Faith In The Good Shepherd
Faith In The Good Shepherd
Tuesday May 27, 2025
Psalm 23:1-6 NKJV The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. [2] He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. [3] He restores my soul; He leads 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 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 runs 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.
Psalm 23 is a psalm of faith.
From its first line, this beloved psalm expresses faith quite loudly. In fact it screams of faith… “I shall not want.”
All human needs fall into three categories and they are all covered by the bold declaration, “I shall not want.”
Because of my shepherd, “I shall not want for provision,” “I shall not want for protection,” “I shall not want for direction/purpose. ”
The psalmist is confident that no matter what happens, whichever way the wind blows, his good shepherd will not fail, and will not let him down.
The first thing the good shepherd does is to make him lie down.
Sheep are skittish by nature. They have no natural defences against predators. They have no horns like goats. They cannot kick like horses. They are not known for speed and agility like the gazelle. Sheep do not rest easily unless they are confident in the care and protection of their shepherd.
The psalmist’s trust in the shepherd is so great he will follow the shepherd wherever He leads. He will lie down with him in green pastures, stay with him by the still waters, follow him in the path of righteousness even when that path leads to the valley of the shadow of death.
Isaiah 40:9-14 NKJV "[9] O Zion, You who bring good tidings, Get up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, You who bring good tidings, Lift up your voice with strength, Lift it up, be not afraid; Say to the cities of Judah, "Behold your God!" [10] Behold, the Lord GOD shall come with a strong hand, And His arm shall rule for Him; Behold, His reward is with Him, And His work before Him.
Zion is commanded to make a loud proclamation… “Behold, your God.” Look up, look at your God. See He is not far. He is right there with you.
The Lord is A Shepherd
When they look up to see their God, what do they see? God He presents as a shepherd.
[11] He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, And carry them in His bosom, And gently lead those who are with young.
He is a shepherd and many miss Him because they do not expect God to take on the lowly station of a shepherd. They do not accept Him as their shepherd because they do not accept that they are sheep.
Make no mistake, the Lord is a shepherd, but He is a shepherd like none other. This shepherd can perform feets only God can.
[12] Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, Measured heaven with a span And calculated the dust of the earth in a measure? Weighed the mountains in scales And the hills in a balance?
Sadly, too many cannot get past the image of a shepherd. They cannot make sense of this humble looking shepherd as God. They have some suggestions for him. They become His counselors.
[13] Who has directed the Spirit of the LORD, Or as His counselor has taught Him? [14] With whom did He take counsel, and who instructed Him, And taught Him in the path of justice? Who taught Him knowledge, And showed Him the way of understanding?
The brothers of Jesus had some suggestions for Him. They did not believe in Him. They were not His sheep. He was not their shepherd.
John 7:2-5 NLT
But soon it was time for the Jewish Festival of Shelters, [3] and Jesus' brothers said to him, "Leave here and go to Judea, where your followers can see your miracles! [4] You can't become famous if you hide like this! If you can do such wonderful things, show yourself to the world!" [5] For even his brothers didn't believe in him.
Sheep Leading The Shepherd
Following is always a proof of faith. We don’t follow people if we doubt their competence, character or care for us.
Faith does not instruct, it obeys. Those who have faith always follow the lead of their Good Shepherd while those without faith always try to lead the Lord in their own way.
The True Shepherd and the true sheep
A true shepherd never allows the sheep to take the lead
Psalm 32:8 NKJV
I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye.
True sheep never try to lead the shepherd. Anyone who tries to lead the shepherd understands neither their place nor the place of the shepherd. They are the type of sheep that go astray.
Maybe they are not His sheep, because His sheep know His voice, and recognize His authority.
John 10:2-5 NLT But the one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. [3] The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep recognize his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. [4] After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice. [5] They won't follow a stranger; they will run from him because they don't know his voice."
The Good Shepherd meets the three categories of needs, provision, protection and direction.
Provision:
When all our needs are met, we must be careful to avoid greed and pride.
David’s lust after Bathsheba
2 Samuel 12:7-9 NLT
Then Nathan said to David, "You are that man! The LORD, the God of Israel, says: I anointed you king of Israel and saved you from the power of Saul. [8] I gave you your master's house and his wives and the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. And if that had not been enough, I would have given you much, much more. [9] Why, then, have you despised the word of the LORD and done this horrible deed? For you have murdered Uriah the Hittite with the sword of the Ammonites and stolen his wife.
