Psalm 23

“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.”

In both the Old and New Testaments, God uses shepherding to illustrate His loving care of His sheep (His people). When we say, “The Lord is my shepherd,” we acknowledge that we are His sheep, but saying it is not enough; our lives must reflect it. 

The problem is very few have any idea about the actual role of a shepherd. What it means for the Lord Himself to be willing to be our caring shepherd. 

May we acknowledge we belong to Him and everything we have and everything we have ever worked for belongs to God? We are His stewards, managing things for Him. The world tempts us to say, “it is all mine,” but God owns us and we must acknowledge that. 

Psalm 100:3, “Know that the Lord Himself is God; it is He who has made us, and not we ourselves, we are His people and the sheep of His pasture.” God bought us with a price, He has redeemed us. Romans 5:8, “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

In Acts 20:28, Paul gave a charge to the elders saying, “Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.” 

Scripture teaches that true wholeness is achieved by surrendering to  God’s control of everything in our lives. Everything we have is His; He is in charge. However, Psychologists and psychiatrists tell us to assert ourselves and be subject to no one, that self-reliance is the road to wholeness.

If we cannot submit to God’s authority, we will never have true peace and contentment. Everything would depend upon our circumstances, which are continually changing. By acknowledging that the Lord is our shepherd and by accepting His authority in our lives. We can find true freedom and fulfillment. 

With genuine gratitude and exaltation, we can proclaim as David did, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” I lack nothing and have everything that I need because the Lord provides it all.