Week 28: Savior Like a Shepherd Lead Us

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The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures.

He leads me beside still waters.

He restores my soul.

He leads me in paths of righteousness

for his name’s sake.

 

Even 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 overflows.

 

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

all the days of my life,

and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

 

Psalm 23 (ESV)

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The Lord being our Shepherd, even after thousands of years, remains one of the most beautiful imageries we find in the Bible. What else can capture the immaculate care of God for us helpless people? Psalm 23, one of the most popular psalms (for good reason), is both poetic and realistic all at once, reflecting how God is our Shepherd in both joy and sorrow. Let not the beauty of the truth in this passage be diluted by how often we hear it! Spend some time once again reflecting on and praying through this psalm.

The thing about being sheep is that it is not for the sheep to know where it goes! The sheep’s sole purpose is to follow the shepherd – not to choose its own paths. After all, a lone sheep is easy prey for the wolves and bears, but a protected sheep following the footsteps of its shepherd is safe. The sheep is meant to be guided, and as the psalmist expresses, the way in which the Good Shepherd guides is good. Rest and comfort will come the way of the sheep who trusts. What beautiful assurance!

Alas, as Christians, how often we forget our state of helplessness! Even while cognitively aware of our relationship to our Shepherd, we insist on choosing our own paths. We insist that we can blaze our own trail, apart from our Shepherd and Guide. But it is not the sheep’s portion to KNOW; it is the sheep’s portion to TRUST the Shepherd.

Indeed, the way will not be perfect. Even the psalmist does not deny the existence of the frightful, dark valleys of life. Our lives will not be perfect! There will be temptations and trials waiting for us. But when we are entering the valleys of life, would it not be foolish to abandon our only Guide? No, when the way is dark, may we draw even nearer to our Shepherd!

Another beautiful aspect is that centuries before His arrival, the Incarnate Christ is already foreshadowed in this psalm! After all, when Jesus arrived in His human flesh, He declared:

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.

John 10:11-16 (ESV)

Jesus is indeed our perfect Shepherd! And what better example of a shepherd’s love for His sheep is there, than His laying down His own life? When it is us, the sheep, who should have been sacrificed on the altar, Jesus took our place. With His love expressed in such profound and immeasurable ways, why would we look anywhere else for guidance?

Dear friend, if you do not yet know the Good Shepherd, why do you wait? He is calling, waiting for you to recognize His voice. With Him there is no fear nor want, and His way is good. He is God who was willing to lay down His life for man, and He is calling for you to join His flock!

May we live in the constant presence of our Good Shepherd!