I’ve been thinking a lot lately – well, ever since I read Phillip Keller’s Shepherd trilogy a couple years ago – about the 23rd Psalm. Meditating on this most beautiful of King David’s psalms is, in my mind, the perfect antidote to everything from insomnia to any form of worldly anxiety.
Just think of all that even the first line tells us about King David’s relationship with the Lord – and, I hope, ours as well:
The Lord is my shepherd: Not the world, not a relative, not a friend, not a newspaper or talk-show host or opinion leader, not a mind-altering substance or food or exercise or any other thing that we humans so easily turn into idols. My shepherd is the Lord Himself, Creator of heaven and earth and everything therein.
The Lord is my shepherd. Not “was” or “will be.” Not “might become” or “probably could be.” He is my shepherd, today and always.
The Lord is my shepherd. Not “our” shepherd, although that’s true too. But even if all the rest of His sheep vanished, He would still be mine and I would still be His. It’s a personal relationship; He cares for me as an individual, not just as a member of a group.
The Lord is my shepherd. And here’s where the fun really begins! What exactly does a shepherd do for members of his flock?
Are these not excellent analogies for what the Lord Jesus does for all who have repented and placed their trust in Him?
If you’d like to know more, don’t miss Keller’s life-changing trilogy, A Shepherd Looks at the 23rd Psalm, A Shepherd Looks at the Good Shepherd, and A Shepherd Looks at the Lamb of God.
Just think of all that even the first line tells us about King David’s relationship with the Lord – and, I hope, ours as well:
The Lord is my shepherd: Not the world, not a relative, not a friend, not a newspaper or talk-show host or opinion leader, not a mind-altering substance or food or exercise or any other thing that we humans so easily turn into idols. My shepherd is the Lord Himself, Creator of heaven and earth and everything therein.
The Lord is my shepherd. Not “was” or “will be.” Not “might become” or “probably could be.” He is my shepherd, today and always.
The Lord is my shepherd. Not “our” shepherd, although that’s true too. But even if all the rest of His sheep vanished, He would still be mine and I would still be His. It’s a personal relationship; He cares for me as an individual, not just as a member of a group.
The Lord is my shepherd. And here’s where the fun really begins! What exactly does a shepherd do for members of his flock?
- He leads them to food, water, safety.
- He protects them from all manner of evil, from such predators as wolves to treacherous paths.
- He rescues them from falls, from being fatally cast on their backs, from becoming lost.
- He removes dangers such as poisonous plants.
- He protects them from microscopic pests that can literally drive embattled sheep to death.
- He helps them both comfortable and productive through their chief contribution to mankind – their wool.
Are these not excellent analogies for what the Lord Jesus does for all who have repented and placed their trust in Him?
If you’d like to know more, don’t miss Keller’s life-changing trilogy, A Shepherd Looks at the 23rd Psalm, A Shepherd Looks at the Good Shepherd, and A Shepherd Looks at the Lamb of God.
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