Psalm 23: The Lord is my Shepherd

Psalm 23 

The Lord is my Shepherd

1. The Lord is my shepherd; therefore I have everything I need.  

◇ The psalmist confesses that the Lord is his shepherd, and therefore, he is his sheep. Sheep must entrust everything to their shepherd. They must follow their shepherd's guidance. 

They should move when told to move and eat when told to eat. Sheep do not have vigilance. They are not like hedgehogs, standing on their hind legs, turning their heads from side to side, and rolling their eyes to watch their surroundings. They do not worry about being attacked by predators like wolves. All they have to do is follow their shepherd's guidance. 

Sheep also do not find water or grass on their own. The shepherd leads them to the green pastures and fresh grass. The shepherd leads them to clear and refreshing water. The shepherd does not lead the sheep to poisonous plants. Sheep just have to obey their shepherd's guidance. 

The shepherd guides and protects the sheep with his staff and rod. When the sheep try to go astray, the shepherd guides them back to the right path with his staff, and when wolves and predators appear, the shepherd protects them with his rod. 

David, the psalmist, confesses that he is a sheep and God is his shepherd, and praises Him. Perhaps David sang and prayed like this to overcome the difficulties of his life. When he had nothing to eat or drink, and enemies surrounded him from all sides, he relied on God as his shepherd and followed His will. 

Yesterday, my friend quoted a letter from Bonhoeffer on Facebook (December 5, 1943): 

"When we know the powerlessness of God, we can proclaim the name of Jesus Christ, and when we seem to have lost everything and have nothing left, we can believe in the resurrection of the dead and a new world..." 

"The Lord is my shepherd; therefore I have everything I need." 

Maybe David's confession is also a confession and a song that he made when he had lost everything and nothing was left. 

♧ Lord, even when I have no reserve, no surplus, and no hope, please lead me to make the confession and sing the song, "The Lord is my shepherd; I have everything I need." Holy Spirit, lead me to the truth. Amen.