Dear Ones:
I was once working at a conference center in France, and enjoying a little time off. Seated on the side of a hill, I noticed a small group of sheep on the slope across the small valley. There was one little lamb which seemed oblivious of all the other sheep, and consequently, began wandering off on her own. She was so occupied with herself, her world, her needs and likes, that she did not realize that she had wandered off…and thus, had become very vulnerable to many dangers. All of us have read Psalm 23 many times over. However, we may have wandered off by the neglect of giving our attention to the Shepherd, and thus, have in some measure, forgotten Him, who He truly IS. There is in this short Psalm, tremendous life-changing truths, which believers have discovered and lived by through the centuries. To neglect the great Subject of the Psalm, the Shepherd, is to wander off from the path of faith, thus, dishonoring and displeasing Him. At the same time, we deprive ourselves of the experience of His promised presence, provision, and protection. It is impossible to live a life of faith without being preoccupied with the All-powerful Shepherd, who WILL be to us what He declares, and accomplish in and through us His WILL, if we will truly take Him to be our Shepherd. Where do we begin in our consideration of Him?
Let us begin with HIS PRESENCE. He IS (present tense) the great Shepherd. He IS the “I AM THAT I AM’ of Moses’ day, and the consequent “I AM” (…also, the one who WAS and WILL BE…thus, never changing) of the New Testament. He IS the Creator, Redeemer, and the Savior of the world…presently. He is that one in whose presence we are to live, for our Father sees us in secret, and Christ has promised to be with us always, dwelling in us by the Spirit…even unto the end of the world.
Next, let’s look at HIS PROVISION. He provides for all of our needs, spiritual, emotional, and physical. He provides for us quietness to be restored in our souls and spirits, and then gives us direction. He provides for us by His authority and power in the face of death. He provides for our keeping and sustenance in the face of our enemies…even spreading a table before us and anointing our heads with the oil of His joy. And then there is the provision of all that is GOOD, because of His daily mercies. This is only the prelude to “dwelling in the house of the Lord forever.”
Thirdly, let’s look at HIS PROTECTION. We forget at times that He has sealed us in Christ…and He keeps there, and “…nothing can separate us from the love of God in
Christ Jesus.” (Rom. 8:39) He protects that which we have committed to Him, and this in the face of death or in the face of our enemies. No thing, nor person, can remove us from His hand. And though our bodies may perish, our souls are His, forever His. He is our Keeper presently, but also, for eternity.
Dear Father, enable us to see and to grasp that Christ our Shepherd is ALL, and that we have ALL in HIM. Enable us to understand that as we take Him by faith to be our ONLY Shepherd, and choose to follow Him, He will always provide and protect, for His presence will always be with us, in and about us, by the Spirit. And give us to live in the perspective and reality of His goodness and mercy TODAY, with thanksgiving. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Love, Dad