I can think of no better way to close this week than by steeping ourselves in the truths of Psalm 23. When we run to our Strong Tower, we are met by our All-Sufficient Shepherd who gently and lovingly draws us to Himself. Whatever the words we receive – encouragement, exhortation, training, correction or rebuke – we can be certain that they are words purposed for our good.
In Psalm 23, David poured out his heart . . . from one end of the emotional spectrum to the other . . . as he remembered and celebrated God’s faithfulness. Because this is such a familiar passage of Scripture, it is often helpful to read it in a fresh translation. It causes us to slow down and think about what we’re reading. Psalm 23 is printed below in the New Living Translation. As you read through it, listen for the heartbeat of the Shepherd and notice what He does for you.
Psalm 23
1The Lord is my shepherd;
I have all that I need.
2He lets me rest in green meadows;
He leads me beside peaceful streams.
3He renews my strength.
He guides me along right paths,
bringing honor to His name.
4Even when I walk through the darkest valley,
I will not be afraid, for You are close beside me.
Your rod and Your staff protect and comfort me.
5You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies.
You honor me by anointing my head with oil.
My cup overflows with blessings.
6Surely Your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me
all the days of my life, and
I will live in the house of the Lord forever.
Because God never changes, you can count on Him to be to you all that He was to David. He is the One who will provide all that you need. He is the One who will give you rest and guide you in a way that honors His name. He is the One who will teach you how to live in your very own personal Zoo! He stays close beside you when you walk through those dark valleys. Psalm 34:17-18 states that “The Lord hears the cries of the righteous and delivers them out of all of their troubles. He is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” The LORD God, the Self-Existent One, is the One who blesses you and pursues you with goodness and unfailing love. Isn’t that AMAZING!!
Our tendency, however, is to view our Shepherd through the colored glasses of our circumstances and desires. We want to reduce Him to someone we can understand, predict and let’s admit it, ladies . . . control. God is not a super-sized one of us! He is infinite; we are finite. He is omnipotent; we are dust. We are made in His image, for His glory, not the other way around. The Old Testament is filled with His invitation for blessing: Obey and you will be blessed. In Shepherd terminology: Follow Me and I will abundantly provide everything you need.
For a Hebrew of David’s day, the pastoral images of this psalm bring to mind a very poignant scene. They understood that sheep can be stubborn, misguided and just plain dumb! Without a good shepherd, a sheep was at the mercy of his predators as well as at the mercy of himself. Sheep will graze in a patch of grass until it is nothing but dirt and they won’t even drink from a stream because they are scared of the sound of the water! They will wander off and become dinner for the big, bad wolf and those who stay behind don’t even learn from the perils of their friends. How often we fall into the ways of the sheep!
Just like us, sheep will run away from instead of toward the very one who gives them life. Let’s set our eyes on the Strong Tower and run straight to Him!
Running the race …
Tami
You must be logged in to post a comment.
