The Lord the Shepherd of His People Part 2

The Lord the Shepherd of His People Part 2
Psalm 23

1. The Lord is my shepherd: I shall not want.
2. He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
3. He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.
4. Yes, though I walk through the
valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For you are with me;
Your rod and your staff, they
comfort me.
5. You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
6. Surely goodness and mercy shall
follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord
Forever.

“He makes me to lie down in green pastures” As a Christian we have available to us an inner peace that no matter what the trouble, we are able to have that peace that goes beyond our understanding. In John 14:27 Jesus says; “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
The world finds peace in the security of its own ability to comfort itself. By surrounding oneself with worldly possessions and people who agree with your thinking you find peace. By securing the right spouse, the right job, the perfect house, and the best friends, you can find a temporary peace that makes you feel secure enough to lie down in the pastures that you have created. But what would happened if those pastures that you lie in dry up and catch fire, fueled by the winds of trouble. Are you able to rest in the temporary peace that you have created? What if the right spouse becomes your worst nightmare, the right job tells you it doesn’t need you anymore, the perfect house is claimed back by the bank, and those friends you thought would stand by you don’t, will we see how soon that peace flees from us in the fires of trouble?
These things happen to Christians as well, but they do not have to affect us in the same manner. This peace that we receive is not based on the things of the world, but an inner peace, fueled by the Holy Spirit, and resting in our eternal salvation. That no matter what happens to us, though our heart seems to be breaking into a thousands pieces to be swept away in the winds from fires of trouble, we have a peace that goes far beyond our ability to understand.
“He leads me beside the still waters.” Those that follow God must be led, by His Holy Spirit. For it is the Spirit that will lead us not to stormy seas, not to flooded rivers, not to dry stream beds, nor to bodies of water that become stagnate, but to flowing streams that will refresh us and revive us, in order to face lives trouble.
Jesus said in John chapter four and verse 14: “but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”
Jesus talks of water that not only refreshes us but gives us joy, and a spirit of lasting peace, fueled by the Holy Spirit. A joy that makes us want to share it with others, and a peace knowing that we are eternally secure, no matter what happens to us on earth.
The Apostle Paul took on the attitude while imprisoned that, if killed he would go to be with Jesus, if he remained in prison he was imprisoned for Christ, and if set free he was free to preach the gospel of Christ. In other words no matter what you do to me you can not change my eternity. The peace that Jesus gives us is not given by this world and the world can not take it away.
“He restores my Soul” When our troubles become so great that we feel that we can’t go on. It is that water that refreshes us and allows us to go on. Death, divorce, financial ruin, come upon us and overwhelms us till we feel that we can not take another breath, nor desire to do so. When faced with divorce, my depression became so great that I lie in a fetal position, just wishing I could die. It was only over time and the gentle restoration of my soul, by the love of the Father for me, that I was able to live and love again.
“He leads me in the paths of righteousness” When I first read that God compared us to sheep, I was insulted, we His creation, sheep! No creature is as apt to lose its way and not be able to find its way back as sheep. On driving to work I noticed two sheep that even though they were fenced still had to be tethered in the field. I didn’t understand this till I saw them in the middle of the road unsure of which way to go. The field they stayed in was within sight, and still it seemed that once they had acquired freedom they did not know what to do with it. I think back on that now and realize how wise the Creator was to liken us to sheep. What would happen if children were left to make decisions for their lives, with no parental guidance? What if God left us to make decisions for ourselves, without the guidance of the Holy Spirit? We soon would become lost on the paths that we had made for ourselves and unable to find our way out, stumbling over our own mistakes. It is that still small voice of the Holy Spirit of God, which leads back on to the paths of righteousness.
When we are lost on the paths of trouble, or sin, surrounded by the enemies that seek to devour us, unable to hear that still small voice, what then? Does God leave us in our sin, or to languish in the shadow of death? Does God leave us out there to suffer and stumble for the right answer on how to get on the path that we once were? David chose the word through instead of in, having faith that this trouble was only temporary. We never have to walk through our troubles alone. I am reminded of the story of the footprints in the sand; One night a man had a dream. He dreamed he was walking along the beach with the Lord. Across the sky flashed scenes from his life. For each scene he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand: one belonging to him, and the other to the Lord. When the last scene of his life flashed before him, he looked back at the footprints in the sand. He noticed that many times along the path of his life there was only one set of footprints. He also noticed that it happened at the very lowest and saddest times in his life. This really bothered him and he questioned the Lord about it: “Lord, you said that once I decided to follow you, you’d walk with me all the way. But I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life, there is only one set of footprints. I don’t understand why when I needed you most you would leave.” The Lord replied: “My son, my precious child, I love you and I would never leave you. During your times of trial and sufferings, when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you.”
The shepherd does not carry a rod and staff to lean upon. It is used to guide the sheep, and fight off those who seek to destroy the sheep. It is God who fights for us, the battles that we can not see and those that we can. It is God who will lead us by gentle persuasion back into His will. It is God who will carry us out from the shadow of death to life everlasting.
The final two verses of David’s Psalm talks of the security that David rests in from the provisions of God, provision that stretches beyond today, to an everlasting security that goes beyond our daily needs to an eternity with the Father in heaven. God’s goodness is like the breaking of the day, with its rays of sunshine breaking the hold of darkness, giving us the hope that this is only the beginning. His goodness extends far beyond the mornings sweetness to the fullness of day, with its warmth and comfort. Our journey with God began with our acceptance of His Son as our Savior, to a life filled with His mercy and grace, to an eternity ushered in by the return of Jesus for His flock, as He shepherds us into His kingdom where we shall sing His praises forever.