Psalms 23:1 “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.”

The psalmist begins this famous text with an illustration from his life. David was a shepherd and so he understood about the role of the shepherd and the sheep. Our independence causes us to miss the importance of this opening verse. The responsibility of the shepherd is to make sure the sheep can live without a care in the world. Everything about their existence is dependent on the shepherd, food, shelter, protection.

Into this example, David announces that since the Lord is the shepherd, he can live his life without a care in the world. According to David, his relationship with the Lord allows him to not be lacking, to fail, or to live a diminished life. This is the joy of being one of the Lord’s sheep, we can live without feeling less about ourselves. David doesn’t mean he won’t fail in life, struggle with the human condition, or struggle with self-esteem issues. An examination of David’s life shows that his life had difficulties, that he wasn’t perfect, and that he failed his people and family. So how can David make this claim when his life does not appear to align with the statement? Maybe there is a deeper truth, a larger point that David is trying to present.

How can one live in this life with all of the challenges, difficulties and chaos and still have a confidence in the Lord? Simple, it is a choice. One must choose to believe in power of the Shepherd. Either Jesus is our Shepherd and provider of what we need or else we are in charge and do not need a shepherd. I choose to be one of the sheep and confess that I am entirely dependent on the shepherd for all that I need in life and because of that I recognize that even when the storms and trails come, I can rest in God’s unfailing hand.

Psalms 34:9-10 “Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints! There is no want to those who fear Him. The young lions lack and suffer hunger;
But those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.”

Psalms 23:1 “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.”

The psalmist begins this famous text with an illustration from his life. David was a shepherd and so he understood about the role of the shepherd and the sheep. Our independence causes us to miss the importance of this opening verse. The responsibility of the shepherd is to make sure the sheep can live without a care in the world. Everything about their existence is dependent on the shepherd, food, shelter, protection.

Into this example, David announces that since the Lord is the shepherd, he can live his life without a care in the world. According to David, his relationship with the Lord allows him to not be lacking, to fail, or to live a diminished life. This is the joy of being one of the Lord’s sheep, we can live without feeling less about ourselves. David doesn’t mean he won’t fail in life, struggle with the human condition, or struggle with self-esteem issues. An examination of David’s life shows that his life had difficulties, that he wasn’t perfect, and that he failed his people and family. So how can David make this claim when his life does not appear to align with the statement? Maybe there is a deeper truth, a larger point that David is trying to present.

How can one live in this life with all of the challenges, difficulties and chaos and still have a confidence in the Lord? Simple, it is a choice. One must choose to believe in power of the Shepherd. Either Jesus is our Shepherd and provider of what we need or else we are in charge and do not need a shepherd. I choose to be one of the sheep and confess that I am entirely dependent on the shepherd for all that I need in life and because of that I recognize that even when the storms and trails come, I can rest in God’s unfailing hand.

Psalms 34:9-10 “Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints! There is no want to those who fear Him. The young lions lack and suffer hunger;
But those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.”

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