Psalm 23

Lucy Paculabo Mhondera

1) The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.

2) He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters.

3) He restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

4) Even 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 overflows.

6) Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

The author of Psalm 23, David, outlines step by step the ways in which God brings comfort and protection to our lives. In a world so full of stress, anxiety and hardship, Psalm 23 is a beautiful reminder of how simple it is to find peace in God. Let's take a look.

In verse one it states that the Lord is our shepherd. A shepherd always looks after his sheep, he feeds them, guides and protects them and if they stay close they will never get lost. Sheep become dependent on their shepherd as he provides for their every need. God, the creator of the Universe is your shepherd, He will always provide for you when you need it. Although your timing may be different to His, He will always come through and never leave you to fend for yourself.

God brings peace and wants us to rest. Green pastures and quiet waters sound like bliss in verse two. God created the earth in 6 days and then rested on the 7th day. Surely if God had a day of rest we need to make sure we rest as well. So often we keep going without rest because we believe we do not have time and then wonder why we get ourselves into situations we can't handle or illnesses. God wants you to find rest in Him.

He restores your soul. Your soul is you and God wants to restore, make new, strengthen and refresh you. We deal with situations, hold onto thoughts, feel and express emotions, make decisions every single day and with all of those things it is no wonder the soul needs restoring. By allowing God in to restore your soul He guides you on a path that is right for you. If you are not restored, strengthened and refreshed by God you will not be able to carry out what God has planned for life.

We all have or will walk through hard times in life where the easiest option is to give up and let the darkness surround us; but in verse four it reminds us that even when we walk through those hard times God is walking with us, He is our light in the dark places. His rod is there to protect us, to chase away the enemy and His staff to guide and keep us on the path so that we don't stray from it. The protection and guidance God provides in these hard times will bring comfort.

In the time that David wrote this Psalm it was cultural at a banquet for the host to anoint the guests heads with fragranced oil and to protect the guests at all costs. In the 5th verse David tells us that God prepares a table before us in the presence of our enemies. God is the ultimate host; we are at His dinner party, we have been invited to sit at His table and He promises to protect us no matter what. Enemies are not necessarily people but circumstances and situations that He will protect and help us through.

In the final verse of the Psalm we read that goodness and love will follow us all the days of our life and we will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. In other words, God, the perfect shepherd and host, promises to guide, comfort and protect you through life, to bring you into his house FOREVER!

Psalm 23 is a message we must never forget or take for granted. Life is so busy that sometimes we feel we don't have time to spend with God, to rest and seek Him. Don't be mistaken in thinking you don't have time. When you rest in God He will strengthen and aid you to do all that you need to do to get through every situation. Not in your own strength but in His. He is your beautiful resting place.