Finding comfort

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures: He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul: He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake. 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. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies: You anoints my head with oil; my cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

-Psalm 23

I saw a post on Facebook the other day that said “the Lord is not my shepherd, I’m not a _________ sheep”

This really bothered me.

I know that the person that posted it is not a believer, but this is an example of not understanding (or wanting to understand) the way things are written.

It is the job of the shepherd to encourage – or instill courage – into the sheep to go down paths that seem treacherous.

Unlike the cattle driver, the shepherd leads from the front, going before his flock to assure them that they can make it. This is the type of leadership that inspires people and even empowers them to go places they would not go to on their own.

The imagery of God’s leadership contains green pastures and quiet waters.

Even if those pastures are located in the shadow of the valley of death, true leadership can give peace even in overwhelming circumstances.

The stunning language of Psalm twenty-three resonates with all of us.

We have all known the place of despair; the place where we wonder how will survive another day.

Notice the mention of the rod and the staff. This continues the imagery of the Lord as our shepherd, but the rod and staff were tools to keep the sheep in the fold and the common result of their use was pain.

Yet even the pain of God’s guidance gives us comfort in the place of despair, for it is a reminder that God is with us.

He is present in the midst of our darkest hours and is active in bringing us through the valleys of our soul.

When we are under the guidance of God, we can be at peace and eat even when our enemies are around us.

There is no situation that God’s goodness and love is not able to guide us.

This is a perspective that will restore our souls.

God offers us a refuge in this world.

David, the person who wrote this Psalm, would become the future king of Israel, but the story of David’s life is not one of ease. He is persecuted, hunted like an animal, and even betrayed by his own son, but David does not just see his physical circumstances. He sees God’s presence to guide and comfort him in a world of pain.

May we be able to say with David that goodness and love will follow us all the days of our lives—even when those days can be hard.

Have a blessed day!