He is doing severa devos on the Psalms, the most recent being Psalm 23.
This is how he starts his devo: “Like many of the songs found in the Bible, Psalm 23 states its case in the first verse and simply verifies it in the remainder of the song.” Do many of our church songs give the theme of the song in the first verse? “On bended knee I come”. “He paid a debt He did not owe, I owed a debt I could not pay.” “Walking in sunlight all of my journey”. “Holy, Holy, Holy”. “We read of a place that’s called heaven.” “A mighty fortress is our God”. And on we could go. Yes, the first verse usually gives the theme of the song.
Swindoll continues: “The key thought is this: Because the Lord is my Shepherd, I shall lack nothing! No uncertainty should frighten me. Here is the way the theme of Psalm 23 is played out in the balance of David’s famous song:
I shall not lack rest or provision—why? He makes me lie down in green pastures. I shall not lack peace—why? He leads me beside quiet waters. I shall not lack restoration or encouragement when I faint, fail, or fall—why? He restores my soul. I shall not lack guidance or fellowship—why? He guides me in the paths of righteousness. I shall not lack courage when my way is dark—why? Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil. I shall not lack companionship—why? You are with me. I shall not lack constant comfort—why? Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. I shall not lack protection or honor—why? You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. I shall not lack power—why? You have anointed my head with oil. I shall not lack abundance—why? My cup overflows. I shall not lack God’s perpetual presence—why? Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. I shall not lack security—why? I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
Great job on today’s devo. I hope he doesn’t mind me just copying some of his devos while giving him the credit. Notice David says “The Lord is my shepherd”. Not “the Lord is a shepherd” or “the Lord can be or is your shepherd”, though both of those things are true. This is personal with David. He was a shepherd himself as a young boy. Samuel found him out shepherding the sheep when he anointed him to be the next king of Israel after Saul. David told Saul when facing Goliath: 1 Samuel 17:34 But David said to Saul, “Your servant was tending his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and took a sheep from the flock, 35 I went out after it and attacked it, and rescued the sheep from its mouth; and when it rose up against me, I grabbed it by its mane and struck it and killed it. 36 Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, since he has defied the armies of the living God.” David knew what it meant to be a shepherd caring for the safety of the sheep. He also knew what it meant to him to have the Lord as His shepherd caring for his safety and victory over his enemies.
God said that He took David from shepherding sheep to be the shepherd/king of Israel. Psalm 78:70 He also chose His servant David and took him from the sheepfolds; 71 From the care of the ewes with nursing lambs He brought him to shepherd Jacob His people, and Israel His inheritance. 72 So he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart, and guided them with his skillful hands.”
The prophets even predicted that David would be the shepherd over the Messianic remnant of Jews who would accept Jesus as the Messiah. Ezekiel 34:23 “Then I will appoint over them one shepherd, My servant David, and he will feed them; he will feed them himself and be their shepherd.” That, of course, was fulfilled figuratively in Jesus being the good shepherd (John 10) of the sheep.
But the bottom line is: Is the Lord my shepherd and I lack none of those things listed in Swindoll’s devo? Go back through that list again. Think about each one of those things. Can you say that the Lord (and Jesus) is your personal shepherd who does all those things for you? Am I lacking peace in my life, courage, etc.? God and Jesus can provide everything I need but I must humble myself to realize that I cannot provide those things. I must trust my shepherd Jesus just like a sheep trusts his shepherd. Jesus is our king, our Savior, our Redeemer, our Lord, our bread of life, our Creator, our High Priest, etc. but there is no more personal, down to earth, relationship of Jesus to us than as our shepherd. That would mean a whole lot more to us if we had ever shepherded sheep, but it can still mean a lot to us.
Psalm 23 is a song meant to be sung with instruments. There are great songs taken from Psalm 23.
This next one has a nice thought: “Just say it (the 23rd Psalm) to yourself until you believe it.” On youtube.
Leanna Crawford, Ben Fuller, David Leonard – Still Waters (Psalm 23) [Acoustic] (Lyric Video)
Leanna Crawford – Still Waters (Psalm 23) (Music Video)
Here’s one of the Psalm 23 songs in our church books, acapella. “The Lord my shepherd is.”
Nicky's Notes 