The LORD is My Shepherd

Psalm 23.1-6     

        Psalm 23 is the most familiar of all Psalms. It is memorized by children and quoted by individuals of all ages. It inspires, encourages, strengthens, and motivates the believer to continue moving forward when the path seems dark and wearisome, when the unknown looms large and dangers seem to abound, when opposition seems fierce and our strength seems weak, when loneliness overflows and our emotions can overwhelm. “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want” (Psalm 23.1). The Lord, and no other, is the true Shepherd. None other so perfectly understands what it is like to walk this earth; none other knows our weaknesses and how to gird us up to face the new day; none other seeks us so zealously when we are lost, knows where to find us, and delights in bringing us back to the fold; none other provides exactly what we need and always gives us ample provisions; none other sees us so completely, knows our limitations, and enables us for each new breath; none other sees the battles we face and always protects us and fights for us, to give us victory.

        The Lord is “my” Shepherd, and we can claim to be under the Shepherd’s care, knowing the Shepherd claims us as His own. With the Lord as our Shepherd, we “shall not want.” There is nothing we have need of which He will not always fully supply. We will not want anything necessary for life and godliness as His divine power grants to us all we need; we will not want for love, for His is unconditional and full; we will not want for grace, for His is unlimited and always giving us the exact opposite of what we need; we will not want for mercy, for His is always faithful in forgiving us of all sin; we will not want for hope, for He will always do all He has promised and will never change; we will not want for blessings, for He lavishly satisfies us in every way. In our Lord we can rest, be refreshed, and strengthened for each new day, for we are His sheep and dwell securely in His pasture.

Knowing the Good Shepherd – we have much to be thankful for –
Terry