Like: A Journey Through Psalm 23Sample

“Wanting” is a natural feeling all of us have. We want material things like the new iPhone, computer, car, house, etc. But we also want our lives to look a certain way. We want to have security and comfort when it comes to providing for ourselves and our family. We want to feel satisfaction with our performance in school or at work.

We want to have meaningful and authentic relationships with our spouse and/or friends. We want to have purpose for each day of our lives. And while none of those are necessarily bad, without recognizing the provider and giver of each breath, we always seem to be “wanting” more.

In Psalm 23, King David addresses this desire by calling God his shepherd. Unless you’ve spent a lot of time on the farm, it’s hard to imagine the importance a shepherd is to his or her sheep. Take a moment and think about what a shepherd does for their flock.

He leads his sheep to pastures for grazing. He sustains his flock by caring for them. He protects his sheep in times of danger. And he provides his sheep exactly what they need. In fact, if it were not for the shepherd, imagine what would happen to the sheep!

This is exactly how our heavenly Father looks at us. We are His sheep and He is our shepherd.

God is leading us. Sustaining us. Protecting us. Providing for us.

God is our shepherd because He knows exactly what we need. And when we look to Him, we find that all we really need in this world is Him. David had the insight his Father in heaven would supply whatever he needed, and trusted if he did not receive something it was either because it was not fit or good for him or he would receive it in due time.

One way to recognize God as your shepherd is to think about some of the ways your heavenly Father has provided for you. Take some time to consider all that God has provided for you, recently and over the years. Write them down. Thank God for them. And then ask God to show you how to trust Him as your ultimate provider and giver of life.