STATE MISSIONS: Psalms 23 (Part 3 of 8)
“He maketh me to lie down…” (Psalm 23:3). Observe the posture. A true shepherd always allows his sheep to rest after eating, lying down in the very grass where they have grazed. They reap the benefits of the grass they have consumed, repeatedly chewing their cud. What I’m getting at is that our lives are so busy that we rush around.
We live in a world driven by speed, especially concerning fast food. Often, we eat merely for survival, unaware of what we have received. We need to not only feed on the Word of God but also to rest in it. To lie down signifies rest; lying down in green pastures symbolizes resting in God’s Word. Not only does the shepherd feed his sheep, but he also leads them beside still waters. Notice how the shepherd provides everything; we are merely the beneficiaries of his care. We do nothing but enjoy His blessings.
Look with me at the great progression in this Psalm:
• We have relationship — “The Lord is my shepherd.”
• We have contentment — “I shall not want.”
• We have rest — “He maketh me to lie down…”
• We have refreshment — “he leadeth me beside the still waters.”
There are refreshing wells of joy in being filled with the Holy Spirit. The good shepherd keeps his sheep away from the raging rivers of water that are polluted and dangerous, knowing how easy it is for them to be swept downstream to their demise. The description of still waters carries the idea of ponds and wells.
“Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation” (Isa 12:3).
From Our Missionaries
Ebenezer, West Little Rock: Ruben Isturiz writes, “Thanks be to God, our DBS (Discovery Bible Study) group that runs in our home on Mondays is going well. We have a new family that joined us in discovering the Word of God together. Pray that God will open new groups in central Arkansas.
“Kory and I were able to visit Chiquinquira to pray and encourage her after having her son. It was a blessing for her to see us since we are the only ones she sees as friends and family. We have already set a date for Easter Sunday to dedicate and bless Sebastian.
“Kory had to travel Friday and Saturday due to the death of an uncle on her mother’s side in Oklahoma. I had to visit another home on Friday and Saturday to pray and dedicate the two homes that had moved to a new apartment. Pray for my health. The weather changes affected me with body aches and general discomfort. Thank God we had a good service. The change of schedule affected our attendance. Despite that, we had a visit from a Guatemalan family who wanted to learn from the Word of God. After our service, we had our workshop on Gospel Movement. We only have two more weeks to finish.
“Thank you all for your prayers and support. To God be the glory!”
Faith Chapel, Flippin: Johnny Shew writes, “We had another great week at Faith Chapel! Every week for the past few weeks, some who were sick have returned, and some new ones are out as a few things are going around. But we still had a very good number and a great time of worship with several returning and two first-time visitors. And we had a lot of kids, praise God!
“We have a milestone approaching. March 15 marks five years since our first meeting. Time certainly flies when you’re having fun! It hardly seems possible that so much time has passed, but when we reflect on all the Lord has accomplished here since then, we are amazed and infinitely thankful! We still have seven members from that initial meeting; praise God again!
“I want to thank all of you that responded with your input on various youth programs, and we are still seeking input. We have a meeting this week to discuss our options and plan for how we will proceed, and we have several who have volunteered already. And they are excited! Praise God again!
“Our Bible study is growing with even a few visitors joining in lately; we pray that the trend will continue.
“We finished the parking lot expansion last week, and it is great having the extra room, but I hope we need to expand it again. It still doesn’t seem too big. We hope to make progress in the classrooms in the coming weeks; we need them to add our classes for all ages. We sincerely thank you all for your prayers and support; it means so much to us!”
Faith Journey, Benton: Bryan Clay writes, “I had the pleasure of traveling to First Baptist Church in Caldwell this week to speak at the Mt. Vernon Association’s quarterly men’s brotherhood meeting. They fed us a great meal of fried catfish and chicken with all the fixings and some of the best desserts you can imagine. I was able to share with them what God has been doing, through Faith Journey, in our community and the lives of our mission families. I was also able to give a message about lifting one another up through Christ.
“We continue to pray for more opportunities to come and speak with other BMA churches and share what God is doing through Faith Journey in Saline County.
“This week, we began planning our Easter service. We hope to have a good turnout and are preparing for a wonderful time celebrating the resurrection of our Savior. We hope to have an outdoor service with fun activities for the kids. We are praying we can reach the lost and families that may not have a church home and are looking for a place to worship. It should be a great day for everyone!”
Misión Gracia Soberana (Sovereign Grace), NWA:Roberto Marcelletti writes, “On Wednesday, we continued to pray together, as we do every week. A group of brothers and sisters cried out to Heavenly Father for our congregation.
“On Thursday, we visited Iris’s house with our small group in Springdale and learned about the importance of discipleship.
“In our Sunday school, we had 13 people and were joined by a new family — Miguel and Orangely, along with their three children.
“By the way, I urge you to pray for more Sunday school teachers. Thirteen children attend every week, and the only teachers are Patty, my wife, and Mayerlin, who assists her. In April, we will hold a workshop focused on teaching that is open to anyone interested in becoming a teacher.
“We had a beautiful time of collective worship, where we all praised and exalted the greatness of our God. At the end of the service, I spoke with the visitors, and especially a woman named Orangely, who told me that during the preaching, God had touched her heart and that she had given her life to Christ. Praise God, who continues to add those who are to be saved.”
Epic Life, Pea Ridge: Jake McCandless writes, “We’re struggling to maintain our momentum so far in 2025. I was looking forward to a big week following our big worship night last week, the relationships we’re building through softball and families eager to learn more. Unfortunately, this week I was hit hard by RSV.
My wife and daughter managed to breeze through it, but it really knocked me down. Due to other families being sick, we could only hold one Connection Group this week. Please pray for us; it feels like there’s a new challenge every week! Pray that our groups can meet next week so we can build on the relationships we’re forming.”
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Paul White
Arkansas State Missions Director Paul White pens a weekly column to inform the BMA of Arkansas concerning Arkansas Missions’ activity and includes individual reports from each church planter.
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