“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures;” Psalm 23:1-2a NKJ
I love Psalm 23 and I believe it is an important passage for us to meditate on. Within the lines of the Scriptures is a treasure chest full of jewels of wisdom, for us to adorn our lives with daily. I am going to break it up into 6 devotions that detail the role of Jesus as our Shepherd. As we will see a shepherd is responsible for the well being of the sheep. He leads, guides, provides, protects, and cares for the sheep’s every need. When we learn to embrace our role as sheep and trust in our Shepherd, Jesus Christ, we will have our needs met and be equipped to fulfill our God given purpose in life.
“The LORD is my shepherd;”- I often think about David and what it must have been like for him to be a shepherd. He was the youngest member of his family and was put in charge of his father’s flocks. He was out in the pastures all alone, day and night, with only the sheep as his companions. But David discovered something in his alone time that we can all learn from. Though he himself was a shepherd and a protector of the flock; he knew the only way he could keep himself and the sheep safe, was to acknowledge his own need for a shepherd. Many of us think of God as our Savior and our Father, but deny Him the right to be our Shepherd. I know for me this was a pride issue of not wanting to identify myself as a sheep. I no longer think that way and my life has become so much more peaceful as the result. Today I understand the importance of having Christ as the Shepherd of my life, and I do not resist being a sheep who follows His every word and direction.
“I shall not want.” – Can you even imagine what a young boy who is all alone in a pasture full of sheep might want? He must have wanted conversation or someone to laugh with or share stories with. There must have been times he wanted to be held and comforted when he heard the howl of the wolves at night. He probably wanted to be praised for a job well done when he successfully retrieved a lost sheep or killed a predator. I imagine that he had many wants, but notice he wrote “I shall not want”. It’s not that he didn’t have wants, but he learned that it was more important to trust in His Shepherd to provide his needs at the time, than to focus on what he wanted. Just like a sheep, David came to rely on his shepherd to lead and guide him and to provide for him. And just like his sheep, David learned that it was his shepherd who knew what he needed and when he needed it. So he chose to follow God’s direction, just like the sheep followed him, and God provided for him. Later we will discover that in doing this, David’ wants (heart’s desires) were given to him as well.
“He makes me to lie down in green pastures;” – In choosing to put his trust in God David learned to listen to God when He told him what to do. How often do we fight God when He tells us what to do? I know I have battled Him many times, but in times when I chose to listen to Him; He revealed Himself to me in ways I could have never imagined! God did the same thing for David. It was in the green pastures where David developed many of his skills and discovered his gifts and talents. He became a skilled warrior, a musician, a poet, and a writer of psalms. When we make the choice to spend our down time with God, God will be faithful to us and reveal our gifts and talents, just like He did for David. And when we spend our down time meditating in God’s Word, we will become warriors too. We all face giants in our lives, but unless we spend our down time, perfecting the skills of being a spiritual warrior, we will not be able to slay those giants the way David did Goliath. The message for us is: don’t resist when God wants our time because He is trying to reveal our gifts and talents, and He is trying to equip us for the battles we will face in life!
To fully understand the truths found in Psalm 23 it is also important for us to meditate on the parable of the talents in Luke 19. To those who were faithful with their talents Jesus said, “Well done, good servant; because you were faithful in a very little, have authority over ten cities.” Because David was faithful as a shepherd, and spent his time learning from God during his down times, God made him a king. When Samuel told Saul why God chose David, he said that David was a man after God’s own heart. Sometimes it is difficult for us to comprehend what God has in store for us when we are faithful with the little things He has entrusted to us. We want the big blessings right now, but God knows that in order for us to be faithful with the big blessings, we have to learn to be faithful with the small ones first.
We have to learn how to manage our time and choose to spend it with Him. We have to be willing to be led and directed by our Shepherd, Jesus Christ. We have to discover our gifts and talents. We need to become disciplined in the skills of a spiritual warrior so we know how to fight the spiritual battles in life. We have to obey where He tells us to go and refrain from going where He tells us to avoid. We have to choose to stay within the boundaries He has set for us, knowing if we cross them, we will make ourselves vulnerable to the enemy who lies in wait for us. We have to have a heart after God more than a desire to fulfill our flesh. When we do these things God will give us authority and blessings greater than anything we could ever think or imagine!
Prayer: May I learn to embrace my role as a sheep and may I learn to trust my Shepherd, Jesus Christ, the way David learned to trust in You. I believe by faith that as I trust in You as my source, you will not only provide for my needs, but You will also grant me the desires of my heart. Help me to see the importance of spending time with You so I can learn from You. I believe by faith that when I do You will reveal my gifts and talents, and You will equip me to fight the spiritual battles I face each day. I praise you for loving me and I choose to follow You each day. Amen
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