193

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.

Over the next six Saturdays we shall examine the promises, prayers and predictions connected to the Twenty-third Psalm.

Verse 1: Statement of fact and of well-being.

We read in Psalm 23:1, "The Lord is my shepherd: I shall not want." This was a statement made by David at a time when he was so blessed that such a statement was true and valid for him. The verse can also be read as, "The Lord is my shepherd therefore I shall not want." David was not only making a personal statement but was also putting it to us that IF we permit the Lord to guide us in all things He will cater for our every need and we shall have need for nothing.

You will note that the statement/declaration reads, "...my shepherd" and not "...our shepherd". The Lord does not herd us around en masse ...what is good for one is not necessarily good for all. He sees us as individuals and treats us accordingly.

We may have all accepted the Lord as our Savoir but do any of us allow Him - 24/7 in all that we do - to be our Shepherd. I know that I for one do not, I'm just not that good (but trying). This is normally where the excuse is put forward, "...but in this day and age....in this high speed world....with the pressures of work and the modern lifestyle..."

May I suggest that through the course of the next twenty-four hours (or whenever you hit a problem) you take the time out to let the Lord lead you in the direction that He would have you take. You shall not want for a solution and remember what we profess in the Lord's Prayer, "Thy Will be done".