“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads 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 You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever.”
Not only is this a Psalm of protection but one that redirects our thoughts to where we stand as believers and children of God. The Lord is our shepherd.
Sheep are described as helpless, completely dependant on their shepherd for guidance, protection and nurturing. They’re not merely wise in their own eyes, they require a guiding eye to protect them from dangerous predators. We are described as sheep. We are completely helpless in the eyes of God.Who are we to think we have control? Lately I’ve fallen to the idea of thinking I can control outcomes for my life or manipulate and manufacture the way life can go. I think if I do this a certain way I will get this blessing. But God’s ways are HIGHER than my own. That’s pride, and I strike in down and bring it under subjection to the Holy Spirit, in Jesus’ name.
We simply cannot manufacture or manipulate our life in our own strength. If we understood how much of our lives are dependent on our Heavenly Father we our perspective would shift a whole lot.
Our lives are like a vapour, fragile and delicate. My prayer for us to read this Psalm with the understanding that pride of life is NOT worth holding on to. It’s time to release pride, I’m holding myself to this and holding you to it too. We need God.We are sheep and every single need we have is already known by God, isn’t it comforting to know we have a Heavenly father who has everything orchestrated for us? If we just trust Him and become completely dependent on his care? My God. You are my shepherd, I lack nothing.
Read this Psalm of comfort over yourself.