“The Lord is my shepherd…” (Psalm 23:1a)

“We interrupt this program…” and then comes the latest news flash from a radio or television station. We may hear an important piece of information, but occasionally the bit of news affects our lives only minimally. After the news comes another announcement, “We now return to our regularly scheduled programming.”

In our relationship with God, too often we think He only breaks into our consciousness when He has some “news” of great importance. Life is too often regarded as “regular programming” with God bursting into our awareness only when He wants to halt us in our tracks or get our attention in a specific way.

Perhaps we are only aware of His presence Him when we intentionally call on Him. (Which usually only happens when we need His help!) Occasionally the sight of a snowcapped mountain will remind us to praise Him but when there are no visible mountains, we easily go on about our business. We return to our “regular programming.”

It seems that David got it right as recorded in the first words of the familiar Psalm 23.  “The Lord is my shepherd…” All the verbs in the psalm are present tense except for the final phrase when the Shepherd King contemplates his glorious and unending future.

In Grace: An Invitation to Life, the authors write, “it is possible to live in the unceasing care of a relentlessly attentive and gracious God” (emphasis mine). Living this way is true “regular programming” with the events of life breaking in only as minimal interruptions.

Dear God, Help me to focus first on you, and only after on my circumstances. Thank you that You are always enough. Amen

Question: Is God part of your “regular programming?”

“Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” (Matt. 11:28 NLT).

Rest from the burden of a small god. Why? Because I have found the Lord.

Rest from doing things my way. Why? Because the Lord is my Shepherd.

Rest from endless wants. Why? Because I shall not want.

Rest from weariness. Why? Because he makes me to lie down.

Rest from worry. Why? Because he leads me.

Rest from hopelessness. Why? Because he restores my soul.

Rest from guilt. Why? Because he leads me in the paths of righteousness.

Rest from arrogance. Why? Because of his name’s sake.

Rest from the valley of death. Why? Because he walks me through it.

Rest from the shadow of grief. Why? Because he guides me.

Rest from fear. Why? Because his presence comforts me.

Rest from loneliness. Why? Because he is with me.

Rest from shame. Why? Because he has prepared a place for me in the presence of my enemies.

Rest from my disappointments. Why? Because he anoints me.

Rest from envy. Why? Because my cup overflows.

Rest from doubt. Why? Because he follows me.

Rest from homesickness. Why? Because I will dwell in the house of my Lord forever.

From Traveling Light
Copyright 2001, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Max Lucado
Used by permission.

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When Moses asked God, “What is your name so I can tell the people who sent me?” God replied, “This is what you are to say to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you.” (Exodus 3:14)

What is God saying? “I am ever present. Wherever your journey takes you: I am.”

Jesus also used the I AM phrase to identify Himself. One time the Pharisees challenged Him, “Who do you think you are?”

Jesus answered, “Long before Abraham was born, I AM.” The Jews understood what Jesus was saying: He was identifying himself with the I AM who spoke with Moses. And that was blasphemy in their eyes. They picked up stones to stone him.  But Jesus slipped away unharmed. (John 8:58, 59)

Jesus used the I AM phrase often. Can you remember some? I am the bread of life. I am the living water. I am the good shepherd. What is Jesus saying? “Whatever you need: I am! I am the God who is enough. In every situation you might find yourself in, I have what you need to get through it.”

When I was going through a very rough time in my life, someone gave me the following poem which gave me courage and strength:

I was regretting the past and fearing the future.
Suddenly God was speaking: “My name is “I Am.”
I waited. God continued:
“When you live in the past with its mistakes and regrets, it is hard.
I am not there. My Name is not ‘I was.”
When you live in the future, with its problems and fears, it is hard.
I am not there. My Name is not “I will be.”
When you live in the moment, it is not hard. I am here.
My name is “I Am.”

Dear God, thank you that you are the beginning of all things, the end of all things and in the midst of all things. You were present at my birth; you will be there at the end of my years and through all the days in between. Thank you that all that I need I find in You. You are my source of strength and my victory.  Amen

Questions: What does Jesus mean when He says “I Am”? Find some verses that talk about “I Am”.

