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THE LORD IS OUR SHEPHERD
Psalm 23
Because the Lord is our Shepherd, I have everything I need! He lets me rest in the meadow grass and leads me beside the quiet streams. He gives me new strength. He helps me do what honours him the most.
Even when walking through the dark valley of death I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me, guarding, guiding all the way.
You provide delicious food for me in the presence of my enemies. You have welcomed me as your guest; blessings overflow!
Your goodness and unfailing kindness shall be with me all of my life, and afterwards I will live with you forever in your home.
(When we allow God our Shepherd to guide us, we have contentment. When we choose to sin, however, we are choosing to go our own way and we cannot blame God for the environment in which we find ourselves. Our Shepherd knows the “meadow grass” and “quiet streams” that will restore us. We will reach these places only by following him obediently. Rebelling against the Shepherd’s leading is actually rebelling against our own best interests for the future. We must remember this the next time we are tempted to go our own way rather than the Shepherd’s way.
Death casts the most frightening shadow of all over our lives because we are the most helpless in its presence. We can struggle with many other enemies-pain, suffering, diseases, injury-but we cannot wrestle with death. It has the final word. Only one person can walk with us through death’s dark valley and bring us through safely to the other side-the God of life, our Shepherd. With the time of our death uncertain, we should follow this Shepherd with an eternal confidence.
In Middle Eastern culture, hosts were expected to protect their guests at all cost. God offers the protection of a host even when we stand in the midst of enemies. In the final scene of this psalm, we see that believers will dwell with God. God, the perfect Shepherd and Host, promises to guide and protect us through life to bring us into his home forever.)