Life is not an easy journey. The road is not always smooth, the conditions are not always favorable, and many hazards lie along the way. While life contain many joys, it can also be plagued by sorrows. It can be confusing even at times, terrifying. Furthermore, our needs for the journey are never-ending, and we often feel helpless and overwhelmed. Clearly, we were not created to navigate life alone.
Listen to what the psalmist declares, “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.” Psalms 23:1. David was saying in essence that because the Lord was his Shepherd – all of his need in life is met. For our need to be met we to must confess the Lord as our Shepherd.
The image of the shepherd was very familiar to the people of Israel, as many of the nation’s patriarchs tended sheep. So it is critically important for us to understand the ancient role of the shepherd in order to fully grasp the profound truths of this Psalm. Shepherds cared for their sheep’s every need. They helped them give birth, fed them, protected them, guided them, rescued them, and disciplined them. For all practical purposes, the shepherds lived with their sheep.
Shepherds risked their lives to defend or rescue one of their sheep. In fact, scripture records that David fought a lion and a bear to protect his father’s – and therefore his flock I Samuel 17:34-36.
Because He is – I am
Presider