About the Author Helen Grace Lescheid

Are you facing giants in your life? Here is a great online study.

“The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want” (Psalm 23:1).

The little boy hesitated only a moment when asked, “Why do you love your Daddy?” Other children shared a variety of reasons they loved their fathers, and then he boldly proclaimed, “No monsters under my bed!”

How that simple statement spoke to me of my Heavenly Father. Much like that child, there are things in my world that don’t make sense. At times I hear an unexpected “noise in the night.” The potential of a monster crosses my mind.

What monster do you face today? Is it a rocky relationship? An unknown prognosis or a loved one’s illness? Maybe there are needs that you don’t know how to meet, or a potential obstacle in the way of your goals. It may not be night, literally, but the unknown may frighten us.

Can you hear Him? Gently, persistently, our Heavenly Father responds to our fears of the present and the future. “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” “…don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

As a loving Father, He comes to us with tender compassion when we cry out in the night. We don’t hear condemnation for our fear, even when it is something that may be unreasonable to someone else. Instead, He remembers His love toward us, and knows that sometimes we don’t yet understand that the monster is not as big as our imaginations have created. He may help us sort through what is real, what is only potential, and what simply is imagination. The “monsters” won’t catch Him napping or away on a hike. In any case, He calls us back to His presence, to the security of His embrace, and assures us that He is there. His presence meets our deepest need for security, even when it’s stormy outside.

With that little boy, I can say, “I love my Abba Daddy, because … there are no monsters under my bed.”

Thank You, Lord, for calming my fears and for assuring me that I won’t battle monsters alone. Thanks for reminding me over and over, I am not alone, and for helping me rest in Your embrace. Amen.

Questions: What monster are you facing today? How can God help you with your situation?

About the Author Winsome Smith

Are you searching for a source of peace? We are here to listen.

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The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
he refreshes my soul. (Psalm 23:1-2, NIV)

Probably no psalm is more quoted at funerals than the twenty-third. Its words bring peace as grieving family and friends contemplate a loving Shepherd whose presence brings peace for the moment and strength for the future. We often show pictures to children of young David in the fields, surrounded by sheep and lambs grazing in green grass with a peaceful stream nearby.  But there is another aspect of God as shepherd that we often neglect to investigate.

In the Near East and Israel in the time of David, the word shepherd was a commonly used metaphor for king. Any sentimentality I might attach to a grass and stream portrait is modified when I think of a Shepherd King. I much prefer the quiet view to a bloody after-battle scene. The “table prepared in the presence of enemies” would have been a vivid picture to the Hebrews as it was often only after a battle when the two warring sides sat down on the body-strewn field for a celebratory treaty meal that peace was assured.

Life in the twenty-first century is far more similar to a battle than to any pastoral scene. Whether it be an earthquake-devastated country, a broken marriage, an incurable cancer on any other loss, we need both the gentle Shepherd and the victorious King. The wholeness of our God—both Shepherd and King—is necessary for times of both struggle and stillness.

Father, I need you in my life as my good Shepherd, Father, but thank you for also being my King. Amen.

Question: Think of times when God has been your shepherd. When has he been your king? What were the differences?

About the Author Marilyn J. Ehle

Are you facing an unwanted divorce? Can you trust God in this situation?  We can pray for you.

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5&6, NIV).

What is God saying to you today? Sometimes God’s message is surprisingly simple.

When I think of the future and see the unsettling changes in the world, I  hear God saying: TRUST ME! “I am the sovereign LORD: my purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please”  (Isaiah 46:10, NIV).

When I think of my children living on three continents and facing all sorts of challenges — without me! — I am tempted to worry. Again, I hear God saying: TRUST ME! I am the good Shepherd and I take good care  of my sheep. “All your children will be taught of the LORD and great will be your children’s peace” (Isaiah 54:13, NIV).

When one of my grandchildren faces a life and death surgery, I hear God saying, TRUST ME! “I formed his inward parts long before he was born…and every day of his life is written in my book” (Psalm 139:15  paraphrased)

When I face a personal challenge and wonder how I’ll get through it, I hear  God saying TRUST ME. “I am the LORD, the God of all mankind. Is  anything too hard for me” (Jeremiah 32:27, NIV)?

