MY SHEPHERD
Psalm 23 <A Psalm of David.>
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 23:1-6 KJV)
Such a
wonderful promise! Just knowing, that whether life is grand, or we
happen to be in the midst of the most difficult of trials, we, as
believers, have this promise! We have the promise that the Lord will
protect our souls. So often, we stop short of the truest meanings
of Psalm 23, and only apply it to the natural man (to our temporal
needs), rather than spiritually. This is not to say God will not meet
our natural needs, as He most certainly will. We only need to put our
faith in Him for our provisions (Matthew 21:22). However, according to
Psalm 23, it is my conviction that what the Psalmist is portraying
here, is especially the care the Lord desires to take, of our souls.
Let's share for a moment what the origional translation of the word
"shepherd" means, according to this Psalm. Strongs concordance points
out that to "shepherd" means to feed ... to teach ... to keep ... to
be a companion ... and to be a "special" friend. To "shepherd" also
means to "entreat", meaning (according to the American Heritage
Dictionary), to make an earnest request or petition. To plead (in this
case, He will plead, petition or request in our behalf). The
scriptures make it plain that our way to the Father, is through none
other than Jesus Christ. It is Christ who takes our petitions to the
Father. It is t,hrough Christ alone that we are saved (see John 14,
verses 6, 13, and 14). Shepherd also means "to tend", meaning He will
tend to our lives. Let's look at what the American Heritage Dictionary
says regarding "tend". It's quite plain that our hearts can be
comforted in knowing we are being watched over, and so very well taken
care of. What a promise, praise God!
From American Heritage
Dictionary:
end2 (tund) v. tend-ed, tend-ing, tends. -tr. 1. To have the care of; watch over; look after. 2. To manage the activities and transactions of; run. -intr. 1. To be an attendant or a servant. 2. To apply one's attention; attend.
Now,
there is one last word (according to the Strong's Concordance) to be
applied to this writing (an extremely important word, in fact), to the
meaning of "shepherd", and that word and the meaning of it is,
"ruler". Now, here's a good question to consider ... is He your
"ruler"? Is He mine? Are we allowing Him freedom to rule and reign in
our hearts, thus allowing Him the liberty to feed us and to teach us
"all" that we need to know? Are we permitting Him the freedom to keep
us, to watch over us, to look after us, to tend to all of our needs
and, to be our "special friend"? Are we allowing Him permission (for,
He will never "force Himself in our life? It's my prayer today that,
as we submit to the Lord, He will, "Shepherd our souls", as is promised
in "Psalm 23".
May it be so Lord ... Amen.!
May you continue to walk in "all the blessings" promised of the Lord! In His Grace ... Marcia
