Daily Devotional for June 27, 2014

Psalm 23
You, Lord, are my shepherd.
    I will never be in need.
You let me rest in fields
    of green grass.
You lead me to streams
of peaceful water,
    and you refresh my life.
You are true to your name,
    and you lead me
    along the right paths.
I may walk through valleys
as dark as death,
    but I won’t be afraid.
You are with me,
    and your shepherd’s rod
    makes me feel safe.
You treat me to a feast,
    while my enemies watch.
You honor me as your guest,
    and you fill my cup
    until it overflows.
Your kindness and love
will always be with me
    each day of my life,
    and I will live forever
    in your house, Lord.
 
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
 
Medal of Honor recipient, Marine Lance Cpl. William Kyle Carpenter was interviewed on “Late Show with David Letterman” recently.  Carpenter becomes the 8th living recipient of the nation’s highest military award.  William Kyle Carpenter was injured in Afghanistan in 2010, when he threw himself on an incoming grenade to protect a fellow marine, Lance Cpl. Nicholas Eufrazio, who was also injured.  Carpenter suffered multiple injuries, including a shattered jaw and arm, loss of his right eye, shrapnel to the brain and legs, and a severed carotid artery.  He said that when he arrived at the first military hospital, he was tagged PEA…”Patient Expired on Arrival”.  This now-24-year-old soldier was resuscitated at least twice and spent more than 2 years in hospitals undergoing treatments, surgeries and therapies.
 

I may walk through valleys as dark as death,
but I won’t be afraid.

 

As I sat and listened to this young man recant his experience and conduct himself with seemingly such peace and confidence, I couldn’t help but think about what he must have endured.  David Letterman asked Carpenter what he remembered.  Carpenter said that the first time he awoke was five weeks later, when he saw his mother.  She had hung Christmas stockings for every member of the family on the wall in his hospital room.  I couldn’t help but think about my own little nieces, nephews and friends…I tried to imagine what such an experience would be like for one of them, were they in his position – or for anyone.  Carpenter said he knew the grenade was coming.  He knew they were under attack.  Imagine the fear…the anxiety and confusion of such a moment…the overwhelming sense of incredulity as you know bad things are happening – but you can’t stop them!
 

You are with me, and your shepherd’s rod makes me feel safe.

 

I thought of Carpenter’s mother – and other family members.  Imagine being told that your child or loved one had suffered such devastating injuries…that someone was so filled with hate that they would want to inflict this kind of atrocities on another human being…and there was nothing you can do except stand by, watch, and beg God for mercy and healing.  Surely there were days when everyone involved must have felt that death would actually be easier to bear than the suffering that this young man bore.
 

You treat me to a feast, while my enemies watch. 
You honor me as your guest,
and you fill my cup until it overflows.

 

After all of this, young Marine Lance Cpl. William Kyle Carpenter says “I wouldn’t change a thing.”  He now studies psychology at the University of South Carolina.  His appears to be wise beyond his years…and filled with incredible peace.
 

Your kindness and love will always be with me
each day of my life…

 

All around the world, people endure incredible challenges and sufferings each and every day.  Hopefully, you and I will never experience anything akin to such atrocities or heartaches…but our “burdens” are often troublesome, all the same.  The message of the 23rd Psalm is for us just as much as for Lance Cpl. William Kyle Carpenter - or anyone else. If you are like many, you have this Psalm memorized in one form or another.  But I encourage you to read today’s presentation of it again.  I particularly like how “valleys as dark as death” are described.
 
I also like the first few verses.  They speak volumes to us as Christians.  These words offer a glimpse of the hope and peace we find in God…the incredible rest we enjoy in Jesus Christ.
 

You, Lord, are my shepherd. I will never be in need. 
You let me rest in fields of green grass.
You lead me to streams of peaceful water,
and you refresh my life.

 

I pray that you never have to experience something as devastating as what happened to William Kyle Carpenter.  I hope you never have to watch a child or loved one suffer…that your life is filled with a series of happy events and positive happenings.  But I also pray that you know that…no matter what comes your way…the LORD is your Shepherd, and you will never be in need.
 
Are you dwelling in the house of the LORD and resting in God’s fields of green grass?  Isn’t it time you were?
 
©2014 Debbie Robus