my shepherd part 1

1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. 3 He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 4 Even 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. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Psalm 23

"It's a jungle out there.”

Life is a jungle. It's dangerous and it's treacherous. It's full of predators and enemies. You can get seriously hurt in a jungle.

Sheep don't fit in the jungle. Lions—they fit. Giraffes—they fit. Elephants, zebras, and crocodiles—they all fit. But sheep don't fit. They would be out of place in the jungle. It's just not their turf.

In the wilds, a sheep could very easily be transformed into lamb chops in a matter of seconds. That's why sheep don't usually hang out there.

Close to 200 times in the pages of Scripture, God's people are called sheep. Just think of the magnitude of the creation. He could have called us eagles, gorillas, collies, or armadillos. But he didn't. He called us sheep.

Psalm 23 is a dangerous section of the Bible. It's hazardous because we know it so well. Many of us have memorized this treasured text. Even many non-Christians are familiar with it. The danger of Psalm 23 is that it has lost its significance for us because we have become so familiar with it.

But it has something very special for all of us—people living in a fast-track society. Psalm 23 specifically speaks to the pressures of our culture. It is remarkably contemporary. This tiny psalm is critical because it ultimately tells us how we can survive in the jungle of life.

The sum of its verses, in essence, is a survival manual for the modern-day jungle. It is the manual that tells us how to be in it, but not of it. “If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you” (John 15:19). Every sheep needs to know the 23rd Psalm well.

Quite frankly, it will keep you from the lamb-chop fate that every sheep wants to avoid. —Steve Farrar

seeking: Jesus, how have I been moved by the words of Psalm 23? What did you do in my heart as I read it?

responding: How am I troubled today because of what I'm facing in the jungle? • Is there someone who is a threat to me and is committed to doing me harm? • David said, “The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1).

Lord Jesus, you are the Great Shepherd. My life is in your hands. Make me aware today of your presence and your protection. You are greater than any threat.

following: As lambs, we need to listen to our Shepherd.

our journey