The Good Shepherd's Provision

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul. Psalm 23:1-3a

Have you ever felt like the life youre trudging through is a quagmire? I grew up near some strip mining pits that had places of fine, silty dirt, which turned into a thick mud, two to three-feet deep after it rained. This, of course, made it almost impossible to walk through, but we thought it was great fun to try to do so.

Sometimes, life can be like trying to plow through that mud, and it isnt very much fun. So when you find yourself in the quagmire, the question becomes, "What do you do or to whom do you turn when life seems impassible and you feel stuck?"

I believe there is no better passage that we may turn to in those moments then to the lessons of comfort in Psalms 23. I say this because I believe David knew a Good Shepherd prepares provision for his sheep.

Probably one of the most shocking aspects of this passage is the fact that David calls God "MY Shepherd." The gods of the ancient near east were distant at best. The foreign gods of Davids day did not care about human kind and tried to destroy humans through a flood because humans were too noisy and interrupted their sleep.

The idea that anyone could lay claim to God's provision, therefore, was totally revolutionary for David's era. We can laugh at the ancients, but I've found we're not too different in our own day. I find that too often we miss a deeper personal relationship with God, because we don't personally apply the verses available to us in our everyday lives.

David's use of "shepherd" teaches us that God wants to have a personal relationship with his sheep and that this relationship is built on the love relationship between God, as the shepherd, and his sheep. So since David knew that shepherds love their sheep, he knew that all the shepherds resources are at the sheep's disposal; a good shepherd will not be stingy with his resources.

For this reason, David could say "I shall not want." Now this idea can be taken to extremes, but the truth of the matter is that anyone who makes the Lord their shepherd has access to Gods provision.

In my own life, my wife and I have experienced the tough times that come with being a student. Even though we've had tough times, I can still recount all the ways God has provided for us. So, as I look back at Gods care for us, I know it was tough, but we always had what we needed.

The same could be said of our spiritual walk, in that, as we wander in the desert of unbelief, buying into any mirage the desert has to offer, we will never be satisfied following after first this person or belief and then the next.

But when you make the Lord your shepherd, He will lead you beside the still waters. Now the water He provides isn't still because it's a rank, stagnate desert pool filled with materialism or self-gratification. Neither are these waters dangerous river rapids of unsound theology that issue from a demented false messiah. They are still because they're the unfathomable riches of Gods grace, the depth of which well never be able to plumb. So God, therefore, is the one who guides those who will listen to the fields that satisfy and to the streams that quench the spirit.

Is it no wonder that Jesus would use the image of living water and the good shepherd to express the type of provision He offers? He is the still, living stream that offers the sweet water of God's salvation. With Jesus there is no more wandering. His food and truth satisfy us, and the water of his salvation cools our soul.

Thank you, Jesus, for supplying your sheep with all they need. I know I was created to be dependent on you. Help me to submit to you, so you can lead me to the green pastures and still waters. Cause me to rely on your provision. Amen.

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