The Lord Is My Shepherd

Psalm 23 is no doubt one of the most famous passages of Scripture in the whole Bible. It is a comforting thought to know “the Lord is my Shepherd,” isn’t it? The Psalmist writes: The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. That means with God in control, I do not have anything to worry about. What a comforting thought!

There is a lot in my life and in yours that tries to make us worry and be concerned or discouraged. You do not need me to tell you that. It may be that you are heading out the door this morning to an uncertain job situation, or to some other stressful event. Well, if the Lord is your Shepherd, you do not have to worry about it. I do not mean that you can just ignore the problem and it will go away. There may well be some responsibility that you bear. The point is that with the Lord as your Shepherd, it is a load you can bear.

Do you understand what it means to “fear no evil”? The psalmist says he will fear no evil even though he walks through “the valley of the shadow of death.” That means there is nothing that can cause him to fear! Once again, this is you, if the Lord is your Shepherd. Stop and think about this for a minute. One manifestation of evil is that nagging thought in your mind that the things you have to face today or this week are worse than anyone else has to face and are too difficult for you to endure. The problems themselves may not be the evil; it is the temptation to give up that is evil. You do not have to be afraid of that evil.

Did you ever wonder at the phrase “Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life”? You may be thinking that you have made the Lord your Shepherd for many years, but it does not feel like goodness and mercy have followed you all the days of your life. We need to understand that the good that God has in store for us does not always feel like the good we human beings think we should have. The child whose parents make him suffer the consequences of his actions may not feel like such is goodness and mercy, either, although such a lesson may very well save his life one day. By the same token, the things we suffer in this life, if we suffer them faithfully, are producing in us an endurance that will help us be strong in the Lord (James 1:2, 3).

This week, as you struggle through life, remember that there is One Who will help you get through the toughest of times. Stop trying to think that it is all about you. Try to think of yourself as a sheep in the fold of God. Let Him take the troubles off your shoulders. It will be an easier life if you do. Remember, God loves you and so I.