THE GOOD SHEPHERD

What do you feel when you do not have the things you need or want in life? Do you worry when you do not have food on the table? Do you get anxious when you do not have a job? Do you feel sad when you feel you are lacking something? Have you ever felt unloved?

God is an all sufficient God.
He is the answer to every question that man has and He is everything man is looking for. 

David wrote in Psalm 23:1-3 that the Lord is his Shepherd and he shall not want. He makes David lie down in green pastures and He leads him beside still waters. He restores his soul and He leads him in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.

In the first part of this passage, David reveals an aspect of God’s nature and character, declaring Him to be his Shepherd.

A shepherd is someone who nurtures his sheep. He takes care of the necessities of his flock, protects them from danger, and ensures their well-being. So is true with God, He is our Shepherd. With Him, there will never be a lack, naturally and spiritually.

As human beings, we all cannot live without these five basic needs: oxygen, water, food, shelter, and sleep.

Most of us will agree that we also need money, health, job, and security or sense of stability. We also have our emotional needs such as love, joy, peace, and rest.

Given all these needs, we have to realize that our Heavenly Father already knows them even before we ask Him (Matthew 6:8). He is the Good Shepherd who knows us all by name (John 10:14-16). He knows every need and every desire of our hearts.

We need to realize though that having the things we want in life does not mean that we have what is best for us. 

He is the One who knows what is best for us that is why it is so important to let Him choose for us. Sometimes God withholds things from us for our own good. In everything we do, whether in career or family life, we need to make sure we choose what God’s choice is for us.

We allow Him to take control of our lives because we know that He is incapable of doing us harm. We need not worry about anything because we know we have a God who will take care of our every need. He is our Shepherd and we shall not want.

One of the most difficult tasks that a shepherd has in caring for his sheep is to get them to lie down because they are so restless. There are four things that sheep should be free from before they can rest and lie down:

1. Fear – Sheep are easily frightened. First John 4:18 tells us that perfect love casts out fear. The only thing that will free us from all fear is a deep love for the Shepherd of our souls and a deep understanding that He loves us and watches over us. He will not leave us nor forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:6).

2. Contention – The sheep needs to be free from friction with other sheep. Proverbs 13:10 tells us that contention only comes by pride and an inflated ego. If we all walk in meekness and humility, then we will be free from friction with other people. Let us not allow pride to steal our peace of mind. We must be kind to others and forgive those who do us wrong, not insisting on having our own way (Ephesians 4:32).

3. Aggravation – The sheep needs to be free from torment by flies and parasites. We need to be free from evil spirits or bad habits that easily aggravates us.

4. Hunger – The sheep needs to be satisfied with good food. Everyone who is called by God to teach must constantly seek the Lord for fresh truths from His Word. We must earnestly meditate on the Word of God.

Not only is God our Good Shepherd but He is also the overseer of our souls (1 Peter 2:25). He oversees and guides the things that we do and He makes sure that everything is done righteously in His eyes.

God wants us to always go the right way. He wants us to spend our eternity with Him. Most of us do not realize that our greatest need is not material things.

Our greatest need is salvation. 

We need to ask ourselves where we are heading, where we will be spending our eternity. We all hope it will be an eternity with our Lord Jesus Christ.

God is more than enough. He is everything we need. Only God can give what is best for us. He is the Good Shepherd and we shall not want.


References:

Bailey, Brian J. Psalms Book One. Zion Publishers, 1996, pp. 163-171. E-book.

“Lexicon :: Strong's H2637 - chacer.” The Blue Letter Bible, www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=H2637&t=NKJV. Accessed May 2017.