One of my favorite passages of scripture is Psalm 23. Most mornings I spend a couple minutes meditating on one of the verses that compromise this rather well-known and often-quoted chapter of the Bible.
Psalm 23 is a song of confidence in God, and shows us how to rely on God’s presence and leading in our lives when facing less-than-ideal circumstances. The truths articulated in these six short verses have sparked courage and brought comfort to countless generations for thousands of years.
The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
3 He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.
4 Yea, 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.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord
Forever.
-Psalm 23 NKJV
King David, who was once a shepherd boy himself, wrote this psalm. Throughout it, we see that David is faced with what could be described as fearful, anxious, discouraging, even threatening events. He cites having to walk through “the valley of the shadow of death,” faces “evil” before him and is aware of “the presence of my enemies”. Shockingly though, we don’t read from a despondent David, but a confident one. He is able to say with peace that he “will fear no evil.”
How?
The answer is found in the first verse:
The LORD is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
David is able to overcome what He faces not because he is brave enough, qualified enough, educated enough, or resourced enough. In fact, David is not the hero of his own battle with fear and anxiety. God is. David describes himself as a sheep: defenseless and lowly. On his own, he is vulnerable and weak. Thankfully, He is not on his own-– He is taken care of and protected by His Good Shepherd. That is the source of His confidence.
Throughout the Bible, God describes Himself as a shepherd to His people. The idea begins as early as the Book of Genesis, where Jacob called the Lord the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel (Genesis 49:24). Isaiah 40:11 tells us that “the Lord will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm.” Micah 7:14 invites the Lord to “Shepherd Your people with Your staff…as in days of old.”
In John 10:11 and 10:14, Jesus clearly spoke of Himself as the Good Shepherd, who gives His life for the sheep and who can say, “I know My sheep, and am known by My own.” Hebrews 13:20 speaks of Jesus as that “great Shepherd of the sheep,” 1 Peter 2:25 calls Jesus the “Shepherd and Overseer of your souls,” and 1 Peter 5:4 calls Jesus the “Chief Shepherd.”
Interestingly, at the very beginning of Psalm 6, David makes a striking statement regarding the Lord:
“The LORD is my shepherd”
David is not simply acknowledging that the Lord is the Shepherd of His people, but that He is David’s personal Shepherd.
Charles Spurgeon adds this commentary: “The sweetest word of the whole is that monosyllable, ‘My.’ He does not say, ‘The Lord is the shepherd of the world at large, and leadeth forth the multitude as his flock,’ but ‘The Lord is my shepherd;’ if he be a Shepherd to no one else, he is a Shepherd to me; he cares for me, watches over me, and preserves me.” David found comfort and security in knowing that God personally cared for him like a shepherd cares for his sheep.
This is good news for you. Friend, you will face tough situations. You may be facing unemployment and not sure where the rent is going to come from. You may be facing the realization that the things you’ve been pursuing aren’t as fulfilling as you thought they’d be. You may be facing the heartbreak of a broken relationship, a rejection, a betrayal. You may be facing the repercussions of some poor choices and unsure of how to pick up the pieces and move forward. You may be facing the fear of others’ opinions of you, and it is debilitating to your calling. You may be facing the hard work of rebuilding your life or ministry after a major setback. You may be facing a health diagnosis that fills you with fear.
I don’t want to diminish the significance of these realities, but I do want to encourage you that you don’t have to lose your confidence.
Why? …because of this one simple, radical and unchanging truth: Jesus is Your Personal Shepherd. He is taking care of YOU… not just generally speaking, but rather specifically. He knows you. He knows what you face. He knows the details. He knows them all. And He will take care of you. Will protect you. Will lead you.
Jesus isn’t just any Good Shepherd. He’s YOUR Good Shepherd. May you rest in the knowledge that you are known by God, you belong to Him, and He will lead and guide you— no matter what you are up against.