A DIFFERENT WAY TO SEE JESUS
PSALM 23:1-6
PSALM 23:1-6 NKJ
1 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.
OBSERVATION:
You know I would not pass on an opportunity to do a devotional around the 23rd Psalm. Not only is it a favorite of mine, it's a worldwide favorite.
I believe one of the key reasons this psalm resonates with so many is the picture it paints of Jesus as our shepherd. Of all the religions and all of the religious leaders that have existed, none are portrayed as engaging as the Lord our Shepherd. So we must take this psalm and not simply treasure it as a classic poem but receive it as an accurate image of our Savior.
"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want." We could stop there and still be blessed. We have a shepherd. We are not wandering through life abandoned and uncared for. And because we have this shepherd we shall not lack. Lack is not limited to the financial realm. We can experience lack or want in almost all areas of our lives. But that is not because of our good shepherd. If we will follow Him, He will lead us to places of abundance and rest. That's the green pastures and still waters.
We will not lack in our inner life and emotional well-being for He restores our soul.
We will not lack in the areas of guidance because He leads in right paths. It is incumbent on us to follow.
We will not want, lack, when it comes to comfort in trying times. Even in the valley of the shadow of death, He is with us. And if He is with us by His word and His Spirit, we are comforted.
We do not lack for provision because He has prepared that for us. Enemies are still around, but He is greater. He anoints our heads and fills our cups; we are well taken care of.
We don't lack for positive expectations because goodness and mercy are on our heels. We are not fearfully looking behind us for what's next but rather confident, knowing goodness and mercy are close by.
And we don't lack for belonging. We will live in His house as part of His family forever.
Seeing Jesus as our shepherd who eliminates the lack in our lives is a different way to see Jesus. But I still don't believe we've seen the whole of how great He is.
PRAYER:
Thank you, Lord. You are my shepherd I do not lack!