Psalm 23: Arenal Volcano National Park, Costa Rica
1 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk
through the darkest valley, a
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.
The New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), Ps 23:1–6.
Theme: Faith, comfort from God
Best Verse: 1 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
Command to Obey: --
Sin to Avoid: --
Promise to Claim: God is with me. He is my shepherd, who cares for me. I have everything I need in God, I need nothing besides my relationship with Jesus.
Application to Make: Have faith in Jesus! Be comforted, be content.
Something New About God: God is my shepherd!
Reflection: Today is "Good Friday" when Jesus goes to the cross and dies for my sins, and the sins of the entire world, as an atoning sacrifice. It is the worst day in history, an innocent man, one without sin, is unjustly put to death. It must have been so painful for the disciples, and all who loved Jesus to watch. It is painful 2,000 years later just to dwell in the thought of his death. In this moment, can I believe that The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing? When times are tough can I be sustained by my relationship with God? Peter denied Jesus three times, it was too much of a challenge for him. But Jesus forgave him and reinstated him. I lack nothing in Jesus.
Arenal Volcano National Park: Today we switched hotels, moving from Hotel Arenal Springs Resort and Spa to Arenal Springs Observatory and Trails. The first has a much smaller and confining property, the second is in the national park, in US terms it is a park lodge, and it has an extensive trail network. We loved both, but recommend Arenal Springs Observatory and Trails for your stay near Arenal Volcano. The room had an amazing view of the Volcano overlooking a garden designed to attract birds. When we arrived, Tara and I just lay in the bed, looking out the huge window, and watched the birds.
Enroute we stopped at Bogarín Trail and did the sloth tour. Bogarin Trail is just on the outskirts of Fortuna, the closest town to Arenal Volcano. It was an amazing tour, we saw many sloths and birds, including a baby humming bird in its nest. The guide was fantastic and pointed out numerous features using his spotting scope, and took fantastic photos for us through the spotting scope.
Then we also stopped at the national park. There is no visitor center, just a checkpoint with a bathroom where you have to pay to enter. Down the road there is a parking lot, and from there a trail to hike through the jungle to reach a view point of the volcano. The trails at the lodge were far superior.
