“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.” (Psalm 23 KJV)
In Psalm 22, the writer pens words of anguish. He is frightened at the prospect of being left all alone . . . His feelings of rejection overwhelm him. And from the depths of his pain and sorrow he cries, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring? O my God, I cry in the daytime, but thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent” (vss. 1-2 KJV). In times of trouble and uncertainty, it may seem as though we are forsaken and heaven does not hear our prayers, but I tell you it isn’t so. God hears our cries! God feels our pain! God will answer our prayers!
Now let’s skip over to the far side of the present circumstance. In Psalm 24, the psalmist sings the song of triumph and victory. “The earth is the LORD’S, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods. Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation” (vss. 1-5 KJV).
Oh, I know that we might not be feeling that victory just now, but for a moment dream of the victory on the far side of your circumstances. Don’t you want to experience the victory? Hear the Psalmist — the Word of the Lord — “Lift up your heads and be lifted up” (v.7). And again in v. 9 the Psalmist echoes, “Lift up your heads, lift them up.”
The answer is found in between these two Psalms — Psalm 23 — Repeat it to yourself again and again. This marvelous passage which you learned as a child and have leaned on in every crisis you have faced is yet again the bridge over your current troubled waters. God is our shepherd! And because he is our Shepherd, we will lack nothing we need. He will give us rest and peace. He will heal our pain and sorrow. He will restore our soul.
And when you need a refuge, the Shepherd leads you to one. And when you need peace and hope, the Shepherd leads you to calm places. And when you need comfort and solace, the Shepherd restores your soul. And when you are ready to be healed, the Shepherd anoints your head with the healing oil of his grace. He’ll walk with you even if everyone else leaves you alone. In the very presence of the worst enemy we ever imagined — Death — our Shepherd prepares a table for us. Christ is our Shepherd and His rod and staff comforts us.
So we have determined to live in his house for ever. And we know that goodness and mercy will accompany us for all eternity. And we are committed to Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. It is a commitment to the Good Shepherd who gave his life for his sheep. It is a commitment to let go of the pain and sorrow of this world and take hold of the hope for eternity.
Dear Father, thank you for Christ our Shepherd. Restore our souls. Lead us in paths of righteousness. Grant that we may live in your house forever. This I pray in the name of Jesus. AMEN
Be courageous today and follow the Shepherd,