The Lord Is My Shepherd
Psalm 23 has been used so much by God’s people. Preachers quote it at funerals. Children learn it in Sunday School. Adults speak it from memory. This is such a familiar passage of scripture. Sometimes familiarity can be an enemy to the truth of God’s Word. What a wealth of revelation concerning God’s provision is contained in this one short Psalm. This Psalm is all about the great abundant provision our Heavenly Father has set before us while we are here on this earth. He is our Provider. He does take care of us, and not in a haphazard way, I might add.
The very first line of Psalm 23 sets us up for the theme of the whole Psalm. The Lord is my Shepherd. In other words, the Lord is the One Who takes complete care of us. What does a shepherd do? The simple answer would be this: He takes care of the sheep. Oh, really! What does that care involve?
According to the 1828 Webster’s Dictionary, a shepherd is someone who tends, feeds and guards the sheep in the pasture. God is the great Shepherd Who leads, protects and governs His people and provides for their welfare.
Actually Psalm 23 spells out what the Lord does for us. The Amplified Translation says that the Lord is my Shepherd to feed, guide and shield me. He feeds me with His Word; He guides me with His Presence. He shields me from the wicked one, satan. In Ephesians 6, we are instructed to take our shield of faith, which is provided by the Lord, and quench all the fiery darts (or negative thoughts) of the wicked. Repeatedly in the scripture God is spoken of as our shield and protector.
In John 1 God is the Word. He is the Word Who feeds us. He sent His Word to heal us and deliver us from destruction (Psalm 107:20). We have His written word here before us. We have Jesus, the Word made flesh, Who dwelt among us. We have the Holy Spirit to interpret the written word. He brings light, understanding to God’s Word. This Word of God sustains us and strengthens us and teaches us how to live the victorious life in the Kingdom of God while we are here on this earth.
The Holy Spirit guides us. In fact, He lives inside us. He has made our bodies His Holy Temple. He dwells in us to direct our lives, to keep us in God’s plan designed for our lives. He is our everything. He comforts us. He strengthens us. He directs us. He gives us advice. He helps us. He prays with us and for us. He shows us things to come. He reveals the Kingdom of God to us and helps us to walk in the footsteps of Jesus.
God is our shield. He stands between us and satan. He is our buffer where the demonic forces are concerned. He is the One Who defends us. A warrior knows that his shield can be just as important as his weapon. In the modern world, countries have anti-missile systems, which are their shields. God is our “anti-missile” system to deflect the missiles of our enemy. Sometimes we forget this important aspect of our relationship with the Lord. He does protect us.
As a result of God’s feeding, guiding and protecting, we shall not lack or want for any good thing. There is no lack when God is on the scene. He supplies all that we need. His supply line never runs out. There is always an abundance. There is always plenty. He is our Provider.
Today, meditate on this theme: God is my Provider. He never leaves me or forsakes me. He will never let me down if I allow Him to be my Shepherd. He is my Shepherd.
The very first line of Psalm 23 sets us up for the theme of the whole Psalm. The Lord is my Shepherd. In other words, the Lord is the One Who takes complete care of us. What does a shepherd do? The simple answer would be this: He takes care of the sheep. Oh, really! What does that care involve?
According to the 1828 Webster’s Dictionary, a shepherd is someone who tends, feeds and guards the sheep in the pasture. God is the great Shepherd Who leads, protects and governs His people and provides for their welfare.
Actually Psalm 23 spells out what the Lord does for us. The Amplified Translation says that the Lord is my Shepherd to feed, guide and shield me. He feeds me with His Word; He guides me with His Presence. He shields me from the wicked one, satan. In Ephesians 6, we are instructed to take our shield of faith, which is provided by the Lord, and quench all the fiery darts (or negative thoughts) of the wicked. Repeatedly in the scripture God is spoken of as our shield and protector.
In John 1 God is the Word. He is the Word Who feeds us. He sent His Word to heal us and deliver us from destruction (Psalm 107:20). We have His written word here before us. We have Jesus, the Word made flesh, Who dwelt among us. We have the Holy Spirit to interpret the written word. He brings light, understanding to God’s Word. This Word of God sustains us and strengthens us and teaches us how to live the victorious life in the Kingdom of God while we are here on this earth.
The Holy Spirit guides us. In fact, He lives inside us. He has made our bodies His Holy Temple. He dwells in us to direct our lives, to keep us in God’s plan designed for our lives. He is our everything. He comforts us. He strengthens us. He directs us. He gives us advice. He helps us. He prays with us and for us. He shows us things to come. He reveals the Kingdom of God to us and helps us to walk in the footsteps of Jesus.
God is our shield. He stands between us and satan. He is our buffer where the demonic forces are concerned. He is the One Who defends us. A warrior knows that his shield can be just as important as his weapon. In the modern world, countries have anti-missile systems, which are their shields. God is our “anti-missile” system to deflect the missiles of our enemy. Sometimes we forget this important aspect of our relationship with the Lord. He does protect us.
As a result of God’s feeding, guiding and protecting, we shall not lack or want for any good thing. There is no lack when God is on the scene. He supplies all that we need. His supply line never runs out. There is always an abundance. There is always plenty. He is our Provider.
Today, meditate on this theme: God is my Provider. He never leaves me or forsakes me. He will never let me down if I allow Him to be my Shepherd. He is my Shepherd.
posted by Rev. Kialeen Potterton @ 6:48 AM
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