Psalm 23
THEME ONE:
The Shepherd’s Provision – Psalm 23:1-3
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.
Mediating on the scriptures is a living connection to God’s Word and this scripture; beside the still waters. Time with the Lord restores us and feeds our soul. We do not want the temporal solutions the world offers, but the connection of our needs to God’s living presence. He is our Shepherd. He leads us and guides us. He is more than a God who provides, but a God who is Lord over our life.
THEME TWO:
The Shepherd’s Protection – Psalm 23:4
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.
I love the stark beauty of wastelands. Land laid bare, rocks worn away by time, the low lying trees bent from the constant winds. They hold a place in my heart as vast as the desert sunsets and the stars outstretched in the blackened sky. In the solitude of the desert I find myself in the presence of God. God alone sustains me each day, even when trials tear all other comfort away.
THEME THREE:
The Shepherd’s Care – Psalm 23:5
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Worship is the feast of the soul upon the Living God. To seek the Lord when you are in the midst of persecution and alienation is to understand that our Lord prepares a table in the wilderness. Our focus becomes not ourselves but our God. He alone is worthy of praise and worship. When I despair because of my enemies it is a call to worship.
THEME FOUR:
The Shepherd’s Promise – Psalm 23:6
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.
How secure it is to know that you have a future hope, a place to dwell for eternity in the House of the Lord. Ephesians 2:22 tells us that in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. This dwelling is the body of Christ as found in the local church. It is a promise of the things to come.