The Lord, my shepherd

The Lord, my shepherd

Psalm 23:1-6.

Psalms 23:1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

This is an affirmation of truth clearly stating the source of our life’s sustenance. The analogy of the sheep and shepherd is an allegory of the relationship that exists between God and believers who have come into His fold, and everything representative of what a shepherd does for the sheep is what the Lord takes care of. David here individualizes this Psalm by saying “my shepherd” and not “our shepherd”. This means the Lord has tailored provision for our peculiar needs and we need to affirm this constantly. He also knows what we need to survive any weather or season of our lives more than we do. Hence, our reliance on His Omniscient and Omnipotent ability.

There are certain peculiarities about this relationship that we should take note: a sheep depends absolutely on its shepherd for provision, direction, and protection. I believe there’s nothing more to cover in a man’s life when these three areas are secured. By extension, these tripodal elements are what every nation on earth strives for to better their sovereignty. Another point is that the shepherd is responsible for shearing the sheep. The seasonal overgrowing of the sheep’s wool requires the shepherd to shear off the overgrown hair to prevent illnesses and improve the welfare of the sheep. The wool can become so much to the extent of even covering their faces preventing them from seeing. This will make them wander away from the herd or fall into harm’s way. Some encumbrances (not necessarily evil) seek to pile heavily on believers that are adverse to our spiritual wellness and we must seek to always submit to the Spirit of God for pruning and thorough cleansing from time to time.

Lastly, the shepherd profits from the sheep in several ways. The Lord seeks our fruitfulness and efficient productivity and that’s why He has promised to take care of our needs while we fulfill His heart’s desires and demands. He does not demand what we are incapable of delivering, but just as His provisions are individually tailored, so are His demands.

There‘s the possibility of a sheep being lost by refusing the direction of the shepherd. This could happen as a result of distraction or disobedience. We must guard against this possibility by always seeking to be in the Shepherd’s view, following His direction, and avoiding earth’s fickle distractions and hindrances.

Meditation

Good Shepherd of my soul,
Come dwell within me;
Take all I am and mould
Your likeness in me.
Before the cross of Christ,
This is my sacrifice:
A life laid down and ready to follow.

The troubled find their peace
In true surrender;
The prisoners their release
From chains of anger.
In springs of living grace
I find a resting place
To rise refreshed and ready to follow.

I’ll walk this narrow road
With Christ before me,
Where thorns and thistles grow
And cords ensnare me.
Though doubted and denied,
He never leaves my side,
But lifts my head and calls me to follow.

And when my days are gone,
My strength is failing,
He’ll carry me along
Through death’s unveiling.
Earth’s struggles overcome,
Heaven’s journey just begun
To search Christ’s depths and ever to follow.