The Lord Is My Shepherd

22 May

The Lord is My Shepherd

I had not thought about Psalm 23 for some time, until I recently found I needed its comfort.

“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 shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever”

In our human frailty we quickly forget God’s promises and require frequent reminders of His love and care for us. For this reason it is important to walk with God, reading and prayerfully meditating on Scripture constantly. The pleasant picture of our relationship with God and the results of that relationship in Psalm 1:1-3 comes to mind:

“Blessed is the man that walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD and in His law does he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bring forth his fruit in his season. His leaf also shall not wither and whatsoever he does shall prosper.”

We choose how we use our time and what we do with our relationship with God. How much better to be walking in communion with Him, choosing to delight in God’s Word, rather than spending time with worldly people and in worldly pursuits that are only temporary in terms of God’s eternity; how much better to rest in green pastures, planted by still waters, fed on spiritual goodness and God’s mercy, than to walk alone through crises and ignore the loving kindness God offers us, for both all of our life and forever, as we read in Psalm 23:6.