Psalm 23:1-4
“The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”
Is the Lord your Shepherd?
Rest. This Psalm speaks rest to me. Would you like to rest? Would you like to calm down the storms within you or the hustle you feel like you always need to be in? Can I remind you, or tell you for the first time, about the God who gives rest? We don’t have to do life on our own; we have the creator of the universe right beside us!
Psalm 23 paints a picture of what life is like when we let the Lord guide us.
David, the author, refers to the Lord leading him as a shepherd leads his flock. A shepherd's job was to protect the sheep, care for them, and lead them.
He says, “The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.”
With God as his guide, he has everything he needs. He knows he is in the best care, being watched over, and provided for by God. He lacks nothing! That is pretty amazing.
Can we confidently say the same thing?
I know there have been times when I have not viewed God as my shepherd. I did not understand what that truly meant. I believed in God but was still under the impression that I was supposed to direct my life. The Lord was not my shepherd. I did not rest in the promise of knowing that he is in control of all things, including the plans for my life. I thought I had to figure it out, which is stressful if you haven’t tried doing that already.
When we trust God to be our guide, our good shepherd, we can rest knowing that we will lack nothing. He will take care of us if we trust in him. He knows what we need, he knows our hearts, and he loves us!
How do we know we are in the best care by trusting God?
David describes what it is like to be guided by the Lord.
“He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”
Imagine what he is describing here— lying down in a green pasture, resting beside quiet water, being refreshed, restored, renewed. That sounds like pure peace to me. I would be happy there.
This is what it feels like to trust in the Lord when he is your satisfying shepherd!
This is not a God of anxiety, confusion, or heavy burdens. He’s not a God who is far away sitting on his throne waiting for us to figure things out. This God says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)
When you trust in the Lord, you are no longer trying to figure out the meaning of life or the plan for what you are to do. You are giving your trust over to the one who created your life, and he will guide you. All he asks is that you trust, obey, and spend time with him.
It may not look like what you expect or come as quickly as you prefer, but he will show you the way.
Like David, can you look at life's troubles and say, “I will fear no evil, for you are with me?”
When this is your life, everything around you can still feel crazy, and questions may be swirling around your mind, but there's inner peace in knowing God has it under control. It’s not on your lap to fix or figure it all out. Bouts of worry will still come; that's normal, you’re human, but you know who to give those worries to rather than it all being on you! This is why David can confidently say, “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”
He knows that his God is bigger than he is, wiser than he is, just, and loving. He doesn’t only know that in his mind, but he believes in it with all his heart. He loves the Lord, and he cherishes their relationship.
How do we get here? How do we trust?
Think about your relationship with the Lord. What does it look like? Do you talk to him in prayer? Do you spend time in his word?
David could say these things because he knew his God. We can know God by reading his word in the Bible. When we know his word, we know who he is, what he is like, and how he loves us. I encourage you to find a Bible reading plan! You can find them on the Bible app, or by Googling “Bible Reading Plan.” Having a plan is a great way to start!
Be honest with yourself and with God. He’s not disappointed. Remember, he’s a good shepherd and a friend. You can come to him with anything. Just pray! Tell him that you don’t trust him, it’s hard, or you don’t know how to start. Tell him that you want him to lead you and you want to know him. Just pray! He wants to hear from you.
Spend time with him. Find a quiet place, silence all distractions (put your phone across the room or away), and get to know your good shepherd. He desires to care for you, to give you rest, and for you to say, “The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.” Leave the striving, the worrying, the pride, and the burdens behind and run to your God.
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