Do you have a Shepherd?
Salt and Light
By Brent Davis, Campus Ministry Coordinator
Psalm 23 is a beautiful expression of the joy of having a good shepherd. A shepherd meets the needs of his sheep. What do sheep need—a lot of the same things we need: food, water, security, healthcare, and love. Look again at the familiar words:
1 The Lord is my shepherd;
I have all that I need.
2 He lets me rest in green meadows;
he leads me beside peaceful streams.
3 He renews my strength.
He guides me along right paths,
bringing honor to his name.
4 Even when I walk
through the darkest valley,[a]
I will not be afraid,
for you are close beside me.
Your rod and your staff
protect and comfort me.
5 You prepare a feast for me
in the presence of my enemies.
You honor me by anointing my head with oil.
My cup overflows with blessings.
6 Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me
all the days of my life,
and I will live in the house of the Lord
forever.
Spirituality and religion, Hands folded in prayer on a Holy Bible in church concept for faith.
There is a spiritual side to this provision as well. Philip Keller writes about the peaceful streams that “earth’s religions, pagan worship, and human philosophy is bound up with this insatiable thirst for God” (2015, p. 39). He goes on to discuss how the application of oil protects the sheep against parasitic flies which he likens to the irritations in our lives (Keller, 2015, p. 103). Yes, we have a shepherd he takes care of us so that we flourish!
One other thing, to get all these benefits the sheep need to follow the shepherd. We all need to follow the good shepherd to have everything that we need.
References
Keller, P. (2015). A shepherd looks at Psalm 23. Zondervan.
