“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” Psalms 23:1
David writes this psalm using imagery from his past. He was a shepherd when he was younger and understands what a shepherd means to the flock or herd – provider, protector, leader. This verse reminds us that God, our Lord and Savior, is the ultimate shepherd.
He provides for His children. David is remembering that God has provided for him many times when David has followed God’s will for his life. David uses ‘want’ in the same regard as ‘need’ in this Psalms, as he wants for nothing. Being the ultimate Shepherd, the Lord protects His children. He protected David when King Saul was hunting him trying to kill him. The Lord is also a leader for His children. God guides His children in the direction of His will for each and every one of their lives. God led David daily as King of Israel.
This imagery was a very familiar image for a lot of people in David’s time. Shepherd were the individuals who kept the sheep or other herds of animals alive. They would provide for the animals by taking them from pasture to pasture to feed. The shepherd would protect the sheep from the animals that were natural predators of the sheep. The shepherd would have the animals grouped together in one area, guarding them and fighting off any animals that tried to kill them. The shepherd also was the leader of the sheep and the sheep knew their shepherd’s voice. They usually would not follow the voice of a different shepherd because they did not know that voice therefore they did not know if they could trust that voice.
This psalm begins with reminding us that God is our Shepherd, and He will provide for us, protect us and lead us, if we let Him. God wants to be our Shepherd, He wants to provide for us, protect us and lead us because He loves us and we are His children.
Do you look to God as your provider, your protector and your leader? Do you trust God to fulfill any of those roles for you? Do you want to have the ultimate Shepherd provide for you, protect you and lead you? Only you know the answer to any of these questions and only you can make the decision about how you want your relationship with God to look. As you go through your day today, think about how you would answer these questions.