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 Yea, 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.
1 The LORD is my Shepherd; I shall not want.
The Psalmist begins with a confession: “The Lord is MY Shepherd“. It is a very intimate statement. Once you get acquainted with the eternal and constant love our Heavenly Father has for us, once you have accepted Jesus Christ as your personal savior, it is easy to lean on Him. Being born again in the Spirit allows us to detach from fear and trust in Him. Just as a Good Shepherd watches diligently for his sheep, our God is forever ready to protect us lovingly. All we must do is simply to invite Him. Hence, I believe I shall not lack anything I really need so long as I submit my life to His will and wait patiently in obedience. Just as the Israelites were shepherded from Egypt and the Lord provided for them for 40 years in the desert, so the Lord will provide for us and shepherd us to His Promised Land.
2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.
As the sheep need fresh water to thrive, so we His children need the constant spiritual refreshment that only the Precious Holy Spirit brings to our lives. Only through His graceful anointing are we able to keep this holy channel of communication open. It is with His help are we able to prosper as Christians in our daily lives.
3 He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.
Just as sheep need to be taken care for by the watchful eyes of the pastor, so our soul need the constant care and concern of our Heavenly Father to help us fulfill His perfect, unique plans for our unique lives. Surrendering to His will leads us to make the highest moral deliberations in a confusing and complex world. He guides us so we may be just; He guides us so that He may be glorified through the exemplary lives we, as Christians, are called to lead. How wonderful to know that our Father is forever present to correct us and lift us up as we stumble and fall. Without His protection we could never make our way to our eternal destiny: HEAVEN.
4 Yea, 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.
In the fourth and fifth verses the Psalmist addresses God directly. The Psalmist calls God “You,” or in other traditional translations, “Thou.” Perhaps, when Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, he thought of these verses. This is a dialogue, a two way communication, a direct affirmation of God’s very real presence in the time of trial. And we must go through trials if we are to grow. But we Christians are blessed: we can endure hardships with courage because we can trust Jesus’s promises. He is the fulfillment of the Hebrew Psalmist’s prophesies, He is the one and true Good Shepherd. We will surely face the Valley of the Shadow of Death: we will surely face the time of trial. This is in fact the best time to give Him honor and praise. This is the best time to acknowledge that His staff is a tool of aid and holy guidance, and His rod is a weapon of defense and holy vengence. We Christians do not need to rely on our own devices, nor should we. The Valley of the Shadow of Death is the time that He is uses to help us mature, to shape us into the people He wants us to be.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over.
The Psalmist affirms that although we must face enemies, the LORD will provide our sustenance so that we can prevail. A good shepherd rubs special oil on his sheep to protect them from harmful insect bites. And so our Heavenly Father anoints us with his Holy Spirit us to fortify us for our constant battles against our spiritual enemies. Even in the midst of our trials we can feel Our Lord’s tender love and affection for us. His joy is forever inside our hearts regardless of our surrounding circumstances. The Psalmist speaks to the LORD directly and praises God’s graciousness: his cup runs over, he cannot contain the overflow of God’s grace.
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.
In verse six, the Psalmist once again speaks on behalf of the entire flock. God takes care of our individual needs and He also provides for the Christian community. The final verse of this psalm reaffirms God’s promises of eternal life. We should definitely feel His goodness and mercy following us for the rest of our natural lives. And moreover we should look forward to an eternity of delights in His awesome, magnificent and loving presence. With this in mind, our very temporary existence should be used to do something that will last for all eternity….like growing in His love and knowledge. Trusting His goodness is the natural outcome of being intimate with Him.
These are my reflections on my favorite psalm,
Dora M.