"The Lord is my Shepherd, I lack nothing." Already I want to pause and argue with the psalm. "I lack nothing"? Surely David meant something else. What about my husband's entrance in to the program he would excel in? Don't I lack something there? What about a full-time job, so we can pay rent? What about...? Our questions fall silent when we feel the arms of the Shepherd read down to comfort us. I can almost hear Him saying, "Keep reading, My child. Read and remember what you need."
So I keep reading. I picture wide green pastures. Bountiful food for hungry sheep. Gentle streams of water babbling through the grassy hillsides. Doesn't God promise that He "knows that you need [these things]" (Matthew 6:32)? Our Shepherd is a Good Shepherd, after all. So I keep reading. Ah. "He refreshes my soul." What a relief! My soul often frets and worries over things only the Shepherd controls; only the Shepherd knows. We all need Him to restore our souls to give us the peace that surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:7).
"He guides me along the right paths." What a Good Shepherd! We've been stumbling along in the way, uncertain of where to turn. He guides. I can see Him walking and calling for me to follow. I hurry on to read more. "For His name's sake." Wait. What? Doesn't God provide for us because we have needs? Well, yes but that isn't His main reason, you know. Why did God give Abraham a ram to sacrifice in Isaac's place? To show He is the Lord who provides (Genesis 22). Why did God lead you here to Trinity? For your own benefit? That's part of it. But He brought you here to connect you with a network of people who need to see Christ in you (Colossians 1:27). "For His name's sake." This is what will sustain you in the path God has chosen for you.
Here the psalm's imagery shifts. We can almost feel the clouds take over. Our green pastures and quiet waters have vanished. We now stand in the Valley of the Shadow of Death. This valley looks different for each one of us. Maybe we are entangled in the vines of grief as we mourn the death of a friend, a parent, a child. Maybe we are stuck in the sands of depression or loneliness. Or maybe we are trapped on the cliff of perfectionism. The valleys all look different, but our Good Shepherd is the same. "Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me." Our Good Shepherd pulls away the vines of grief with His rod and shows us the way out. He reaches to us in the sands of depression and loneliness and makes us stand on high ground. He comes to our aid on the cliff, each step steady and sure, until He has brought us down from the idol's high place of perfectionism. Isn't He a Good Shepherd? There's more.
Now the psalm speaks of enemies. Our hearts almost stop. We feel the pursuit of a temptation we can't shake. We hear the footfall of our enemy closer and closer. The lion's roar is deafening. Where is the Shepherd? "[Preparing] a table before me in the presence of my enemies." God calls us to stand and see His deliverance. Once again the armies of enemies will fall as His people stand and watch. We must be vigilant and fight, yes. But the key, dear friends, is the we fight alongside Him. He gains the victory. He prepares us. He anoints us with oil until our cup overflows, because through the battle He is with us. What a Good Shepherd we have!
As we come to the end of this sweet familiar psalm, we have the best promise yet. "Surely Your goodness and love shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." Through it all, green pastures, still waters, the valley of the shadow, enemies, it is the goodness and the love of God that carries us through. The Good Shepherd always leads, and He always leads right. He will gently guide us, guard us, chasten us, and care for us until He leads us into His beautiful home. And there we will dwell with Him forever.
By Sarah Price
Secretary for Trinity Wives
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