FOLLOW THAT SHEPHERD!

Many of us thought that we were out of the woods with the virus, but here we go again. It’s like we’re in rehab trying to learn to walk again without the ability to remember how we learned to do it the first time. And as soon as we thought that we had a grip on things, the rug got pulled out from under us, and we stumbled down. And this doesn’t include all the other things that are going on in this world and in our individual lives. We’re living in a world of full chaos, and if there was ever a time that we needed more clarity and guidance, the time is now.

Psalm 23 has been a scripture passage that I have referenced many times over the years, but it seems like I’m grabbing tightly to it even more with all that is going on. This chapter in Psalms is only comprised of 6 verses, but each verse provides a treasure trove of hope and encouragement that can be perfectly used during times like this. Let’s dive in to see what these 6 verses have to say to us:

1. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

The reality of it all is that you’ll follow someone or something. Either your hopes and dreams, the desires of a love one, a celebrity, money, status, and the list goes on. But when the Lord’s your shepherd, He can be trusted to provide your every need. Why? Because He has a no-fail-rate reputation since before the beginning of time that proves this. He may even bless you with some of your wants as well, but your needs will be taken care of for sure. If you allow anything or anyone else to be your guide, its/their ability to fail you is guaranteed, even with the best of intentions. And with this verse, it’s clear who the shepherd is. There’s no guessing nor any shame that it’s the Lord that’s doing the guiding.

2. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.

I know you have too, but I’ve heard the saying, “I’ll sleep when I’m dead!” Well, to be honest, if you live by this motto, you’re already dead—dead to the things of Christ. If God Himself took a day of rest after He created the world and all that was in it and if Jesus was found asleep in a boat while He was on the earth, how much more do we as mere humans need to rest? Now, I am not promoting a life of sleep, rest, and more sleep…although that doesn’t sound too bad right about now…LOL! But living a life as though rest is a sin isn’t a good thing at all. Sometimes, the Lord will make us stop and relax because He knows that we need it. Remember what was mentioned in verse 1? When the Lord’s our shepherd, we don’t have to be here, there and everywhere to make everything happen as if everything will fall apart if we’re not involved because it’s the Lord that will provide us our needs.

3. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.

Do you know what happens when you yield to a time of rest? You get restoration! Hence the word rest being a part of the word restores…just saying. And do you know why you need to be restored periodically throughout life? Because life is a journey, and a journey requires endurance to the end. And as you can see in verse 3, Jesus has many paths that He will need to take us on during the process. Also, notice it doesn’t say that He leads us in paths of blessings. Instead, it says paths of righteousness. Just to let you know, this could mean a path that’s meant to straightened out some wrongdoing or wrong thinking, or it could be a path that will be brutal but meant to prepare you for a higher level in your walk with the Lord. Of course, the Lord has no issue with providing blessings along life’s merry way, but His main concern is to make sure that we develop and maintain a right relationship with Him.

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.

Y’all, by far this isn’t my favorite verse of the passage. Who wants to walk through a dark valley where the potential of death is at hand? I don’t even want to play an extra in a horror movie when I know that things aren’t real, so you already know this trip through the valley is a no-go for me! But, to walk this Christian walk means to also walk through some not so good times as well. I have had a few valley experiences, and let me tell you they’re all but fun times. But here are some good things about it according to this verse: You’re walking, not setting up residence; you’re only encountering shadows of death, not actual death; the Lord’s right there with you, not just waiting for you on the other side of the valley to see if you’ll make it through. Also, during many valley experiences, God’s often silent. But He’ll still remind you of His presence (rod and staff) so that you’ll confidently go each step with Him. Once again, He’s so trustworthy and He’s guiding you every step of the way, even when the way is dark and dreary.

5. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over.

One of the reasons why I believe that this scripture verse is used here is to show our enemies something. Sometimes, our enemies will be the first to say that if God’s so good, then He wouldn’t allow us (Christians) to go through bad things and times (valley experiences). In other words, they’re putting down Christianity and making light of it as if it’s something that isn’t worthwhile. To be honest, it can really feel like it’s not worthwhile at times, especially when it seems like our prayers are being prayed to a silent God. But when the Lord gets ready to turn things around, He wants us and even our enemies to know that He is who He says He is. The preparing of the table, the anointing of the head, and the overflowing cup all point to visible ways that everyone (even our enemies) can see that God’s truly a good God who blesses His people and enriches our lives and not just a God that only takes us through hard trials. Side note: Isn’t it awesome that the Lord’s the one preparing the table?!! He’s God over everything, but it’s not beneath Him to take the time to prepare a table!

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.

Once a believer in Christ has gone through the different stages expressed in verses 1 through 5, they can be fully assured in the statement made in verse 6. As you allow Jesus to lead you, it’s His goodness (or grace) and mercy that are right behind you. Since we’re human, we’re going to make some wrong choices and walk off the paths of righteousness from time to time. Jesus knows that this will happen, so He has implemented goodness and mercy to come behind us and make things right as we go along. And the best part is that this is a lifelong guarantee. Talk about the best security team that anyone could ever have—Jesus leading out in front and goodness and mercy covering the back!! Whooo hooo!! And, Disney has nothing on their infamous line, “And they lived happily ever after…” when it comes to being able to live in the house of the Lord forever!

Yep, this lemonade that we call life is quite bitter right now, but more sugar will come. Who knows when this rollercoaster ride named The Pandemic will really end? There’s not a way for us to predict that, but we can keep our hand in the hand of the Lord—the One who will lead us through it all like a good shepherd would do. And this would be a great time to share any scriptures or things that you’re doing to make it through this time of uncertainty with someone. You never know what you share may be exactly what someone else needs 😊