The 23rd Psalm
“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” God is the good shepherd that leads us through life and keeps us safe from the perils of worldly living. We must stay close to our shepherd and stay in the flock to remain under his care and protection. The sheep that wander away from the herd can get eaten by the wolves, fall off a cliff, get stuck in a bog, be stolen, etc. As long as we follow our Good Shepherd, He will provide for our every need and keep us out of harm’s way.
“He maketh me to lie down in green pastures, He leadeth me beside still waters” God provides us with everything we need. When we feed our spirits on the green pastures of His Word we always have answers to life’s challenges. His wisdom guides us, His presence consoles us and His strength sustains us. His Word is the sustenance of our souls. To lie in green pastures is to stay in or abide in the Word; reading it daily and hiding it in our hearts. Making it a part of us. When we do that He will lead us beside the still waters of inner peace; He will bring peace and tranquility into our lives and take away the chaos.
“He restoreth my soul; He leadeth me in the path of righteousness for His name’s sake.” God is about restoration; restoring our relationship to Him in Jesus Christ; restoration to righteousness and righteous living, restoration of peace, joy and happiness in our lives, restoration of a healthy relationship with Him and all of mankind. The restored soul is one that is filled with the Holy Spirit; God’s presence within us, filled with new joy, new hope, new purpose and inspiration. God leads us to fulfill His purpose for us in life for His glory. We cannot achieve God’s purpose for us by following our own self centered desires. He leads, and we must submit to His leadership and His purpose for His glory and not our own. Give back to God all the gifts and talents that He has given you and allow Him to determine when and how your purpose will unfold. All that we have is from Him.
“Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil for Thou art with me. Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me.” The rod of God is submitting to His will and living according to His way as demonstrated by His Son, Jesus. Resisting temptation, loving one another, being slow to anger, being wise as a serpent but gentle as a lamb, all of the many lessons for living that we find in His Word. Disciplining ourselves to walk a Christian walk gives us the comfort of knowing that we will not get involved with the evils and dangers that exist in the world. The world and the life of the flesh is the valley of the shadow of death. As we live in it we are constantly surrounded by things that can separate us from God and lead to sin and spiritual and/or physical death. Drugs, alcohol, lust, perversion, greed, materialism, hatred, etc and all of the pain, sickness, evil and suffering that come with them. These are the shadows of death that surround us everyday in the world. We can pass through this valley without fear of being overcome by these shadows if we stay on His path, submit to His will and draw strength from His staff. A shepherd’s staff is used to grab the foot of a sheep so that the shepherd can bring it back if it tries to run away from the herd. His staff is our close relationship with Him that allows us to draw our strength from God in difficult situations such that we do not falter and fall prey to the shadows of death. When you talk to God frequently you will learn to hear the voice of the shepherd when he tries to keep you from wandering off in the wrong direction. We talk to God in prayer. When we are walking close to God, listening to His voice in our hearts, in His will and purpose, then we need not fear the evil because it has no power over us. God’s strength and power becomes our own and no evil can prevail against Him.
“Thou hast prepared a table before me in the presence of my enemy; thou hast anointed my head with oil, my cup runneth over.” Our enemy is our flesh and its self serving desires for pleasure, power and glory. This is satan’s connection to us; his way into our lives where he will use the weakness and selfishness of our flesh to destroy and steal away the bounty that God has for us. God prepares a feast of his goodness and loving kindness for us in the presence of that enemy. He heaps blessings upon us and gives us more than we could ever hope for. In His Son, Jesus, He gives us forgiveness, freedom from guilt, healing, peace and salvation forever. All we have to do is accept His blessing through accepting His Son Jesus. If we will turn away from the enemy and give ourselves to God’s good purpose we will have abundant life.
“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all of the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord, forever.” If we allow God to lead and we follow, Feed on His Word, Abide in Him and keep a close relationship, talk to Him and listen when He answers, submit to His will and purpose for our lives; then our lives will be blessed by His goodness. In His infinite mercy He gave us His Son Jesus, so that by grace we could spend eternity under His wing. There is no better place to be.
