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
From Joseph's Diary
There are incredible joys in being a father. The little boy reaches out his hand and takes hold, he leans into me when I hold him and seems to smile look at him. At the same time, I worry a lot about what is next for us as nothing is yet clear. The other night, after the shepherds came, I was so filled with hope and promise. They told us wondrous things and treated this little baby as if he was a king. And yet, as we continue to live here, day to day, our funds are running dry, we have no resolution yet, and I cannot seem to find work to help out. Mary is doing her best and the local women have been fantastic, but I still worry - a lot.
The shepherds reminded me of the famous psalm of King David. David had been a shepherd boy out in the fields and he made a song about our God being our shepherd. I learned it when I was very young. Mary and I have been reciting it and singing it whenever we get fearful and anxious. It seems to help a good deal and the baby likes it. I have so much responsibility and do not want to let them down. I try t trust God in everything but there are days when that is very hard. A strange city and no direction home is making it hard to be calm and trusting. So I will pray since there is nothing else we can do today.
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