Psalms 23:1 The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing. In order to have the Lord as our Shepherd we need to be his sheep first. A shepherd do not lead other animals like goat and wolf for example, he leads only the sheep.
John 10:27 says: My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. If we want to be a sheep lead by the Lord, we have to listen to His voice and follow Him. If we listen to any other voice or follow any other thing, we are not his sheep.
Once we listen and follow Him we will not lack anything. The reason of the chaos in the world is because people do not listen and follow the True God. Some follow themselves and their corrupted wisdom; others may follow idols, satan, fame, position to name a few. Nevertheless they will be always lacking something or everything!
Psalms 23:2-3 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, He refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.
When we decide to live under the leadership of our Lord’s voice we will enjoy abundant life in all aspects, He will give us interior peace and our soul will receive salvation. When we listen to God’s voice before taking any action, it will prevent us to make wrong choices in life. How many times we see someone’s life upside down? Debts, divorce, single parenting, misery and the list may go on and on; it is always due to the lack of following God’s instructions. If we follow His voice we will lack nothing!
If a believer does not search first in seeking for the Lord’s guidance but instead, he follows the impulses of his will; he also will have a defeated life even though he believes in Jesus.
Psalms 23:4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley (Or 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.
If we allow the Lord to be a hundred percent the Leader of our lives, even if we are walking through the valley of the shadow of death ( problems, disease, death of a beloved one or any other crisis), we still believe in His leadership and guidance and therefore we do not doubt in our hearts. Though the situation is not what we had in mind; we fear no evil because we know that He is with us and he will lead us to the way out. (Halleluiah)
Psalms 23:5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Though our enemies want to see our life completely destroyed, they will watch the sheep of God growing in blessings in all their ways. The Lord makes his sheep champions over their enemies and He anoint his sheep with anointing power, so they will be protected against all evil, they will be anointed to bless others as well.
Psalms 23:6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
Goodness and love is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit, when we listen to God’s voice, when we truly follow him, we are blessed with the Holy Spirit and His fruits in us. The fruits of the Holy Spirit are the seal that we are saved. To Dwell in the house of the Lord forever is not to be a mere church goer, but it means to have a sincere and honest commitment with The Lord FOREVER.
This psalm is powerful but it is powerless if it is just a frame on the wall of some houses or just a dusty yellowish open page on some desks. For the Lord is our shepherd
and for us enjoy of the blessings of this psalm, we need to listen and follow the Lord.
John 14:21 Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.
Be Blessed!
