DAY 15 | The LORD My Shepherd

Adonai Ro’i (The LORD My Shepherd). I am never in need.
Psalm 23:1

photography by Andrea Lightfoot / calligraphy by Rita Ip

MUSIC

PRAYER

The Shepherd of my soul, I praise You. You are the good shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep. You know me personally, and You carry me close to Your heart.

Thank you for gently leading me to the nourishing pastures and refreshing waters. You restore and revive my life. Thank You for revealing my weakness and Your strength as we go through the valleys. Thank You for lifting me amid my enemies.

Forgive me when I neglect Your loving voice and go astray.

Tune my heart to recognize Your voice as You recognize mine, so I may keep walking on the right path.

Because You are my Shepherd, I declare I will have everything I need. I will follow You wholeheartedly, and I know Your unfailing love will pursue me.

A few facts…

Adonai Ro’i:
- [personal name of God] Adonai (meaning the LORD) + [descriptive name of God] Ro’i (meaning shepherd)
Ro’i is also written as Ro’eh, Rohi, and Ra’ah.
Ra‘ah, the root word of Ro’i means to feed and tend domestic animals by pasturing them.
An extended translation of ra’ah, is rea’, meaning “friend” or “companion.” Thus, Adonai Ro’i can also be understood as The LORD my friend.

Exercise 1:

TWO-WAY JOURNALING

Find a quiet spot where you can sit and write comfortably and undisturbed. Roll and relax your shoulders and neck.

Smile and breathe. Smile, the shepherd of your soul is watching over you. Inhale slowly through your nose, and picture the Good Shepherd holding a lamb in His arms. Pause and hold your breath for a few seconds as you give thanks, for you are that lamb in His embrace! Exhale slowly through your mouth, longer than you inhale, as you release any sense of feeling lost, unloved or unwanted. Repeat as many times as you need.

Today, we are going to write to The LORD Your Shepherd. You may write it any way you want, or just as the Holy Spirit leads you. If you haven’t tried this before or haven’t done this in a while, I strongly suggest writing your personalized version of Psalm 23. Simply paraphrase the 6 verses in your own words and try to include your own life experiences. This is one of my favorite journal experiences of all time. Enjoy your writing but don’t forget to listen to His response and record it in your journal.

[Part 1]
Dear LORD My Shepherd, …
[Part 2]
My child / My sheep / (your name), …

• Is there anyone in your life who is really like a shepherd to you? Write to God about him/her.

• Have you ever wandered away from Him before? How did that happen and how did He bring you back? Recount to Him your story.

• Ask Him how He wants you to shepherd someone or a group.

• Have you been hurt or offended by teachers, leaders, pastors, or authority figures in your life? You may process the experience with God.
Check out Appendix 2 for more.

Exercise 2:

DECLARATION

You may have already noticed, Psalm 23 is the basis or a classic example of what we’ve been doing here. It’s exactly a declaration of faith written based on who He is.

He is The LORD Your Shepherd. So how does this relate to the way you live today? Write your declaration, and make it relevant to your current situation.

Because You are The LORD My Shepherd, I declare I can / I will / I am…

Read the declaration out loud to your Shepherd and yourself. Let faith arise in you, read a few more times with great certainty. “Believe that you have received it, and it will be yours”, Jesus said in Mark 11:24. Your declaration will become your new normal, your new reality.

This completes Day 15 of HE. I thank our Shepherd for drawing you to Himself, we are halfway through our journey! Today, I pray that He will reveal His shepherd’s heart to you and through you.