Psalm 23
“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” This is a remarkable way to start a passage. In a world where enough is never enough, here we’re told, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” What does it mean? Does it mean that Christians do not have any problems? No. The truth of the matter is the Bible is telling us ‘we shall not want.’ C.S. Lewis made a point; if you have a friend who dies, then part of you dies. With the Lord Jesus Christ, whatever problems we hit, He will guide us and take us through in a gentle way. We have a Shepherd, someone who meets our every need in the deepest possible way, in the things that really matter in life. He is our all sufficient One. There is nothing that we lack because of Him. Such abundance!
An angel is not our shepherd. The King of Kings and Lord of Lords is our Shepherd. It is difficult for folks outside the faith to understand the Lord is our shepherd. He is the one, there is no one else.
Where is the Shepherd?
“He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.”
(v2).
He leads me. He is ahead of me. He is taking me to places I can trust. Sheep trust their shepherd. The Lord Jesus Christ leads us. He takes us to the places He wants us to go. Where are you today? As a Christian, in a place where He has brought you to, leading you step by step, whatever difficulties you have, He is ahead of you, leading you.
Where else is He?
“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.”
(v4).
‘I fear no evil for you are with me.’ If you take the whole Bible and condense it down – it is here – ‘you are with me.’ The great Shepherd of the sheep is with me. The problems I face, the joys I have, are all because He has led me here, even in the darkest times of life. Sometimes, as He leads us into times of difficulty and challenges, in the most wonderful ways we wouldn’t be without those times. He, in His kindness, is with us. The Lord Jesus Christ is the Shepherd who cares for us. He is with us. He will never leave us all forsakes us. He is right by our side.
Throughout this passage we see it is very personal. You can see something changes in the way the psalmist, David, writes. He begins by writing about ‘He’ but then this changes to ‘you.,’ It is a personal statement of great confidence. He is personally ours and we are His.
“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.”
(v6).
Goodness and mercy. The Lord Jesus is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He is abundant in His mercy and kindness. He is the God who wonderfully meets our needs. His goodness and mercy follow us all of the days of our lives. They pursue us. They are for us, all the days of our lives. Isn’t that wonderful! If ever we feel alone, then the reality is we are not alone. He is leading us, pursuing us all the days of our life. What a great Shepherd we have. He loves us; He gave His life for us. What more could we want? He bore our sins. He gives His life for us.
“You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.”
(v5).
This is a remarkable statement. There is a feast that the Lord Jesus, this great Shepherd, has prepared. It is a feast for our souls, our lives in heaven. Whatever challenges we face, the Shepherd is ahead of us. He provides for us, even in the presence of the enemies. In all the difficulties, there is a table prepared for you. Our God and heavenly Father, the Lord Jesus Christ, has prepared a table for us in front of our enemies. Remarkable. In our deepest and darkest times, He prepares a table, provides for our needs way beyond.
Sometimes, we can be switched off with our spiritual communication. What does the good Shepherd want me to hear now? Our hearts can be turned off. Switch on your spiritual Internet to call on Him. He is ‘my Shepherd.’ Know that He is the one to help us. He is waiting – even for you, even for me.
Penuel Baptist Chapel, Roch 