Amidst the hustle and bustle of life, and even on those days when I would say life is in turmoil, it is good to know that God is watching out for me. The Bible speaks on a continuous basis of God being our Shepherd. He is the Good Shepherd and as such He cares for each sheep in the flock. Psalm 23 relates to us the relationship that we can have with the Shepherd if we choose to follow Him.
The Lord is my shepherd, -- I have made a choice to have God as the one who leads me and guides me.
I shall not be in want, -- As God has made everything and has everything to supply my needs, I do not need to worry about the basics of life, but simply need to trust Him to supply them.
He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters – As my Shepherd, God knows that I need to take time out of the busy pace of life to rest.
He restores my soul -- It is in those moments that He refreshes me and renews me to meet the pace of life. When God made the world He worked six days and on the seventh he rested. How many of us take the time to rest and be refreshed. Part of being refreshed comes from spending time with the Shepherd
He guides me in paths of righteousness – God’s intent for my life is to show me the right way to live and when I spend time with Him, my values for life will be in line with His
For His name’s sake – the reason I exist and the purpose for what I do every do in my actions, in my words, and in dealing with others is to make God’s Good Name known. When others look at my life they are to see that God is my Shepherd
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, -- There are times in life when it does not seem that like God is near, or that he even cares about me. It is in these times that we ask the questions, “WHY GOD?” and we are often baffled by the lack of response. It is during these times in life that we need to realize the good and the bad of life just happen, but God does not change. The role of the Shepherd and the way He cares for us
does not change, what happens is that we tend to wander off from the flock.
I will fear no evil, for You are with me – There is no need to worry or fear in the darker moments of life, if we take the time to stop and realize that God is right there with us. The shepherd cares for his sheep on the peaceful sunny days
and on the stormiest days of life as well.
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me – When I get myself into trouble through the choices of my life, the Shepherd’s crook is the rod that beats away the predators and enemies that want to attack me, and at the same time the staff can hook me and pull me back when the Shepherd sees me going a direction that I shouldn’t.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies – The situation of life does not affect whether or not the goodness of God is before me. It is always present, and sometimes even more so when the trials of life seem most difficult.
You anoint my head with oil, my cup overflows – When I choose to live my life with the Shepherd’s guidance, following the flock and listening to His direction, then I will live with God’s blessing in my life.
Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, -- The gentle guiding hand of God will provide for me during my life, as I live under His goodness and enjoy the benefits of his love for me. John says… “For God so loved the world that He gave his only Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life.” To accept the Shepherd’s guiding hand and experience the benefits of a life under His care, we need to begin a relationship with Him. This is through accepting that Jesus died on the cross for us to pay a price we could not pay for ourselves. Romans says that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans says, “the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Won’t you take a moment today to look at your life? What eternal benefits do you live with, or are all your benefits only for the here and now? It is time to make the decisions in your life that will enable you to say,
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
