The Lord is My Shepherd

 Have you ever been lost?

I remember a time as a child when I was. It was during a camping trip and in my adventurous spirit, I had wandered too far off the beaten track. I didn’t immediately sense the danger of being lost, but when I did, I was filled with fear. The questions began.

Where are my parents? How am I going to find them? Maybe I should wait till they find me? Am I going to die? What would Bear Grylls do? My mind was like a snowball rolling down a hill.

I can laugh now, but at the moment, I was scared. I was terrified, struck by terror, and fearful of what was hidden around the corner. I remember thinking about coyotes, wolves, and grizzly bears. I was sure they were hiding in the debris waiting to eat me. The mind is a very powerful thing.

It took an hour before I heard a whimper of my name rattling through the trees. It was my parents calling me. I ran to them faster than the prodigal son. I remember thinking, “thank God!”. I knew it was him and him alone that brought them to me. God saved me.

This is a simple story, but all of us can resonate with it. Sometimes, we can be in the daily routines of life and feel completely lost. The helplessness of being lost can resonate in the places we feel most at home. Simply put, life is a lot like being lost in the forest. We need a guide to guide us home.

Green Pastures

He makes me lie down in green pastures. — Psalm 23:1b

 

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, — Psalm 23:4

Psalm 23 is arguably the most well-known psalm in the Psalter. It speaks to the great truth that God is our shepherd. He is guiding, protecting, and leading us through the valleys of life.

The psalm gives a beautiful image of being led to a green pasture.

You’ve probably heard the phrase, “the grass is greener on the other side”, I think it stems from this verse. We can be sure that God is leading us into places of peace, where we will be well taken care of, and every need will be met. This is contrasted with passing through the dark valley.

The dark valley is a lot like being lost in the forest. The psalmist declares “I will fear no evil” (Psalm 23:4b), but notice why “because you are with me” (Psalm 23:4c)

God is with us and since He is, we need not fear. Our hope is anchored in the presence of God. His presence is with us and goes before us. It is Him that allows us to be anchored while the wind and turbulent times blow.

Notice the phrase “shadow of death”. Death is a most solemn event. I cannot think of a more treacherous occurrence. Yet, God is with us even through death. Even when we think we are going to die — and we will die — God will lead us like a shepherd.

King David was amongst ‘ravenous wolves’ when he wrote this Psalm. Even in the midst of death, he penned these words. Amazing! Through the presence of God in our lives, we can marvel at God, even when the situation is dire. This is precisely what king David did.

Our Shepherd

God is our shepherd. He is our guide. He leads us through the ebbs and flows of life in the valleys.

I love the word shepherd, another term for this word is, pastor. God is our pastor. Our pastors in our local churches should model this divine calling. They are the ones, God has equipped to spiritually guide us. Do you go to a church where a pastor can spiritually guide you?

Notice, what God the pastor does for his sheep. He “leads”, “restores”, and supplies.

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Psalm 23:1–3

God supplies. We never lack anything when God is in control of our lives. The psalmist says, “I shall not want”, this signifies that everything is provided for him. God always makes provisions to provide for his children.

The text says that God leads us “beside still waters” and into “paths of righteousness”.

God’s guidance will always lead to spiritual replenishment. When we are thirsty, God provides us with nourishment from His eternal well of life.

These paths are always marked with righteousness. When we are in the “right” and justified by God through Jesus, we can be sure we are being guided by God.

This leads to soul restoration. By God, and only through God, we receive the soul restoration of regeneration. When the psalmist says God, “restores his soul”, He is pointing to a reality beyond this world. There is nothing in this world that can restore you, only God can. And He does to those who place their faith in him.

Satisfaction

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever. — Psalm 23:6

The conclusion of the psalmist's contemplation is satisfaction. Satisfaction for the present and the future.

The present satisfaction is “goodness and mercy”. Through being led on the “paths of righteousness”, the psalmist knows these traits will “follow” him.

It reminds me of our Lord’s words in his prayer,

“Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one” — Matthew 6:13

Right pursuits, lead to goodness and mercy. This encapsulates biblical wisdom. Wrong pursuits, lead to iniquity and misery. Jesus points out that temptation and sinning, lead to enslavement to the evil one.

The ultimatum is the bondage breaking of Christ’s second return. This is foreshadowed in this psalm, in the phrase, “I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever”.

The psalmist's ultimate hope is in God — the shepherd — to lead us out of this damned world. That is the future hope we have. Not in us or another, but in God that can do the impossible.

Maybe you find yourself in an impossible situation, just like king David. Maybe you feel lost in the forest. No matter the odds, God and his power can see you through. I pray that God guides you as only he can. May you trust in the good shepherd and be found in Christ.