The Lord-Our Shepherd

 

The Lord is my shepherd

 

The duties of a shepherd are tough. They are the lowest rung of society. The majority of their days and nights are spent out in the wilderness.

I shall not want

God supplies all the shepherd’s needs. The shepherd, in turn, sees to it that his flock has nourishment and water in order to grow and survive.

He makes me lie down in green pastures;

The shepherd chooses places of safety for his flock to rest through the nights.

He leads me beside the still waters.

The shepherd chooses the right spot for the sheep in his care to rest and receive refreshment.

He restores my soul

When a shepherd tenderly cares for his flock, the sheep are more docile and easier to work with.

He leads me in the path of righteousness for His name’s sake.

A shepherd guides his flock safely through the fields as he leads them in search of food and rest.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death.

A shepherd guides his flock through dangerous places. The sheep don’t realize that dangerous places exist.

I will fear no evil; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

The sheep are not fearful. They know their shepherd. They follow him because the trust

him.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;

The shepherd sees to it that his flock has what they need to survive and to grow. Those predators whose purpose is to devour the sheep watch as the shepherd cares for them.

You anoint my head with oil. My cup runs over.

When his sheep get caught in briers, the shepherd rescues each one. He washes each injury. He repeats the process until the wounds are healed.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.

Sheep are not the smartest creatures placed on God’s earth. They seem to be the most protected. They are led by their shepherd to safe fields where they are allowed to feed and receive rest as well.

And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

The sheep eventually serve a purpose for their owners. Even then, each lamb, each sheep is taken into a special place of protection by the one who has protected them.

Like David, each of us can claim the Lord as our shepherd. God watches over us as we go through each day of our individual lives. He protects us, His children, as we go through our days. He allows His beloved children to rest. He keeps us from danger. He uses items around us to keep us safe. He provides us, His children, with nourishing foods.

I am certain that each one of us here has experienced difficult times in our lives. Some of those times may have been extremely long. It may even seem like we felt alone in our times of stress or hardship.

We may have wished we could talk to someone about the difficulty we were having but, at the same time, didn’t want to burden anyone else with our issues.

We have God; He will listen no matter how big our issue may seem to us.