Ahab’s lust after Naboth’s vineyard…
2. Protection:
After living for a long time in safety, we are liable to forget that our security comes from the Lord. When new threats emerge, many succumb to fear, and seek out wrong alliances.
2 Chronicles 16:7-9 NLT
At that time Hanani the seer came to King Asa and told him, "Because you have put your trust in the king of Aram instead of in the LORD your God, you missed your chance to destroy the army of the king of Aram. [8] Don't you remember what happened to the Ethiopians and Libyans and their vast army, with all of their chariots and charioteers? At that time you relied on the LORD, and he handed them over to you. [9] The eyes of the LORD search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. What a fool you have been! From now on you will be at war."
3. Direction:
Looking for excitement in the wrong places, the bored often only finds trouble.
Deuteronomy 32:12-20 NLT The LORD alone guided them; they followed no foreign gods. [13] He let them ride over the highlands and feast on the crops of the fields. He nourished them with honey from the rock and olive oil from the stony ground. [14] He fed them yogurt from the herd and milk from the flock, together with the fat of lambs. He gave them choice rams from Bashan, and goats, together with the choicest wheat. You drank the finest wine, made from the juice of grapes. [15] "But Israel soon became fat and unruly; the people grew heavy, plump, and stuffed! Then they abandoned the God who had made them; they made light of the Rock of their salvation. [16] They stirred up his jealousy by worshiping foreign gods; they provoked his fury with detestable deeds. [17] They offered sacrifices to demons, which are not God, to gods they had not known before, to new gods only recently arrived, to gods their ancestors had never feared. [18] You neglected the Rock who had fathered you; you forgot the God who had given you birth. [19] "The LORD saw this and drew back, provoked to anger by his own sons and daughters. [20] He said, 'I will abandon them; then see what becomes of them. For they are a twisted generation, children without integrity.
Bored Sheep Look For Trouble
We live in a time of great activities. There is more entertainment now than any time in human history. New technology, new restaurants, new music, new movies, new amusement and theme parks, new fashions, new lingo, new… so much that the modern man has become conditioned to restlessness of spirit. People are so soon bored, they can hardly wait for the next new thing.
Christians are not immune to this virus. We can hardly bear the old songs, we need the next viral song only to be fatigued with them in two weeks or less. Then old ways of preaching just give way to new styles. People are programmed to value style more than substance.
The true shepherd does not always create excitement. God’s greatest blessings are not microwavable. We need to tarry and chew the cud slowly and even then just begin to scratch the surface.
Jesus taught His disciples for three and half years.
Paul taught in Ephesus for three years.
Anna the prophetess and Simeon waited and interceded for decades before they saw the birth of Jesus.
Because jet-age man is increasingly impatient, he expects God also to move at jet speed. Our Good Shepherd will never follow our lead. He will move at His own time, and in His own way.
He makes us lie down in green pastures and leads us by the still waters, while He is doing a thorough work of restoring our souls.
Sometimes, the sheep are so bored by the lack of happenings that they do not remain in the safety of the Shepherd’s bosom.
The value of boredom.
Boredom is a sign that there is peace. When there is danger nobody complains of boredom.
Boredom is a sign that there’s provision. No hungry child ever says. “I’m bored.”
The goodness of the Shepherd is misinterpreted by the sheep as boredom.
When people get bored because of the goodness of their shepherd, they start looking away from the Lord for excitement and no longer wait for His direction.
The direction/instruction of the Lord is the best and safest solution to boredom.
Whenever you find yourself becoming bored, turn to the Lord in thanksgiving and praise for His provision and His protection. While you are praising God, He will give instructions for the next thing you are to do.
Acts 13:1-3 NLT Among the prophets and teachers of the church at Antioch of Syria were Barnabas, Simeon (called "the black man"), Lucius (from Cyrene), Manaen (the childhood companion of King Herod Antipas), and Saul. [2] One day as these men were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Appoint Barnabas and Saul for the special work to which I have called them." [3] So after more fasting and prayer, the men laid their hands on them and sent them on their way.
Prayers:
Lord, thank you for all your goodness to me…. Your provision, protection and direction.
Lord, help me to never become bored with your goodness. Instead help me to be always grateful.
Lord, by your grace, may I never turn from you to any other as a source of provision, protection or direction.
Lord, may I never become proud and wise in my own eyes. Help me to always trust You as my Good Shepherd.
