The Lord Is My Shepherd Brother George

Taste and See That the Lord Is Good" David returns to this theme in Psalm 34:8–10: Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in him. Oh, fear the Lord, you his saints, for there is no want to those who fear him. The young lions lack and suffer hunger, but those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing. Those who trust in and fear the Lord as their shepherd will not lack any good thing. Most of us go without good things only because we have tried to shepherd ourselves instead of following the true Shepherd. Green Pastures and Still Waters He makes me to lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside the still waters."* When the Lord is our shepherd, even when trouble comes, we are not left exposed — he hides us and gives us rest, even in dry seasons. And a sheep cannot drink from running water; it needs water that is calm. So the Lord, as our good shepherd, leads us to the still waters — the place prepared and made calm for us to drink from. The Valley of the Shadow of Death "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me." David grew up in a valley — and the good land, the green vineyard, was up on the mountaintop, where the rain fell. The valley was where he was raised, but it was not his destination. This is the key: *the valley is temporary.* It may last a long time — even years — but it does not last forever. When we are led by Jesus as our good shepherd, we do not need to fear evil or death in the valley, because we know the mountaintop — the green pasture — has already been prepared for us. The valley is not the destination. The Rod and the Staff "Your rod and your staff, they comfort me." The rod represents correction — brief and purposeful. The staff represents guidance, turning the sheep back when they wander toward danger. Scripture tells us the Lord disciplines those he loves (Hebrews 12:6), and so when the Lord corrects us as his sheep, we should find comfort in it, not fear — because it comes from love. The Table in the Presence of Enemies "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over." After every battle, every hardship, every season of testing, the Lord prepares a table — a place of celebration. David's enemies watched his weaknesses, his struggles, his iniquities. But David did not stop trusting his Shepherd, because he knew the day would come when the Lord would set a table before him in full view of those very enemies. Whatever valley you are walking through right now, whatever weakness you feel do not leave the gathering of the sheep. Stay under the good Shepherd. Your table is being prepared. Closing Thought The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. Whatever pasture, whatever water, whatever valley trust the Shepherd who already knows where he is leading you.