THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD

I am the daughter of a pastor. My dad pastored a church in Haiti but left the ministry upon his arrival to the U.S. Even though Daddy did not pastor a church in America, he never failed to pastor his family. And a true shepherd he was. As a little girl, I remember his radio dial was always set to Family Radio (a Christian radio station), family bible studies and the frequent memorization of scripture passages. Psalm 23 is the very first passage I remember having to memorize. I was elated when he called me and my sisters at the end of a week to recite it to him and I knew the entire passage!

As I got older, I realized the memorization of scriptures was just that. Memorization. As a teenager and young adult, a lot of what I had memorized had been lost on me. Sure, I knew it word for word but the deeper meaning of it went over my head because I just didn't understand what they were talking about. How did it pertain to me? As an adult, I now understand what Daddy was doing. He was getting the Word in us. And the hope was that as we moved through life, the memorization of those scriptures would come flooding back to us in challenging times and the truth of it would be revealed. A few months ago, I read a book on Psalm 23 that opened my eyes to what exactly I had been memorizing all those years ago. So, this is going to be the first of a series of blogs that I am going to do on this passage.

It's important to note that David (a shepherd himself) is the author of this Psalm. So, he knew full well what he was writing about. The first verse reads "the LORD is my shepherd; I have all that I need". But who is the LORD? As a child I certainly did not know or comprehend. As a young adult, I understood it to mean that God is our shepherd. The one that is leading us day by day, as Daddy would always say. But somehow, it still didn't fully register until I read this book and got some understanding. We take so much for granted in this Christian Walk. We know a lot of things in our heads, but it doesn't always reach our hearts.

First of all, the spelling of LORD in this verse is a giveaway as to WHO the psalmist is referring to. Capital L-O-R-D (in any verse of scripture) always refers to YHWH, the God of Israel. He is the author, originator of all that exists. ALL of creation was conceived in His mind. The earth and everything in it! The galaxies, the planets, the sun, moon and stars. He thought of it all. He is also the artisan, the artist, the Creator of all that exists. He created everything that was conceived in His mind and then organized and arranged them in the heavens and in the earth. And He is the agent, who presents those facts to our minds and gives us understanding so that we can grasp it. That's who the LORD is! One God, Three Persons, working together to shepherd His people. The LORD leads, guides, directs, steers, escorts and manages us. He didn't create us and then just drop us on Earth and went on about His business. We are His business! This God of gods, Master of the Universe, who created the world cares and loves us enough to see about us!

Secondly, David understood that sheep can't care for themselves. And won't. They need a shepherd. They require more attention and care than any other livestock. In fact, the lot of any sheep depends on the person who owns it. A good human shepherd is gentle, kind, brave and selfless in his care of his sheep. A bad one is the exact opposite. A good human shepherd makes sure that his sheep are fed and watered, that they haven't wandered off and gotten into any trouble. And if it does, he will go after it and pursue it until he finds it. Yes, a good human shepherd watches his sheep and ensures that it has all it needs to thrive and survive. He doesn't leave the sheep to themselves or in vulnerable or compromising positions. He watches over them. And Jesus says, "I am the GOOD shepherd" (Jn. 10:11). So, if He is the good shepherd, and we are His sheep, we can rest in knowing that we will have all that we need. We do not need to be anxious or worry about anything because we are in His care! We are in His love, and His eye is always on us. Let that truth stir your spirit and quicken your awareness! The LORD is your shepherd; you have all you need!

~Dania Roberts