Grace and Peace on this Saturday! Hope you’re having a good weekend. I also hope you’re getting ready for a good worship tomorrow. In the Pastor’s Workshop, good worship makes for good weekends.

Today in the Workshop is a day of prayer. We’ve finished writing the message, but the work is not done. The message needs time to “marinate” in grace. Having a day to pray allows that to happen. Saturday is when we “prepare with prayer” for Sunday.

This week we have been blessed by being together in Psalm 23. As we read and worked with its six verses we were led through “green pastures and still waters”. We traveled trails in mountain meadows, valley shadows, and to a king’s table. Taking time with this psalm, praying this poem-prayer, “restored our souls”.

So what are your prayers as we head into tomorrow? What are you praying for yourself, for others, and for our world because you’ve spent time with the “Good Shepherd” this week?

Here are a few of my prayers:

I pray we memorize Psalm 23. It is a Scripture you want to “store up in your heart”

I pray we know deep in our hearts we have a Good Shepherd who is with us every day. The Lord is our Shepherd!

I pray in the “valley of the shadow” we are not overcome with fear, for the Lord is with us.

I pray we remember and use the 3 prayers the Psalm teaches:

· There is a beauty bigger than me and a glory greater than my own that restores my soul!

· In the Shadow, I have a Shepherd.

· I have a home in the heart of God forever!

Psalm 23 is an inspirational Scripture. What has it stirred in you? What are your prayers?

I believe God’s Spirit inspires prayers in us, so we will reach out to God. And I believe the God who inspires prayers is already at work answering them.

In that faith I give thanks we can prepare with prayer today and we can worship in joy tomorrow. In that blessing I’ll see you tomorrow in the Master’s Workshop!

Prayer: Gracious God, You are our Good Shepherd! Thank You for leading and guiding, providing and protecting, comforting and consoling us. Your strength and care, Your goodness and mercy are with us all the days of our lives. Even as You shepherd us, let us become better shepherds with those You entrust to our care. Lord, we give You thanks for the blessing of this week and for the ways You restore our souls always. In Jesus’ holy name we pray. Amen