Our Good Shepherd - January 2 Readings: Psalm 23

We are going to "enter the year with praise." Our January readings and devotionals will all focus on the goodness and grace of God. Get a journal or notebook to write down your thoughts every day. Our passages are shorter - please don't rush through them. Take time to meditate and consider why God is worthy of your praise.

Enter 2020 with the praise of God on your lips!

Today's Praise Passage:  Psalm 23 

The Lord is my shepherd;
I have what I need.
2 He lets me lie down in green pastures;
he leads me beside quiet waters.
3 He renews my life;
he leads me along the right paths
for his name’s sake.
4 Even when I go through the darkest valley,
I fear no danger,
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 overflows.
6 Only goodness and faithful love will pursue me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
as long as I live.

Through the Bible Reading: Genesis 3-5, Matthew 2, Psalm 2:1-6, Proverbs 1:5-6

Some of our readers want a little more "meaty" devotional, so I am including a link to the through Through the Bible in One Year readings we did last year. 

Devotional: My Good Shepherd

Familiarity breeds contempt, they say, but in biblical interpretation, it clearly breeds carelessness. When we know a passage as well as we know the 23rd Psalm, we can assume that we know what it is saying when we don't. David the shepherd used his work as a youth to describe the work of God as a Good Shepherd of his sheep. We must be careful we understand what David said and not simply assume we understand.

First of all, this passage and its promises do not apply to you unless the first phrase does. "The Lord is my shepherd." You can only claim these blessings if you are his sheep, walking in obedience and being guided by the good shepherd of your soul, Jesus Christ. If Jesus is your Lord, your boss, then great promises come to you. If he is not, then none of this is yours.

The first blessing is that you will have everything that you need - not what you want but what your soul (and your body too) genuinely needs. God takes care of those who put themselves in his hands.

Verses 2-3 list four positive blessings that come have a good shepherd. He leads us to green pastures where our souls can be fed from his word and by his Spirit. He gives our souls rest and peace because we know he is watching over us. Sheep trust the shepherd and we can trust ours. Life wears us down and stresses us out, but he renews us with the streams of living water flowing from Christ. And he guides us down the paths that are safe and right and good. Sheep need to be protected from spiritual predators of life and our shepherd does that as we walk the path he leads us on.

David knew what it was like to walk through deep dark valleys. What we usually think of as "the valley of the shadow of death" actually has little to do with death. It simply refers to those moments of darkness, sorrow, pain - the dark night of the soul. When you walk through the deepest valleys of life, when the sun is darkened by hurt and pain, you know that your Savior is there with you, guiding you with his rod and staff, and blessing you with his presence. He never leaves us or forsakes us, even in the darkest moments of life.

Even though enemies surround us, God sets a table of blessing for us and gives us a feast with him. God does not so much GIVE us a feast as he IS our feast! He also anoints our heads with oil. This could mean so many things, but in the context here, it seems to speak of joy - that joy deep inside that comes from God.

The last couple of verses are often the most misunderstood. When David spoke of "dwelling in the house of the Lord forever" he was not thinking of eternity, but of living constantly in the presence of God in uninterrupted fellowship. When the Lord is our shepherd, we can walk with him in constant joy and peace, in the consistent and powerful presence of God.

Of course, eternity awaits but that isn't the point here. The point is that we get to live our lives in the presence of the Good Shepherd who loves us and will never let us down.

Thank you, Father, for the Good Shepherd who takes care of me every day. 

Think and Pray:

Meditate on this passage and write down:

1. The character qualities of God for which you can praise him. 

2. The gracious acts of God for which you can give thanks to him. 

Do you walk as an obedient sheep to the Good Shepherd?

Look back at your life and remember times your Good Shepherd has watched over you.