The Lord is my Shepherd: Psalm, meaning, song and sermon
You surely need a shepherd just as I do. It is certain that there was a secret that David discovered in God which made him confess: "The Lord is my Shepherd". And truly, as we will discover from the pages of the Scripture, God can be a Shepherd to anyone who chooses to be a sheep to Him. So, after you discover the same secret David did and you are willing to tread in that path, I hope you will also able to make the same confession eventually.
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God has not left you without support neither has He left you defenseless. He knows how terrible this world can be, and that is the major reason why He constantly chooses to maintain the position of shepherding you. Just as 1 Peter 5:8 explains that the devil is roaming about as a roaring lion in search of whom to devour, as the Good Shepherd, the Lord is constantly there for you to keep you and shield you against every one of the devil's attack. He is constantly ensuring that no evil of whatever sort happens to you. What a privilege and a great honour to have the Lord as your Shepherd.
But come to think of it, what does the statement, "The Lord is my Shepherd" mean? When David confessed that, what exactly was he talking about? What motivated him to say so? There must be a reason behind the statement. At least, you will agree with the fact that if there was no cause, he would not have said that. When you have a true picture of what this statement is all about, it becomes easy for you as well to put to practice the insight that the great Psalmist shared in the subsequent verses of the 23rd chapter of Psalm.
The Lord is my Shepherd meaning
David, the writer of this Psalm, successfully used the analogy of the relationship that exists between a shepherd and his sheep to explain our relationship as believers with God. As a notable shepherd boy, while he was much younger until he found his way to the palace and ended up as a king in Israel, he explained how God, as a Shepherd, took care of him like a sheep. Even while he seemed to have been forgotten in the wilderness by his family, he could attribute the source of every good thing that he had enjoyed so far in life to the Lord who was his Shepherd.
Please note that every believer is a sheep in God's hand. According to Psalm 95:7 (KJV), the Scripture says,
"For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand".
Also, from Psalm 100:3 (KJV), it is recorded that,
"Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture".
With this truth that we are sheep based on those verses of the Scripture, we also see that God is the Shepherd. According to John 10:14, the Bible says,
"I am the good Shepherd, and I know my sheep, and am known of mine".
There are certain attributes that sheep have which are also common with every person. For instance, from his experience, David knew that sheep possess a natural tendency of wandering or straying off and in the process, they get lost. So, also, as believers and humans, we have the same tendency. This is one of the reasons why Isaiah wrote in his fifty-third chapter that,
“We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way” (Isaiah 53:6).
In the same vein, we stand the chance of being in danger, being attacked by the enemy or getting killed in the process if care is not taken, among other things.
So, when he said, "The Lord is my Shepherd", he was trying to say that the Lord is his guide and protector. After all, talking about God, Psalm 91:3 says,
"Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence".
This is to say that no matter how enemies try to attack him, because God is always there for him, he is protected from those attacks. Then, as the shepherd ensures that the needs of the sheep are met, David said the Lord is his Shepherd to express his confidence in God's ability to supply all of his needs (Philippians 4:19). With this understanding, he could boldly confess that, "The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want".
In short, David's bold confession of, "The Lord is my Shepherd" simply means that the Lord is to him everything that a shepherd is to the sheep. Think about protection, provision, instruction and directions, encouragement and so on that a shepherd gives to the sheep, those are what the Lord, being the Good Shepherd, does to him and even much more. Check out the whole verses of the Psalm below to get a better understanding of the relationship that David enjoyed with the Lord that made him liken God to a shepherd and himself to a sheep.
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The Lord is my Shepherd Psalm
1 The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Psalm 23:1-6 (King James Version)
The Lord is my Shepherd sermon
It is interesting to know that God does not give up on us as His children. No matter what we do and the naughty behaviours that we put up sometimes, His love for us keeps us in His heart so that He cannot just let go of us. As tender as a sheep is so that the shepherd is always conscious and careful about how it is treated, God also ensures that He treats you with care. He also ensures that He does only those things that will be for your good. In Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV), the Scripture says,
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future".
This is such an interesting statement that is full of comfort. God has a plan for you just as a shepherd plans for his sheep. And interestingly, the plans are meant for your prosperity and not for your impoverishment. The plans guarantee your safety and not harm. So, you can be sure that whenever and wherever God leads you, it will never be where you would suffer harm. He is always safety-conscious when it comes to you.
Moreover, from the passage under consideration, there are so many benefits that those who have God as their Shepherd enjoy; one of which is the fact that their needs are always supernaturally met. Philippians 4:19 (KJV) says,
"But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus".
In other words, the Lord who is your Shepherd ensures that you do not lack anything. He ensures that no good thing is withheld from you. No matter what you are going through at the moment, if God is your Shepherd, then you can be sure that He is constantly working to ensure that you have a safe landing.
Then, in the fourth verse of the chapter, it says,
"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me".
How encouraging it is to know that God is always with you. Your Shepherd never leaves you; just as He already gave you His word in Matthew 28:20 that He is with you always until the end of the age and in Isaiah 43:2 that no matter the situation you pass through, whether fire or the sea, He is always with you. With this assurance, then, you have nothing to worry about. It does not matter who leaves you, and it has nothing to do with whether the whole world has turned against you or not. God has assured you that He is with you, hence, you have no evil to fear.
