Psalm 23

1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
(God has always provided everything I ever needed, from my youth until now.)

2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters.
(His word has filled my soul with peace and contentment.)

3 He restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
(He has restored all my brokenness. He is leading me down the straight and narrow path for His glory.)

4 Even 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. 

(He protects me even when I am afraid. He gives me comfort and courage with His presence.)

5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. (The Lord has crushed all my enemies and my cup is overflowing with countless blessings.)

6 Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. (The Lord has been so good and gracious to me. His love is true and genuine. As I follow Him, His blessing follow me.)

I am so thankful for His love and blessings...

The Lord is my Shepard

John 10:10-14

“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly..."

11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives his life for the sheep. 12 A hired hand isn't a shepherd and doesn't own the sheep. When he sees a wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and quickly runs away. So the wolf drags the sheep away and scatters the flock. 13 The hired hand flees because he is concerned about what he’s going to get paid and not about the sheep. 14 “I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep and my sheep know me".

Jesus contrasts himself to the thief and the wolf. They are both Satan. His goal is to steal your peace, joy, emotional energy, and time. He is doing everything he can to keep you from being 'effective' for the kingdom of God and enjoying this life that God provided for you. He’s trying to kill you physically, emotionally, and mentally. He is literally trying to annihilate you. He wants to destroy your witness and your influence that God has given to you for the Kingdom of God. Ultimately, he wants to destroy the effectiveness that you can have for the Kingdom of God. That’s what he’s trying to do. That’s the thief – but not the shepherd.

The shepherd provides. 

Verse 1 says: The lord is my shepherd I shall not want – lack. This means during the difficult economic time all of the sudden we feel like we are going to have to provide. You will have fear if you believe that you are the provider. And the thief and the wolf will have a hay day with you. Jesus is the provider. The good shepherd does not always provide what the sheep want, but provides what the sheep need. He doesn't always lead the sheep where they want to go, but where they need to go. Jesus did not provide for the Jews what they wanted, but what they needed. They wanted a political leader – he provided a savior. They missed the provision because they were looking for what they needed. It’s very possible you missed the provision in your life because you were looking for what you wanted and not what you needed.

The good shepherd always provides.

First thing He provides: Contentment

Verse 2 says: He makes me to lie down in green pastures; he leads me besides still waters. Green pastures and still waters refer to peace and contentment. Two  things that mark a believers life. Peace and contentment. Green pastures refer to the rich word of God and contentment that we could have if we feed on God’s word and still waters refer to peace. Do you realize this is why you come to church? To sit besides the still waters in worship and to eat from the green pastures during the word. That’s why. Do you know why people leave church? Because they only sit beside the still waters and eat from the green pastures 1 day a week, 1 hour a week, and they do not do it throughout the week. You can sit by the still waters and eat from the green pastures every day. That’s the only way to live a successful Christian life. Is to allow the good shepherd to provide for you every day.

Second thing He provides: Restoration

Verse 3 says: He restores my soul.

You may not know this, but your soul needs to be restored. When someone makes the statement, “I was crushed when my spouse walked out on me. I was crushed when my child walked away from me. I was crushed when I lost my job.” They are actually saying, “My soul was crushed. My soul, my mind, will and emotions.” When you go through something devastating, your mind gets flooded with all these thoughts constantly all the time. Then your emotions - All sorts of depression and discouragement, worry, fear, and anxiety and then it’s difficult to make right decisions. Your soul needs to be restored. This Hebrew word means to repair or to restore. The root of the word means to return back to the point of departure. God wants to restore your soul back to the way it was before that devastating thing happened. He wants to restore/refresh your soul. He is the ONLY one that can do this. No one else can do it for you.

Third thing He provides: Guidance

He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

He leads me down the right path. People don’t walk in peace and contentment because they don’t follow. You can’t drive sheep – they can only be lead. The sheep recognize their shepherds voice and they follow. Sheep won’t follow sheep, they only follow the shepherd. What makes a good lead and a good follower? If you will follow the shepherd, then you can lead. But if you quit following the shepherd and trying to lead others in your path of righteousness that’s when you lose your peace.

Fourth thing He provides: Protection

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.
Jesus gives us the ability to live beyond fear. Believers should never be fearful. (i.e. economic crisis). God is our provider and Jesus is our good shepherd. This is an insult to our God. He is our provider and protector. Through the valley of the shadow of death, have no fear... Why? Because He is with us in the battle.

I will fear no evil, 

for you are with me; 

your rod and your staff, 

they comfort me.

The wolf is afraid of the shepherd – not the sheep! The rod is not to beat the sheep with - it's to beat the wolf with. The wolf catches not the one that’s closest to the shepherded, but the one that wonders away every now and then. The wolf is afraid of the shepherd because He protects us.

He blesses us in the battle 

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. 

The Lord prepares a table before us, in the middle of the battle/spiritual warfare, and He says to sit down, he can handle the battle.

You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

Refers to being refreshed or strengthened. My cup runs over – there’s plenty of it. Jesus says every time He fills your cup up its going to run over. These are all benefits to following the shepherd. The benefits of not following the shepherd, 
the wolf catches you and the thief kills, steals and destroys.

The shepherd proclaims over you Goodness, mercy, and eternal life (in verse 6).

Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life.

If you stop running from God, His goodness will catch you – not his judgment. His goodness and mercy. 

And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. 

That’s the sum up of psalm 23. All of this – and I then I get to go to heaven. That’s how the good shepherd provides for us. The last thing Jesus said to Peter before he ascended personally to peter. He said "If you love me, feed my sheep". You know why? Because He loves his sheep. The great thing about our shepherd is He became a sheep. He knows what it’s like to be a sheep. Do you remember what happened to him when he became a sheep? Isaiah 53:7 - He was lead as a lamb to the slaughter. He was slaughtered so you don’t have to be. The good shepherd gives his life for the sheep. He’s already given His life for you so you could be blessed, protected, and provided for. He proclaims good things over your life. It’s so simple – just follow the shepherd. He saves us so that we can go to heaven, but He provides for us on this earth. What do you need from the shepherd today? Is it still waters, green pastures, or protection from your enemies? He says ask and you shall receive.