Psalm 23:1 – “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.”
The Lord is…many things to His people. Throughout history, He has revealed Himself in numerous ways. Just this morning I was reading the Old Testament One Year Bible devotional in Exodus 6:3 – “I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name Lord I was not known to them.” That’s pretty amazing! When you consider how God spoke to the patriarchs and revealed Himself to them in unique ways, and yet realize they only had a partial revelation of Him, we who are New Testament believers are blessed with a much more complete picture. What should that say to us about our level of faith and commitment?
I am so glad that He is revealed to us as the Shepherd in this most beloved and memorable of psalms. The verses in Psalm 23 paint a beautiful picture of our Lord’s care for His people. In verse one we can count on His provision. “I shall not want,” means we will lack nothing. Verses two and three assure us of our Shepherd’s guidance and protection. Verse four promises that He will be with us, even in the most difficult of times. Verse five gives us confidence in the face of our enemies. Verse six makes us aware of two companions we can count on throughout our lives: goodness and mercy. The psalm concludes with a secured position for us in the eternal future. It doesn’t get much better than that!
Rest in the promises today of Psalm 23 and know Who’s looking out for you!