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Your major concern should be how to ensure that the Good Shepherd does not leave you. You should be after knowing how to preserve the relationship because that is the most important thing to you. When the world leaves you, you still have hope but when God leaves you, then there is nothing that you can do any longer. You should always be bold to confess, like the Psalmist, that the Lord is your Shepherd. And remember that this can only be made possible if you are one of His children. If there is still sin in your heart, then you can be sure that you are not His own. Once you get rid of sin and live a pure life, you automatically enlist as one of His sheep and you will begin to enjoy the benefits of having God as your Shepherd.
There is a song composed with the title, "The Lord is my Shepherd". It is a song filled with inspiration that you probably would enjoy listening to over and over again.
The Lord is my Shepherd song
[Verse 1]
The Lord's my Shepherd I'll not want
He makes me lie in pastures green
He leads me by the still still waters
His goodness restores my soul
[Chorus]
And I will trust in You alone
And I will trust in You alone
For Your endless mercy follows me
Your goodness will lead me home
[Verse 2]
He guides my ways in righteousness
And He anoints my head with oil
And my cup it overflows with joy
I feast on His pure delights
[Chorus]
And I will trust in You alone
And I will trust in You alone
For Your endless mercy follows me
Your goodness will lead me home
[Verse 3]
And though I walk the darkest path
I will not fear the evil one
For You are with me
And Your rod and staff
Are the comfort I need to know
[Chorus]
And I will trust in You alone
And I will trust in You alone
For Your endless mercy follows me
Your goodness will lead me home
[Descant]
I will trust I will trust in You
I will trust I will trust in You
Endless mercy follows me
This amazing and inspiring "The Lord is my Shepherd" song was written by Stuart Townend, an English Christian worship leader who also dubs as a writer of hymns as well as contemporary worship music. The central theme of the song is about faith and trust in God. Having derived his inspiration from the popular Psalm 23, Stuart Townend composed the song emphasising the need for Christians to always trust in the Lord no matter what happens and wherever they find themselves in life.
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In the lyrics of the song, there are expressions of wonderful things that God, being the Shepherd, would do for those who learn to trust in Him all the way. For instance, in the first verse of the song, the writer explains the power that exists in knowing the goodness of God which is able to bring restoration to any soul. This is established in the line: "His goodness restores my soul". There are other messages that are embedded in the song. An example of these includes an expression of assurance that even when we walk through dangerous and deadly paths, God is always around us to ensure our safety and also to see us through.
Interestingly, this song which has served to be a source of inspiration and comfort to people is available for download to anyone. Most importantly, The Lord is my Shepherd mp3 is available on major Christian online gospel music stores as well as international online music stores such as iTunes and Spotify. While some of these stores permit a free download, there are other ones that require a token from those who would like to download the song. Also, in case you are after the video file, The Lord is my Shepherd song, as well as the lyrical video file, are both available on the YouTube music channel.
There are quite a number of people who have come to appreciate the role that God plays in their lives as a shepherd. Based on their experience, these people have expressed their views, just as David did, about the Lord being their Shepherd.
The Lord is my Shepherd quotes
- The Lord is your Shepherd; don’t ever say “I am lost”. He leads you to green pastures; don’t ever say “I am broke”. Let the weak shout; “ I am very very very strong”! ― Israelmore Ayivor
- We have all things and abound; not because I have a good store of money in the bank, not because I have skill and wit with which to win my bread, but because the Lord is my Shepherd. ― Charles Spurgeon
- Yes, he had made a good choice after all when he had chosen the God of the green pasture and the still waters! He was very powerful, and the fact that He expected you to think for yourself and do something in return for His help did not matter, as long as you could work things out. ― Anne Holm
- I have all things and abound; not because I have a good store of money in the bank, not because I have skill and wit with which to win my bread, but because the Lord is my Shepherd. ― Charles Spurgeon
- I am like the sick sheep that strays from the rest of the flock. Unless the Good Shepherd takes me on His shoulders and carries me back to His fold, my steps will falter, and in the very effort of rising, my feet will give way. St. Jerome
- When we are fearful and worried all the time, we are living as if we don't believe that we have a strong and able Shepherd who is tenderhearted toward us, who only leads us to good places, who protects us and lovingly watches over us. - Joseph Prince
- The fold is that place where He keeps His flock shut behind the hurdles of the Ten Commandments. Every now and then, a sheep leaps one of these hurdles or pushes his way between them and runs away into forbidden pastures. Then the Good Shepherd goes after the erring sheep and brings it back. - Sabine Baring-Gould
- May God forgive us for the times when we as individuals and as a Church failed to seek out and care for those little ones who were frightened, alone and in pain because someone was abusing them. That we did not always respond to your cries with the concern of the Good Shepherd is a matter of deep shame. - Sean Brady
So far, it has been established that God is a Shepherd and everyone that believes in Him is and also lives right is His sheep. From the relationship that David had with God and his experience of the goodness of the Lord, he had to confess that, "The Lord is my Shepherd". And so, everyone who truly believes in the Lord can enjoy the same privilege. Therefore, if you will let God in and allow Him to take His rightful position in your heart, you also can enjoy the blessings of being His sheep.
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