Psalm 23

Psalm 23 might be one of the most popular Psalms out there and has come to mean so much to me especially after growing up in a small village approximately three hours from Nairobi. My family were not specialized farmers in any way, we grew lots of things and also kept animals. We often held meetings planning for the animals (chickens, cows, goats, pigs and once in a while sheep), sometimes we got it right and at other times we failed. Animals in my opinion are very demanding and I honestly respect farmers who keep animals. In 2015/2016 the cows and the coffee were in my care and this time I was mature enough to take notice and learn.

Long story short, the animals do not worry (do they?) but they know how to communicate (moo) their needs. I am certain they say when they are hungry, thirsty, or need to be milked. They are also good at breaking away from their pen and causing trouble by going where they are not supposed to be. Doesn’t this sound just like us? Getting into trouble, communicating our needs and worrying, especially worrying.

A few years ago, the Lord helped me see something and that is the difference between us (humans and the animals). We think and plan for them, they are just there, just being the creatures that the Lord created them to be. And then, the difference between us (human) and God, a glimpse of this difference is described in Isaiah 55:8-9 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” NRSV

This awareness was and is still humbling but quite insightful, the way we as cattle owners planned for the animals to ensure their needs were met, is the very same thing that the Lord does for us only better. He has our well-being at heart. He has, He is and He will always provide for us. Truly there is a sense of rest that comes when we recognize that we are human and He is God, He is our Shepherd and we shall not want.

Are you tired?

Are you in need?

Do you need forgiveness?

Do you need healing?

Have you wandered away and need restoration?

Are you wondering about the future?

Whatever it is that you need He has provided. Matthew 6:31-32 reminds us of this. “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.” NRSV

All we need to do is ask, or in cattle talk just moo.

More than anything we (I) have to come to a point of trust. Trust that God is good, that He is willing, that He cares for you and me. Consider this verse and the level of trust that David had toward God. “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff— they comfort me.” Do you (I) believe that? Could it be because we sometimes fail to truly know God’s character hence we fail to trust Him? As Oswald Chambers said, “Faith by its very nature must be tried, and the real trial of faith is not that we find it difficult to trust God, but that God's character must be proven as trustworthy in our own minds……”

When Moses asked to see God’s face, the Lord replied that He would cause his goodness instead to go before him (read Exodus 33 and 34). This is what the Lord said to Moses of himself: Exodus 34:6 “The Lord passed before him, and proclaimed, ‘The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.’” NRSV

Reflect on this: instead of just reading “Surely goodness” let’s expound it with “Surely compassion, grace, abounding love, faithfulness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life.”

This is the promise we can all hold on to, that:

“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff— they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long.”

Psalms 23:1-6 NRSV

Reflect

Reflect and write how the LORD has been a Shepherd to you or someone close to you.
Meditate on Psalms 23

About the author: Ruth is passionate about helping facilitate healing for people lost in addiction. Through discipleship and counseling, she has seen many individuals in Kenya and elsewhere in the world find freedom in Christ. She is an All Nations field worker based in Nairobi, Kenya under the Kampala hub.
Ruth’s testament of Jesus’s victory in her own journey of healing from addiction can be viewed and purchased at https://amzn.to/2YF9ci0.

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