The Lord, My Shepherd

In the first week of January as I continue to reflect upon the importance of engaging God in our lives and plans for this year and beyond, I find myself drawn to the opening verse of Psalm 23, "The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want" (KJV). In these nine words the child of God, His sheep, can rest comfortably. The LORD is Jehovah, the self-existent or eternal God, and the language used is that of tender care and protection. The sheep cannot provide for itself neither can it take care of itself. It is very vulnerable, has no form of self-defense, easily influenced, easily killed, has very little discernment in choosing food or water, among other things, and so is totally dependent on the shepherd for everything it needs. No doubt this was the picture David had in mind when He penned the psalm. Being a shepherd in his youth, he would have been very well aware of the sheep's dependence on its shepherd.

The picture of the sheep is the picture of the believer, and it is this imagery that the spirit of God seeks to convey. Despite how grown and independent we think we are, the fact of the matter is that without the leading of the Shepherd we are a danger to ourselves and prime targets for the enemy. However, as long as we have the LORD as our shepherd we can rest assured that it is His responsibility to not only lead/guide us in the way we should go but also to provide the things we need for our daily survival. Albert Barnes observes, "The words shall not want, as applied to the psalmist, would embrace everything that could be a proper object of desire, whether temporal or spiritual; whether pertaining to the body or the soul; whether having reference to time or to eternity. There is no reason for supposing that David limited this to his temporal necessities, or to the present life, but the idea manifestly is that God would provide all that was needful for him always."

I believe that whatever David claimed, we have a right to claim also. If we can grasp the significance of Psalm 23:1, we would have grasped the awareness that we cannot do anything in our own strength. It is no wonder that in the parable of the lost sheep, the good shepherd left the ninety-nine others to go search for the one because he knew that left on its own it would die (Matthew 18:12-14). Jesus said, "I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep" (John 10:11). In other words, the good shepherd is committed to the care of his sheep to the point of laying down his life. That is the kind of shepherd our God is and if we commit ourselves to being a part of His fold, He promises to take care of His own. Everything that is vital to our well-being, He is committed to providing.

"The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want." Who is leading you? Who is taking care of you?