Great post
ReplyDeleteGod bless
Tracy
Tracy, Praise God!
DeleteThank you so much for sharing your thoughts here, and thank you for your kind words.
Blessings,
He hears us. And, I know His voice. AMEN.
ReplyDeleteHi Susan, Thanks so much for visiting. I appreciate it!
DeleteBlessings,
Great idea to 'daydream in the Word!' I love that! What a great thing to do in idle moments... focus on what is true (that which is of God)! Thanks for this great thought!
ReplyDeleteHi Karen, You are very welcome!
DeleteBlessings,
How beautiful! I will always look at that Psalm in this new light. There are times that I struggle with meditating on scripture, you have given me inspiration. Thank you for your wonderful words. God bless!
ReplyDeleteFrankie, Praise God!
DeleteI think it can be hard for all of us at times. Our minds are cluttered with the things of this world.
Praising God you found inspiration here to meditate on the Word of God.
You are welcome.
Blessings to you too.
Thank you for walking us through a beautiful Scripture meditation! I think you are so right that when we can picture ourselves within the stories and the settings, they come alive for us in a new way. They aren't just words written "to" us, but have become part of us. I am so grateful we are neighbors over at #Sittingamongfriends tonight. I so needed these peaceful moments with God's Word. And, it's been a while since I visited your site, and so I wanted to say that I love your new design! Blessings to you!
ReplyDeleteHi Bettie, You are very welcome!
DeleteI am grateful you were my neighbor too! Praising God you found peaceful moments in God's Word.
Thank you! I appreciate the compliment. I am very happy with it. :-)
That was so beautiful the way you laid it all out. I felt like I was on a journey with you. You're so right, Psalm 23 is probably the most quoted scripture. My church sings a beautiful rendition of it that remains in my head as a matter of fact, I was humming it earlier today. I will follow your lead and daydream with scripture.
ReplyDeleteYvonne, Praise God!
DeleteI'm not sure I ever heard the Psalm 23 sung. I'll have to check that out. :-)
Sounds good! :-)
Blessings,
I love the idea of spending time daydreaming in the Word. There are two things that help me feel the Lords presence on a greater level- pregnancy, and nature. Both speak of New Life!
ReplyDeleteThis post was beautiful. Your words were so descriptive, I felt like I was living them!
Rachel, Thank you so much for sharing your own personal ways of feeling the presence of God! I loved those and agree!
DeleteThank you for your kind words.
Blessings,
As I read this Karen, it was if the Holy Spirit was definitely with you speaking through your words. I could from your words visualize what you were feeling, and reading it was a true blessing. It does seem that in these days I don't see that scripture quoted as much as years ago when I was young. As you say, even non Christians probably remember that scripture and could quote it. When I was growing up, it seemed lots of movies would have Christians in it, and when there was doom coming, that scripture was being said by all and was a solace to those in the movie so back in that day, it was heard a lot in the movies even. It is a very calming scripture.
ReplyDeletePea Bea, Oh, what a high compliment. Thank you! All Glory to God.
DeleteThat's so interesting. I did not know that. Thanks for sharing.
And thank you so much for your very kind and encouraging words.
Blessings,
Wonderful explanation of one facet of meditating on the Word of God! We use our imagination, so often, negatively, chasing fears, stress, and worries. But what if God created us with an imagination so we could use it for these purposes that you have so beautifully explained! May He sanctify our imaginations and help us to move in this new direction! :)
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing!
Ruth, I loved the insight you shared here that we use our imagination too often in a negative way. You are soo right!
DeleteIndeed and Amen!
You are very welcome. Thank you so much for your kind and encouraging words.
What a beautiful post!! I love how you started with your family story and memory then moved into this beloved Psalm. I so enjoyed you walking us through the meditation of the Psalm. Examples are so helpful and you gave us a fabulous one for reading/meditating on the Word. Excellent 👌 Happy to share.
ReplyDeleteHi Gretchen, Thank you. Your words have blessed me. :-)
DeleteThank you so much for sharing.
Blessings,