This post is Day 22 in a series of studies about “Psalm 23”. I strongly suggest you begin with the introduction to this study, please click here to read it.

Feel free to comment below with your own thoughts about each verse and how you will be acting on each thought. Also, if you haven’t yet signed up to receive the notifications of new studies, you can do that today (the form is at the bottom of the page).


Psalm 23 – Day 22

Psalm 104:15

… wine that gladdens the heart of man, oil to make his face shine, and bread that sustains his heart.

The Thought

Our study of Psalm 23 has led me to many other psalms, and related verses. When David wrote in Psalm 23:5 that the Lord anointed his head with oil as the good shepherd anointed his sheep, he must have been thinking of all the blessings of oil, and all the blessings he personally had received from the Lord.

In Psalm 104 we read of many blessings the Lord pours out on all of us. And oil is one of them. This oil is to make our faces shine!

Our faces shine when we are happy, healthy, and pleased with life’s circumstances. When we have friends and family we can trust, an occupation we enjoy, and financial security. When we live in a secure place physically and spiritually. But we must remember that whatever our earthly circumstances, the Lord’s love for us never changes. He is always the same and always present (Hebrews 13:5-6). He wants our faces to shine constantly.

Isaiah 61:3 tells us that the Lord anoints us with “the oil of joy instead of mourning.” For too long in too many places of the world, christians have been the saddest people, often weighed down with the recognition of sin, and the fact that Jesus had to die for them.

In many countries (including France where I am living), there are crucifixes on street corners reminding us that Jesus had to die for us. And that is true, Jesus did have to die for us, but the story doesn’t end there. Jesus rose again overcoming death and consequently giving us victory over all our negative circumstances.

Action

Read Psalm 104 slowly today, and rejoice in all that God has done for you. With the last phrase of the psalm, speak to your soul and tell it to rejoice today.

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