Psalm 23:1-6 “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
A couple weeks ago, while I was in Michigan, Pastor Kyle open his Sunday message by pointing out how modern retailers market their wares to the consumer with the goal of establishing a “I need that or else I will be lacking” belief. As the social shutdown events of 2020-2021 unfolded, many of us rediscovered a simple life is as satisfying as God promised. Many of us have rediscovered satisfaction at home, in our loved ones, in quiet moments, and ultimately in the Lord. Truly, without the Lord, we have nothing and in our Lord God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit). we truly have everything we need.
The beloved Psalm 23, that is so near and dear to Believer’s heart, is recited at most funerals to bring comfort, but is especially powerful when we think about this passage in terms of life. The Lord is our Shepherd; the All-powerful, All-knowing, Ever-present Creator of the Cosmos, Universe and Earth, who created and loved us, (even knowing the mankind would sin and rebel against Him and that He’d have to send His Son as an atoning sacrifice to redeem us), that God is our Shepherd.
John 10:7-18 tell us, Then the Lord Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd. “Therefore, My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.”
The abundant life that the Good Shepherd provides is, above all, a life of contentment. Our contentment is based in the fact that our God is there in every emergency we face, and is able to supply all of our needs, according to His glory and His riches in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19). Whenever we are in a space in our own life where we are tempted to feel that we lack something, we need to remind ourselves that the Lord is our Shepherd. Just as helpless sheep know their shepherd and trust them for their necessary provisions of food, water, shelter and protection; we must trust the Lord (our Good Shepherd) for everything that we need and in Him, we lack nothing. Because of that focus, we are able to live this simple, unwanting life. If we focus on the paralyzing dark valleys and obsessing over our wants then we will always feel fearful and lacking in our lives. Keep walking because the Good Shepherd is right beside you.
Let's continue Pastor Kyle's message on the Lord meeting our every need in the next post.
In Christ, Brian
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