The 23rd Psalm

Ihave been hanging out with Jesus in the 23rd Psalm. Most of us know the first part of this Psalm, “The Lord is my shepherd;” I don’t know about you, but I need someone to lead me, to guide me, to care for me, to protect me, to provide for me and to give me perspective. Who better than an omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient God who created me, cares about me and loves me therefore He always wants the best for me.

The second part of that first verse is “I shall not want.” One of the benefits of this love relationship with God the Father through God the Son is “contentment.” If the Lord is our shepherd, we will be satisfied.

The Apostle Paul captured this idea in his letter to the Church at Philippi, “I don’t have a sense of needing anything personally. I’ve learned by now to be quite content whatever my circumstances. I’m just as happy with little as with much, w ith much a s little. I’ve found the recipe for being happy whether full or hungry, hands full or empty. Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am.” The last part of that is Philippians 4:13, some of us know it like this: “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.”

I see a lot of hope in this passage. We need hope (confidence). Hope in our families, our churches, our school, in our community. Without hope we might as well find a bridge to jump off of. My life is not perfect but verse 6 says, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,” That’s my testimony, that God is good all the time - and all the time God is good. Like verse 5, “my cup overflows.” God is constantly blessing my socks off but v erse 4 s hares l ife includes hardship (which is where the hope comes in), “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.”

When I get jammed up God is there taking care of me, my hope is not in my circumstance, the market or in what the doctor says about a health crisis (these things can represent the evil in verse 4, right?) but rather my hope is in the Good Shepherd.

While there is great comfort in this Psalm there is also a challenge. King David who wrote this makes a personal claim in verse 1, “The Lord is my Shepherd;” This Psalm is about the journey of life and in order to navigate the journey we need to be able to say, “The Lord is MY Shepherd;” Can you make that claim today?

He asked me to ask you that.