1The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. 3 He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Psalm 23 is a favorite for many. What this psalm teaches us is what a life without lack looks like, which is something we all desperately long for in a time when we feel like we have great lack.
Many of us lack resources we once had, the freedom to go out and about as we once did, the relative safety we once perceived, the relational connections we once enjoyed, and the calm we experienced before COVID-19.
The Psalmist, David, lived such a roller-coaster of a life as well. Much of his life he spent on the run from those who intended to do him serious harm. Yet despite his tumultuous life he declared that he had no lack.
But how?
You see, David had become the kind of person who saw every situation through the lens of his perfect Shepherd.
So how might we become those whose life is without lack?
1) We Rest in Our Shepherd’s Provision
Verse 2 says, “He makes me lie down in green pastures.”
For a shepherd to guide their sheep to green pastures meant that they brought their sheep to a place of abundance, a place where the sheep wouldn’t have to worry about food.
In other words, green pastures ensured that the sheep could rest in the guidance and provision of their shepherd.
People who live a life without lack are those who daily seek to rest in the provision of their Shepherd.
The ultimate provision for our souls, is the provision God made for us in Christ: He paid our debt and gives us eternal life. Not because we deserved it! But because of His great and unmerited love for us.
So while we might feel like we lack in physical provision now, whether in safety, resources, or relationally, we rest in the reality of His ultimate provision. The life without lack rests in His provision.
2) We Reside in Our Shepherd’s Preservation
Verse 4 says, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.”
Another aspect of shepherding is that the sheep were never alone and without their shepherd. The shepherd always watched, always walked with, always remained vigilant on their behalf. The sheep’s preservation was the shepherd’s presence.
That doesn’t mean we are protected from every harm. A life without lack is not a life without pain or suffering. Rather, a life without lack is a life that never lacks God’s presence.
As we reside in God’s presence, we reside in His preservation for us. Nothing we can experience in this life can ever separate us from the love of God and His presence assures us of this. Not even pandemics.
So people who live a life without lack daily reside in the Shepherd’s preservation of their souls and their lives.
3) We Rely on Our Shepherd’s Preparations
Verses 5 and 6 speak of the ultimate feast and our final dwelling place with God.
Jesus tells his disciples in John 14:2-3, “In my Father’s house are many room. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.”
Jesus went to prepare our place for us in his going to the cross. But it wasn’t just so that we would be declared righteous before God. It was so that we would be with Jesus for all eternity.
The life without lack is the life lived in light of our future home.
Though there are pandemics and catastrophes in this life, we look ahead to the day when we step into the final home Jesus has gone ahead and prepared for us.
So let us live this life without lack. We have no reason to fear any pandemic or it’s consequences because of our Shepherd’s provision, preservation and preparations He has already made for us.
Praying for you all! Pastor Matt Young
Prayer: Father, thank you for all that you have done for us in Christ –
For giving us the means of our rest, providing for us your ultimate provision in Him and His work on the cross,
for drawing near to us and giving us the means of preservation through the trials of life, that is your faithful and loving presence with us,
and for going ahead of us to prepare for us our final home with you for eternity.
Father, by the power of your Spirit would you give us calm and peace in our souls as we think on and work into our hearts and minds the reality that you are our Shepherd.
