Daily Devotional

-March 17, 2021-

Good morning, happy Wednesday, happy St. Patrick’s Day,

-The Lord Is Our Shepherd-

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me besides the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.”

(Psalm 23:1-3).

This psalm may the most familiar, loved, and wonderful of all. David was a shepherd as a teenager and learned about sheep and how to care for them a protect them. He fought for them and put his life on the line for his sheep, killing both a lion and a bear. Here in our psalm, he likens God to his shepherd, and himself and all of God’s people as His sheep.

Throughput all the Scriptures, God is seen as our Shepherd. In John 10:11, Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.” He is also described as the Great Shepherd and Chief Shepherd. Interestingly, He is both the Lamb of God and the Shepherd. He laid down His life for us on the cross and was struck down as the Shepherd in defense of the sheep. Mark 14:27 says, “Then Jesus said to them, ‘All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written: ‘I will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’”

This psalm is so personal for David; he uses the pronoun “my,” three times, and “me,” David the shepherd became David the king, yet he never forgot that God was his Shepherd and he was His sheep. He had a close, personal relationship with the Lord. He says, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” He found that God met all his needs, just as He does for us today. God also promises to meet all our needs. The Apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 4:19, “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” God’s care, provision, and love are expressed in four beautiful ways in these first three verses: green pastures, still waters, restoration of the soul, and paths of righteousness.

• He makes me lie down in green pastures – Our Shepherd provides green, fresh, and soft pastures for us to feed on. We are nourished by the Word of God. Just as the sheep needs food, we need His food for our souls daily. Jesus said in the Lord’s Prayer, “Give us this day our daily bread” Matthew 6:11).

• He leads me besides the still waters – Just as the sheep need food, they also need water. Oh, how wonderful it is to have cold, refreshing water on a hot day! He has given us the water of life so that we will never again thirst in our souls. Jesus told the woman at the well, “But whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:14).

• He restores my soul – The Shepherd not only cares for us physically, emotionally, socially, financially, and materially, He also cares for our souls spiritually. When you have a best friend who really loves you, he or she will care for your soul. Jesus, is the lover of our souls, a Friend that sticks closer than a brother, and One who never leaves us nor forsakes us. He saved our souls and He restores them every day.

• He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake – The Shepherd leads us in the paths of righteousness. It is a straight and narrow path, that so few choose. As long as we follow and obey Him, we will have great joy and true contentment. It is not an easy path, but it is a holy good path in the center of His will.

We are so incredibly blessed, fully dressed in His holiness! Let us thank our Shepherd for all He has done for us. As our dear pastor Adel says so often , “The best is yet to come.” Heaven will be so much better than earth could ever be.

Have a blessed day following our Shepherd. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean