Week of July 13th

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Psalm 23

God is faithful to restore our souls; He is the Great Shepherd. He provides our every need, physical, mental, and spiritual.

This psalm is familiar to many; it’s one that many memorize in Sunday school as children, and hearing it brings restoration to one’s soul. Let’s look at each verse…

Verse 1

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.”

God is our Shepherd. What does that mean? The sheep are unable to defend themselves; they are meek and should be in a herd for safety purposes. The shepherd provides all the needs of the sheep, they sleep in the fields when they graze and tend to their needs.

God is our Shepherd- He cares for every need- I shall not want. We have all that we are in need of, if we do need something, God is there to provide for us in all things.

Verse 2

“He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.”

The green pastures are the provisions for the sheep to feast upon and the still waters are calm to allow the sheep to drink out of.

God provides for us in the same manner, He provides our every need.

Verse 3

“He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the path of righteousness for his name’s sake.”

God provides restoration for our souls by following Him. He guides and directs our path so He may get all the honor and glory- a life led by Christ. Our testimony can shine through the daily life that we live.

Verse 4

“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.”

The valley of the shadow of death- a Christian should not fear death. Knowing your name is in the Lamb’s Book of Life, means you have an eternal home. Our flesh will return the the earth where it was formed from, but our soul is immediately in the presence of God. We then recieve our perfect without blemish new body.

I will fear no evil-for thou art with me- God is with us at all times, even to our last breath. We may not know what to expect, but that is where our faith in God carries us through, no matter what circumstances we may face.

Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me- A perspective of a sheep must be hard to see, especially when crowded amongst other sheep, the staff can be seen above all the sheep. There’s a hook at the end of the staff that always guides the Shepherd to guide the sheep in the direction it should go.

Having the ability to reach God, to know He stands above all- should be comforting to us.

Verse 5

“Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.”

God will set us apart from others and will lead us to victory over our enemies.

Thou anointest my head with oil- shepherds would pour oil over a sheep’s head to protect it from getting stuck in a fence and also protect it from parasites that would otherwise cause infection in their eyes, nose, and ears.

My cup runneth over when we are in God’s will; His blessings will pour over. If we stop and begin having gratitude for the blessings in our lives, we will see how truly blessed we are. Gratitude produces joy.

Verse 6

“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.”

Do bad things happen to Christians? Are we exempt from experiencing heartache, pain, or suffering? God forbid. A Christian has an eternal perspective; things of this world are temporal. Even in the challenging times in our lives, we can always find a ray of blessings. When we walk daily with the Lord, those blessings are easier to recognize.

Let us take this Psalm from a new perspective, to recognize God’s provisions for us, the safety and blessings He provides.

• Verse 1 reminds us who God is to us and what He does for us

• Verse 2 reminds us He provides for us

• Verse 3 He restores us and guides us

• Verse 4 reminds us not to fear, God is always with us and always will be

• Verse 5 reminds us that God watches over us, protects us from our enemies

• Verse 6 reminds us of God’s greatness in our lives and reminds us we have an eternal home with Him.

Let’s pray together…

Heavenly Father, we thank You for such a beautiful scripture to remind us of what You do for us. May we take this psalm and memorize it so we can hide Your Word in our hearts. Let it be a reminder that You provide all our needs, You protect, and You restore our souls. You are with us every minute of every breath that we take. We thank You for being our Great Protective Shepherd. May You continue to guide our steps faithfully, knowing You are always with us.

In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.