The Good Shepherd
One of the most familiar and loved chapters in all of Scripture is Psalm 23.
“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.”
Psalm 23:1-2 ESV
King David, the author of this psalm, wasn’t lacking in power or prestige. And yet, before silencing Goliath, being anointed as Israel’s king, and leading troops to victory in the trenches of war, David was a lowly shepherd boy. Turns out, he knew a lot about sheep.
David understood that sheep need a shepherd to survive. Without guidance and protection, sheep are prone to wandering off, following each other off cliffs, being washed away by strong currents, or becoming a predator’s next meal. 1 Samuel tells us that David fought off lions and bears to protect the livestock that had been entrusted to him.
Comparing himself to a sheep, David explains that his needs are fully satisfied in God. He lacks nothing—he is filled with contentment and peace—because God provides for and protects him.
In John 10:11, Jesus makes a strong declaration, saying, “I am the good shepherd.” He describes how His sheep know His voice, and that He has one flock from many folds.
Jesus not only leads and guides His people, but He also loves and laid down His life for His people.
You can choose to brave this world alone, boasting of your independence and self-sufficiency. History proves that kind of strategy never ends well. But you also have another choice: you can humble yourself under the authority, protection, and sovereignty of the Good Shepherd who always has your best in mind.
Psalm 55
English Standard Version
Cast Your Burden on the Lord
To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. A Maskil[a] of David.
55 Give ear to my prayer, O God,
and hide not yourself from my plea for mercy!
2 Attend to me, and answer me;
I am restless in my complaint and I moan,
3 because of the noise of the enemy,
because of the oppression of the wicked.
For they drop trouble upon me,
and in anger they bear a grudge against me.
4 My heart is in anguish within me;
the terrors of death have fallen upon me.
5 Fear and trembling come upon me,
and horror overwhelms me.
6 And I say, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove!
I would fly away and be at rest;
7 yes, I would wander far away;
I would lodge in the wilderness; Selah
8 I would hurry to find a shelter
from the raging wind and tempest.”
9 Destroy, O Lord, divide their tongues;
for I see violence and strife in the city.
10 Day and night they go around it
on its walls,
and iniquity and trouble are within it;
11 ruin is in its midst;
oppression and ...