“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” (NKJV)

My first exposure to God’s Word on my own was not what you might think.  I was at the ripe old age of about 9 years old.  My parents grew up in the Episcopal Church, so my mother dragged my brother and me off to St. Ambrose every week.  She sang in the choir at the morning service.  Rick and I sat in the first pew closest to her.  She always had to keep an eye on us because we were forever bored.  In Sunday school we heard a few things about Bible verses, even biblical addresses.  So I had heard of the 23^rd Psalm.

When I was around 9 years old our family was on vacation and we stayed in a motel.  Still a fairly new experience, I went snooping around the room and found a Gideon’s Bible in the nightstand drawer.  “What’s this doing in here?” I asked.  My mother replied, “It’s there if people don’t have anything to read.”  Mind you, my mother wasn’t saved at the time.  I couldn’t remember holding a Bible all by myself before, so I thought, “Hey, maybe I should check it out.”  I flipped through it and realized I was in way over my head.  So then I thought, “Hmm, maybe I should try to remember something I heard in Sunday school.”  That was when Psalm 23 came to mind.  So I found it, and started reading it out loud: “The Lord is a shepherd I shall not want…”  Wow, I thought that was really strange.  Why shouldn’t we want him?  I kept reading.  “He makes me to lie down in green pastures.”  Well, if I had green pastures, I’d want to play football, not lie down in them.  They must have had to take naps!  “He leads me beside still waters.”  Still waters?  Not for me.  I’d want rapids so we could cruise downstream.  “He restores my soul.”  I was lost on that one.  “He leads me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.”  That went right over my head.  Yeah, that first verse was right: who wants a shepherd like that anyway?  He was really boring.  No wonder church was the way it was: look at what its book says!

Undoubtedly the 23^rd Psalm is the epitome of the Bible’s teaching on what it means to be a shepherd.  When not framed and (mis)read by an unsaved 9-year-old mind, its simple beauty offers multiple applications for life.  In short, its sublimity draws the reader into such confidence in the shepherd that there is simply no excuse not to trust him.  Let’s quickly mine a few of its gems.

“I shall not be in want.” (NIV) — This is the only state when one has his/her eyes solely fixed on the Shepherd who is everything to sheep.  You have it all with him.  No wants.  No fears. No problems he can’t fix or solve or remove.  “He makes me to lie down in green pastures.” — Such pastures were the source of nourishment and the solace for sheep.  The Shepherd makes us lie down there.  “He leads me beside still waters.” — Still, because rapids make jittery sheep jump — and they are already jittery!  “He restores my soul.” — At nine years old I couldn’t figure this out.  Now that I’m mid-age, I know very well how my soul needs restoration…like every day!  “He guides me in the path of righteousness for his name’s sake.” — The Shepherd literally takes us down such paths.  No need worrying about the implications of his guidance.  It’s always good for us and true to his name.  “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.” — The ever-present Shepherd is there for us to keep our eyes on him, whether scaling the highest mountains or navigating such foreboding valleys.  “Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” — These were tools of the Shepherd, weapons really, for wolves and other enemies, guaranteeing our safety.  They were always within reach.  “You prepare a table in the presence of my enemies.” — Check it out: feasting right in front of our enemies, and there’s not a thing they can do about it!  That’s what I call protection…and provision!  “You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.” — Always a sign of blessing, oil, not easy to come by, runs down from my head as showers water the field.  No wonder my cup, a sign of feasting and joy, is overflowing.

Then David, the psalm writer concludes: “Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”  He got that right!  The pictures of serenity, safety, security and overall blessing on earth only give us a glimpse and a taste of what is to come in heaven.  And it all comes from the goodness of the Shepherd, who can always be trusted at anytime for anything anywhere.  Aren’t you glad that he doesn’t change like earthly shepherds?

Jesus said, “I know my sheep and my sheep know me.” How well do you know and trust him today?  How many things are eating away at you because you have kept them from the Shepherd?