“How the Shepherd Sustains” - Psalm 23 (Day 2)
Yesterday, we began our journey through Psalm 23, reflecting on King David's moving imagery to describe God and our relationship to Him, that of a compassionate shepherd. We are cared for and protected by a God who knows us intimately. We don’t want to rush past the powerful reality that God sees and recognizes our needs, and wants to provide for us and sustain us in ways we can’t fathom. So, before we dig deeper into Psalm 23 and how God sustains and leads us, I want to provide space for you to lessen the load you are carrying by sharing your needs with Him. Take a moment to invite God into this place with you.
Today we’re going to focus on the first three verses of Psalm 23. I invite you to listen or follow along in your Bible as we read this passage together. As you listen to the words, consider the different ways the shepherd attentively cares for his flock:
Psalm 23:1-3 says this:
The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.
Lets address the elephant (or in this case, sheep) in the room. We don’t like to be dependent on anyone but ourselves. In our eyes, being compared to a helpless and foolish creature that’s prone to wander isn’t a badge of honor, especially in a culture that applauds self-sufficiency and encourages hiding our weaknesses. Yet, the more determined and defiant we are to go our own way, the more we display our stubborn “sheepish” qualities. We don’t always know what we need or want, we go down wrong paths, and feed on things that are far from life-giving and nourishing to our souls.
In our chaotic world that pulls us in a million different directions and disorients our souls, who doesn’t need a place of refuge and rest? Perhaps that’s why the shepherd cares for the sheep in the intentional way that he does. He MAKES His sheep LIE DOWN, LEADS them, and GUIDES them. God knows what we need and knows what is our best. He sustains our faith by directing us to the source of life, which is Himself. Rather than rush, God invites us to rest, and in doing so we declare our trust in Him. For Jesus to be our shepherd, we must first be willing to be His sheep.
Take a moment and consider…WHERE IS SELF-SUFFICIENCY PREVENTING YOU FROM RELYING ON JESUS AS YOUR SHEPHERD?
Read today’s passage one more time slowly.
Psalm 23:1-3 says this:
The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.
Did you notice why the shepherd guides His sheep? Yes, His love for us plays a part in the care, compassion, and comfort He directs toward us. We are valuable in His eyes. But, it is for “His name sake” that God does what He does. Our dependency speaks to His greatness. Caring for our good highlights His goodness. Where we rest declares who we trust.
The key to living the Christian life is submitting our lives to the shepherding of the Good Shepherd! How do we submit our lives daily to the shepherd? Daily, we set our minds on the fact that Jesus really is our Good Shepherd. We set our minds on the fact that Jesus really does provide, protect, and pursue us for all the days of our lives. We set our minds there and we allow everything about us to flow from that reality.
As we begin to wrap up our time together, we want to provide you some space to respond to what we read and maybe to what God is starting to say to you through Psalm 23. First, take a moment to process this question…WHERE IN YOUR LIFE DO YOU NEED GOD TO LEAD YOU BESIDE STILL WATERS AND REFRESH YOUR SOUL? WHY DID THAT CIRCUMSTANCE COME TO MIND?
Another question to consider is this…WHAT WOULD IT LOOK LIKE TO TRUST AND DECLARE HIS FAITHFULNESS BY RESTING IN GOD IN THAT SPECIFIC CIRCUMSTANCE?
PRAYER
Father God,
Rather than rush, I will rest in Your love.
In that quiet and vulnerable space, restore and replenish my soul.
Because it is there where all of my heart's wants and longings find their fulfillment.
Wherever you lead, I will follow, trusting You are with me every step of the way. Amen.