The Lord Is My Shepherd

The very first Psalm I ever remember hearing was the 23rd Psalm. I first heard it while I was attending public school years ago, at a time when daily prayer and Bible reading was encouraged. Each day we would read a different Psalm, and I remember loving the 23rd Psalm. I was probably only about 7 years old, but that Psalm stayed with me even during the years when I was attending parochial school from 3rd-12th grade, where catechism was taught, not the Bible.

As I struggled delivering my first child years later, being 3 weeks over-due, and unable to deliver normally, I spent 24 hours in labor, 18 of them heavy labor. I was nearly hallucinating after so many hours of pain, yet all I could say that made any sense was the 23rd Psalm. It meant a great deal to me to speak the wonderful, calming, reassuring words of that old familiar Psalm. Reading and saying that psalm was one of the only things that gave me peace and comfort during that difficult delivery.

Since that time I have come to know Jesus in a personal way, the way of Salvation. He is my Savior. He is my Shepherd. I have come to depend upon Him fully, and trust Him more than I do myself. I now have a 4 year old granddaughter, the daughter of my first-born, and about a month ago she recited that wonderful Psalm for me, and she did it with a little musical hip-hop added to it and a few hand gestures. What a joy! The child I gave birth during the days when all I knew was the 23rd Psalm, has taught her daughter the same Psalm.

I plan on taking a couple days of blogging to share my thoughts on the 23rd Psalm, which is, in my humble opinion, a Psalm that requires a great deal of reflection to really experience its fullness and grace. There is so much to be said about the very first verse: "The Lord is my Shepherd." Do we even understand the concept of Shepherd? In our society there is little knowledge of what that really means, but when we dig deeper, the word Shepherd implies so much.

A Shepherd leads, He feeds, He guides, protects. He is the watchman. He knows the dangers that lie in wait for the slow, inconsistent straggler. He is always concerned for the sheep. He is always alert to the signs of danger. The Shepherd carries the lame, the hurting, the needy. He cradles the small little ones in His loving arms. He cares for the sheep as if His life depends on it, and in many cases, His life did depend on it. In our case, His life did depend on it, and He gave His life to save us. He is the epitome of the Shepherd.

Continuing with that verse... "I shall not want." What an amazing statement. Can we even fathom the concept of wanting for nothing? Now that is incredible. My Shepherd is so good to me... that I shall not want for anything. I will be so cared for, so well fed, go to every lush, green pasture and lavish myself, drink freely from the coolest waters, the cleanest, purest waters, that I will not want for anything. I will have my fill, be at peace, be content, be cared for, and I shall not want.

Here is the dilemma. I have health issues, pain issues, and I hurt. In fact, I hurt quite a bit right now. If my Shepherd is caring for my every need, (I ask rhetorically) and I shall not want... how does pain fit in with that scenario? Could it be that the sheep love the Shepherd so much that they really just want the Shepherd, not so much what He gives, but what and who He is? Could it be that the sheep love His voice, His scent, His presence, His love, His attention, His goodness, His dependability, His patience, His peace, and His awesome shepherding so much that they don't think of anything else but Him? Could it be that the sheep become so enraptured with the Shepherd Himself, that they are content, that all that is important is Him, and they cannot stop watching the Shepherd long enough to be dissatisfied? Could it be that they have "Fixed their eyes on (the Shepherd) Jesus?" Heb. 12:2

Well, I think that the sheep are enraptured with the Good Shepherd. I think that they are so caught up in Him that they don't know much else. The Shepherd is more than capable of calming their pains, soothing their irritations, and hurts. Sheep bump into things all the time, and they need the soothing, healing oil of the caring shepherd. He can tell from afar off which sheep need His attention the most, which are afflicted, which are struggling... just by watching their gate. Sheep get bruises and scratches, broken limbs and injured body parts frequently, and usually, it is only the shepherd that notices. In our case, the Good Shepherd knows our needs... even before we do, before we ever ask, or even realize the need ourselves.

Sheep do not have the best judgment, in fact, they may not have good sense at all, but they know instinctively that if they keep their eyes on the Shepherd, He will lead them where they should go. The Shepherd will guide them, and the truth is... they shall not want. I love the Shepherd, and I love the 23rd Psalm, and everything I have just shared is all from the first verse. There is so much more to come in this Psalm, so much more deeply planted in each verse. We, the sheep, have so much available to us in the Good Shepherd, and we have so much to learn, but always remember... It's Only By His Grace... until next time.