What does it mean to trust? The Amplified New Testament uses the words: “lean on, rely on, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart.” It doesn’t  mean we do nothing. In fact, it’s doing something that goes against our  “take-charge” nature. It means acknowledging this thing is too big for me. I  better leave it in the hands of Someone who is much kinder and wiser than I am.

As I roll my cares on him, a quiet assurance settles in my heart –it’s in good hands now!

Trusting God means we know and love the One who is leading. It’s looking beyond what we can see to what God sees.

Father, I know that your plans for me and my family are plans to prosper us and not to harm us, plans to give us hope and a future. I want to trust You more.  Amen.

Questions: What does “Trusting God” in all things, look like in your life? How can we start to trust God for greater things?

About the Author Helen Grace Lescheid

What would it take to restore your hope?

What would you need to reenergize your journey?

Though the answers are abundant, three come quickly to mind.

The first would be a person. Not just any person. You don’t need someone equally confused. You need someone who knows the way out.

And from him you need some vision. You need someone to lift your spirits. You need someone to look you in the face and say, “This isn’t the end. Don’t give up. There is a better place than this. And I’ll lead you there.”

And, perhaps most important, you need direction. If you have only a person but no renewed vision, all you have is company. If he has a vision but no direction, you have a dreamer for company. But if you have a person with direction—who can take you from this place to the right place—ah, then you have one who can restore your hope.

Or, to use David’s words, “He restores my soul.” Our Shepherd majors in restoring hope to the soul. Whether you are a lamb lost on a craggy ledge or a city slicker alone in a deep jungle, everything changes when your rescuer appears.

Your loneliness diminishes, because you have fellowship.

Your despair decreases, because you have vision.

Your confusion begins to lift, because you have direction.

Please note: You haven’t left the jungle. The trees still eclipse the sky, and the thorns still cut the skin. Animals lurk and rodents scurry. The jungle is still a jungle. It hasn’t changed, but you have. You have changed because you have hope. And you have hope because you have met someone who can lead you out.

Your Shepherd knows that you were not made for this place. He knows you are not equipped for this place. So he has come to guide you out.

From Let the Journey Begin: God’s Roadmap for New Beginnings
Copyright (J Countryman 2009) Max Lucado
Used by permission

Question: How does God comfort you when you start to lose hope?

About this Author: Max Lucado

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“I will go before you” (Isaiah 45:2).

Read Psalm 23

When I opened my 2009 calendar to January, the verse at the top captured my attention:  “I will go before you” (Isaiah 45:2). What a comfort! Whatever I face this year, God promises to go before me. He will be there first to prepare the way, every day of the year.

This verse reminds me of Psalm 23, which speaks of the Lord as my Shepherd. I love this picture of Jesus, because shepherds lead their flocks. They don’t walk behind them to drive and herd their flocks. Sheep are led.

Since we belong to Jesus’ flock and He’s our Good Shepherd, where will He lead us? Psalm 23:2-3 tells us: beside the still waters and in paths of righteousness. Isn’t that reassuring? We can trust our Shepherd to lead us to refreshing waters and along protected paths, free from spiritual dangers. One friend put it this way: “When I don’t know what to do or how to get through a situation, I ask God to go before me and make the way straight. This makes me feel I’m not alone, and He has already figured out a solution.”

As another year with new opportunities begins, where might God lead us? We don’t know what will fill our calendar pages, but we can be confident and courageous since God goes before us. As we follow Him, our paths may not be easy, but they will be safe because we walk on prepared paths of righteousness.

Lord God, You are the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. You are also the Good Shepherd Who leads us. Help us stay close to You and not stray from Your paths. Help us fill each day with the plans You have for us. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Questions: What are you facing this year? How can you stay close to the Shepherd and remain on the path He has prepared for you?

About the Author Lydia Harris

Daily audio podcast: A second daily devotional, Because of You, today on the Men’s Devotional Blog