Growing up I only ever heard the beautiful Psalm 23 at funerals. I think when specific scriptures are only read at specific events, we tend to not look at them in depth to do with our everyday lives.
As I have grown up Psalm 23 has become so important to me, especially over the last few years, as I have found myself on a battlefield with Daunters. So, for the rest of this week, we are going explore this beautiful Psalm because I think it speaks more about His Undaunted Love than it does death.
The Lord is my Shepherd. It’s interesting that David used this illustration. He was a shepherd, so he understood the position and the job. He knew sheep weren’t the smartest or the strongest and just how vulnerable they are. We really are sheep, so it is a good illustration.
I believe that Shepherds have a special place in God’s heart. He mentions them so much. It was shepherds in the field that the Angel of the Lord appeared to and announced the birth of Jesus to first. He calls our spiritual leaders shepherds, but He doesn’t always have good things to say about them, but that’s for another conversation.
Jesus even called Himself the Good Shepherd. “I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd risks and lays down His own life for the sheep.” John 10:11. He truly has been the best shepherd for us by what He did on the Cross.
Matthew 18:12-13 He uses the illustration again, “What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray and gets lost, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountain and go in search of the one that is lost? And if it should be that he finds it, truly I say to you, he rejoices more over it than over the ninety-nine that did not get lost.”
Do you really understand how important you are to Him? Do you really understand that He will come after you? Do you understand that as your Shepherd He will feed, guide and shield you? That means He will be your provider, meeting every need you have, back to the sparrows and if He loves them how much more does He love us? He will guide you!!! Oh, the traps, snares, and detours we could avoid because of Daunters if we would just let Jesus guide us. And He will shield you!!! So even if you do wander off like the one lost sheep, He’ll find you and protect you from the danger. He will deprive of the power to harm you.
We only lack when we get out of the Shepherd’s reach. Maybe some of the things that we feel we lack are lies from the Daunters. There is so much pressure on us as women today to be it all and have it all. But maybe we aren’t supposed to. We lack in spiritual health because we are so focused on this world and all the shiny objects in it. Daunters love to blind us with shiny objects, busy schedules, overloaded days and abundant stress.
I know I am having to do a massive stock take of my life and see what is from God and what is from Daunters. Luke 10:41-42 was an interesting encounter Martha had with Jesus. She was mad because her sister wasn’t helping her serve everyone and she was just sitting at Jesus’ feet leaving Martha to do all the work. Listen to Jesus’ reply “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things; there is need of only one or but a few things. Mary has chosen the good portion, that which is to her advantage, which shall not be taken away from her.”
Daunters tell us we need to be and do many things but if you pause for a moment and let the Holy Spirit speak to your heart, you will hear what the good portion for your life is, what is to your advantage. Jobs, homes, careers, possession, vacations, clothes, schedules, activities, they aren’t always for our advantage and I know from personal experience they can be taken away from us in an instant. But that good portion, that time with Jesus, that sweet fellowship in a prayer closet or moments of sitting at His feet resting, what we gain from them can never be taken away from us. Those are the things that will give us the advantage over our Daunters and deprive them of their power to harm us.
Lord God, please help us to trust You as our Shepherd, help us to see that You are feeding, guiding and shielding us and that we do not really have a lack in our lives. Help us to choose the good portion and not let the lies of Daunters cause anxiety and worry about many things that we shouldn’t worry about. Help us to only do the things that are of advantage to us spiritually so that we can sit at Your feet and let Your love pour out over us. In Jesus’ mighty name! Amen