Reflections
“The Lord is my shepherd;
there is nothing I shall want.”
the Good Shepherd to lead us beside
still waters, and guide us along right
paths. We fear no harm, because the
Good Shepherd is at our side.
The Psalm's words are a source of
peace for us, a source of strength,
a source of healing. The Lord
provides for us, as he does the little
sparrows and the lilies of the field –
“There is nothing I shall want.”
The Lord restores us, for we had gone astray
like sheep, but have returned to the shepherd
and guardian of our souls.
(Sunday’s 2nd reading,1 Peter 2:25)
Jesus himself assures us that we who enter
the sheepfold through Him will be saved and
will find pasture (Gospel, John 10:9).
We lack nothing when we trust in the Lord.
We fear nothing, even when our lives are at
a low point spiritually or physically. Having
been rescued by our Savior, and now counted
among His obedient sheep, we are ready to do
His will. We are groomed to enter the Kingdom
and dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Amen
Discussion Questions for Reflection
1. The Psalm assures us that we will be given repose by the Lord and
led to restful waters. Describe how these verses are a source of peace
and a source of healing for you.
2. Our psalmist assures us that only goodness and mercy will follow us
all the days of our life and that we shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Tell of how you are comforted by these words that speak of our eternal joy
in the Lord's mansion.
1. The Psalm assures us that we will be given repose by the Lord and
led to restful waters. Describe how these verses are a source of peace
and a source of healing for you.
2. Our psalmist assures us that only goodness and mercy will follow us
all the days of our life and that we shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Tell of how you are comforted by these words that speak of our eternal joy
in the Lord's mansion.
“The Lord is My Shepherd: I shall not want...“ My 6th grade teacher made us memorize the entire Psalm in the King James translation. I have never forgotten it. Even within our small Christian school, I suppose Dr. Moon was a shepherd for us, guiding our rebellious class onto a safer path of God’s truths.
ReplyDeleteThe imagery throughout the Psalm is beautiful, comforting, powerful, and peaceful.
“...He leadeth me beside still waters; He restoreth my soul...” (v. 2 -3)
The restful waters wash over me like a cleansing breath. After a time of straying, I can be renewed without blemish.
The still waters are inviting... calm... I can take a drink. I am thirsty for Him and He knows how to quench my parched soul. The peaceful waters allow me to rest for a while, instead of feeling the fear and anxiety of stormy waters — which Jesus also uses to build my faith sometimes.
But as the Psalm reassures, in those frightening times, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil..” (v.4)
As a shepherd shields his sheep, God is there, guarding, protecting, and caring for my every need.
Indeed, out of His deep love, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” (V.6)
Our kind, wise, and mighty Shepherd knows me intimately and wants to be with me for each step I take in this life, and the next... the ultimate goal for us all.
I'm bawling my eyes out as I type this commentary. I read it at the right time, just exactly when the Lord wanted me to read it, just exactly when I was experiencing fear, the Lord came to remind me that He's always by my side. And you may wonder why am I crying, I cry because I'm overwhelmed, I cry because He is always here with me and I don't know why sometimes when I don’t feel well physically I fear and forget He is in control.
ReplyDeleteI know this is one of your favorite Psalms and I also know that your family loves it too. As for myself, I love it too, and after experiencing some difficulties in my life, I saw this Psalm from a different perspective.
The opening verses in Psalm 23 offer up important meaning about God’s power to guide us no matter what circumstances we face. Oftentimes, people call upon the Lord when something is troubling them, but the first three verses make it clear that God is always with us. The next verses, though, specifically implore us to seek God amid difficulty.
Since God is our Father, we have assurance He will provide and no need to fear any danger. “He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside the still waters.” God gives me blessing upon blessing. This verse reminds me of Psalm 103, in which verses 2-3 state, “Praise the Lord, my soul, and do not forget how kind He is. He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases."
The psalm tells us to “fear no evil” and that God is with us, even when life gets difficult.
The final three verses are yet another powerful reminder of the goodness of God and His love in our lives. In a chaotic and uncertain world, it’s easy to fear, especially when evils rage. But God reminds us that, even in the shadow of death, the Lord offers comfort. Even though I go through darkness and difficulties painful to bear, I should not be afraid of evil. You have defeated him and You are on my side. Day by day, You provide whatever I need to endure any pain or difficulty I encounter. Simply having Your presence beside me is everything I need for comfort in the storm.
Our Lord Jesus Christ declared that while we are in this world we will have afflictions (John 16:33), but He immediately reminds us that He is more powerful than those afflictions. He reminds us that He has overcome them with the power of His Word. When your heart is about to fail, remember this word that comes directly from our Heavenly Father, He is our Shepherd.
He can provide us with a place to rest from all our afflictions. A physical or spiritual space in which our heart finds rest. Soft, cozy, fresh, where we can free ourselves from the heavy burdens of life (Matthew 11:29), it is the same presence of God with us, regardless of where we are. He restores my soul. God knows what we need, knows our deepest feelings. When we are discouraged He wants to fill us with encouragement. When we are tired, He wants to give us rest. We just have to remove all the noise from our soul, which prevents us from hearing His soft lullabies.
Even though I walk in the valley of the shadow of death. When the situations of this world, the flesh or Satan himself, attack the children of God, we can experience a sensation of falling into a deep hole, where there seems to be no way out, depression can be present, and we can even get to to think that our life is meaningless, and the shadow of death seems to cover us. I will fear no evil. But the believer, despite these feelings, which are natural to human beings, can fill his heart with courage, lash out with courage, and pronounce with authority, that our God has overcome death itself, and we have nothing to fear because He will always be with us.