City Life Starter

I. The Word

The Lord, the Psalmist’s Shepherd.

23 A Psalm of David.

1 The Lord is my Shepherd [to feed, to guide and to shield me],

I shall not want.

2 He lets me lie down in green pastures;

He leads me beside the still and quiet waters.

3 He refreshes and restores my soul (life);

He leads me in the paths of righteousness

for His name’s sake.

4 Even though I walk through the [sunless] valley of the shadow of death,

I fear no evil, for You are with me;

Your rod [to protect] and Your staff [to guide], they comfort and console me.

5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.

You have anointed and refreshed my head with oil;

My cup overflows.

6 Surely goodness and mercy and unfailing love shall follow me all the days of my life,

And I shall dwell forever [throughout all my days] in the house and in the presence of the Lord.

II. Reflection Questions

1. What is something you do to relax?
2. How do you think God feels when you worry or experience anxiety? What is His response?
3. What are some practical ways you can express your trust in God as your Heavenly Shepherd today?

Psalm 23 introduces the Lord as our Shepherd. This psalm is widely quoted and can be a huge source of comfort especially in times of confusion, grief, and fatigue.

Today, we are going to talk about how to apply Psalm 23 to our daily walk specifically when dealing with anxiety and troubling times. Psalm 23 is packed with so much meaning and application that it’s difficult to even begin, but here goes…

To give you a little context, Psalm 23 was written by David. David is probably most known for killing giants and rising to power as king of Israel, but before he became a king, David was actually a shepherd who tended his father’s flock.

Being a shepherd was not considered to be a very glamorous career in Israeli culture, but it actually taught David a lot and helped him develop the characteristics to be a great king.

I admit, I hardly know anything about sheep, but just doing a little reading about sheep on the Internet has shown me that sheep are not survivors. They absolutely must have a shepherd to make it in this world. I read an article online that sheep are “dumb, directionless, and defenseless” (to read the article, click here). It basically talks about how sheep are dumb enough to follow another sheep off a cliff and how sheep have virtually no defense to defend themselves against predators.

Imagine how humbling that must be for David to call God his Shepherd. In making that declaration, he is essentially saying that he is utterly dependent on God for his every need. It is no wonder the declaration evokes this response: I shall not want.

Verses 2 and 3 tell us about the Lord’s refreshment. He makes us lie down in green pastures and leads us beside the still and quiet waters.

Philip Keller (in A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23) writes that sheep do not lie down easily, and will not unless four conditions are met. Because they are timid they will not lie down if they are afraid. Because they are social animals they will not lie down if there is friction among the sheep. If flies or parasites trouble them they will not lie down. Finally, if sheep are anxious about food or hungry they will not lie down. Rest comes because the shepherd has dealt with fear, friction, flies, and famine.

What a beautiful picture of what God does for us as our Shepherd. He deals with every fear, friction, fly, and famine. It is only then, when we are in a place of rest (or faith in God), that He can lead us beside the still waters to drink deep of His Spirit and hear what His Spirit is saying.

As our Heavenly Shepherd refreshes our spirits, it doesn’t matter what our outward circumstances may be: “Even though I walk through the [sunless] valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod [to protect] and Your staff [to guide], they comfort and console me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You have anointed and refreshed my head with oil; My cup overflows” (verses 4-5).

I love this! What a blessing it is to sit and enjoy our God even in the midst of sunless valleys and terrifying opposition. No matter what kind of opposition you are facing today, there is nothing to stop you from enjoying the Presence of God. He prepares a table before us and anoints our heads with oil. We are anointed and set apart. We are equipped to face every challenge unafraid of what the future may hold. Our Good Shepherd has gone before us and prepared a way for us to live in victory and righteousness. Our cups overflow!

As David recalls all the Lord has done for Him, he concludes Psalm 23 with this exuberant declaration:

Surely goodness and mercy and unfailing love shall follow me all the days of my life,

And I shall dwell forever [throughout all my days] in the house and in the presence of the Lord (verse 6).

What revitalizing truth. Not only does the Lord guide and protect us in this life, but we also get to spend forever in His Presence. What better place to be?

Prayer

Father, I just submit to Your leadership in this moment. You are my Lord and my Shepherd. I trust You to guide me in Your paths of righteousness. I lay all of my anxieties and worries at Your feet. You are more than enough for me. In Jesus Name, Amen.