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Verse(s): Psalm 23:1
The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need.
Imagine for a moment that you’re standing in a meadow.
The sky overhead is a soft blue and filled with fluffy clouds. A nearby stream flows with crystalline water that glitters in the sunlight. Multicolored wildflowers blanket the ground as far as your eye can see, spreading their sweet scent across the meadow.
Beside you is a Shepherd with a worn wooden staff in His hand. He walks at exactly your pace. Every couple steps He turns and looks at you with a small, affectionate smile on His face. He delights in watching you explore this beautiful, peaceful place. When you start to veer a bit off the path, He puts a gentle hand on your arm.
This way, He says, and guides you back to safety.
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This is Jesus, our Good Shepherd.
In ancient cultures, shepherding was considered one of the lowliest positions. It was not a coveted or desirable job at all; often it was given to the youngest son of the family by default. So David, the youngest of his father’s sons, was writing this psalm from personal experience. As the shepherd of his family, he knew what it meant to guide, defend, and care for his flock.
Psalm 23 is not the only place in the Bible where God is referred to—or refers to Himself—as our Shepherd. In Genesis 49:24, Jacob calls the Lord “the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel” (NLT). Isaiah 40:11 tells us, “He will feed His flock like a shepherd. He will carry the lambs in His arms” (NLT). Jesus, in the gospel of John, says, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow Me” (10:27 NLT).
How miraculous that the God of the Universe would choose to identify Himself with such a lowly position. How awe-inspiring that the God of the Universe would stoop down to care for His children in the same way a shepherd cares for his sheep.
When David says, “The Lord is my shepherd,” he’s not only identifying with God, he’s acknowledging his own need for a shepherd.
Like David, we need a shepherd. Our hearts are fickle and prone to wander. Left to our own devices, we will drift from the herd and into potentially dangerous territory that our Good Shepherd, in His loving care and attention, wants to protect us from.
When we wander—when we lie down to sleep at night and our minds are overtaken by worry, fear, and anxiety; when we can’t focus on anything but how insurmountable our problems seem; when our gazes are fixed everywhere but on God—our Good Shepherd comes after us. Jesus Himself says, “‘If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders away, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others on the hills and go out to search for the one that is lost? And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he will rejoice over it more than over the ninety-nine that didn’t wander away!’” (Matthew 8:12-13 NLT).
As you prepare for sleep, meditate on Jesus, your Good Shepherd. Everything you need is found in Him. He comes after you when you stray. He calls out to you with grace and patience and love. Tonight, in this moment, He wants nothing more than for you to rest in Him.
