Psalms to Make You ThinkНамуна

Psalm 23

The role of a shepherd is a very special one. I sometimes think of people with tea towels around their heads, and crooks in their hands. That’s the classic last-minute nativity costume! But when you think about it, shepherds have quite a big job. They look after their sheep. They feed them and give them water, they keep them safe from other threatening animals, and in the summer the shepherd shears the sheep of their wool so that they are more comfortable in the warmer months.

God is described in this passage as the good shepherd, but also remember that Jesus is often described as the good shepherd too. This is because he does a lot of similar things for us. When we open up our hearts and our lives to him, we can understand that Jesus made it possible for us to know God, he displayed His power through the cross and now we have the Holy Spirit our advocate and guide. The Spirit of God directs us and keeps us safe, in a lot of different ways as we let him. The shepherd goes over and above on behalf of the sheep.

He guides us along the right paths, and even when we walk through dark places or situations (the valley of death) we don’t have to be afraid because he goes before us, beside us, and behind us.

That whole idea of lacking nothing is so so challenging when you and I live in a society and culture where so often there is more of a focus on what we don’t have than what we do have. We pay close attention to the things that we want, and not the fact that our needs have already been met by our father. There’s a saying that goes; ‘God will meet your need and not your greed’'. Have you ever thought about the fact that everything you have right now is a blessing?

There might be new clothes or shoes or phones or video games that you really want, and these things aren’t always bad things, but it’s important to remember that we’ve already been blessed with everything we need! As it says in verse one ‘the Lord is our shepherd and in him, we lack nothing.’

Quick question: how often do you find yourself focusing on things you want or things you don’t have, instead of being thankful for all the things you already have? It’s definitely a trap we all fall into, but it’s so important to position ourselves through the lens of gratitude.

Ok, Stop! Take a moment... Take some deep breaths and in this moment, thank God for all you have and all that he has blessed you with. Because the Lord is your shepherd and in him, you lack nothing.