Psalm 23: 1 – 3 NLT
The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 he refreshes my soul.
Sometimes Christmas season can be stressful. Maybe our plans didn’t go the way we thought they would. Maybe it was exhausting as you tried to do your best getting ready. Now it’s over, and you sigh and think about the New Year. What will it bring? Anything better? Worse? This week the devotions are going to concentrate on encouraging you to trust that God has you in his care.
The fact that Jesus is our shepherd is so crucial to living well. The past few years have been difficult. Today many people seem to be on edge, much more willing to argue and put relationships into rocky territory. Depression and mental instability have increased. It’s been hard! So, this week, the devotions are going to focus on our relationship with God. Our need of a shepherd.
“The LORD is my shepherd.” We’re not talking about a good earthly leader here. We’re talking about the LORD. We’re talking about Jesus, part of the Trinity.
“Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.
He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation,[ HYPERLINK \l “fen-NLT-29441a”a]
16 for through him God created everything
in the heavenly realms and on earth.
He made the things we can see
and the things we can’t see –
such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world.
Everything was created through him and for him.
17 He existed before anything else,
and he holds all creation together.” (Colossians 1: 15 – 17 NLT)
What do shepherds do? Simple question, but do you really believe that God cares for you and is looking after you? Do you really believe that God is “smarter” than you, knows more than you do? Do you really believe that God knows how to care for you, more than you do? Stop and think for a moment. Perhaps you need to pray and thank God for his care for you. Remind yourself that you are not struggling with life all alone. He is your shepherd.
“I lack nothing”, The New Living Translation says, “I have all that I need.” The King James version says, “I shall not want”. Our Good Shepherd says he will provide all that we need. If you are feeling unsettled, perhaps feeling like life has cheated you a little, stop and think. Start making a list of all the good things in your life that God has provided. Think of that moment in your past when you were at your wits’ end, and God settled you down. Life may not be easy, but God will make sure you have what you need.
“He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul”. I find the phrase “He makes me” rather interesting. There is a sense of force in that phrase – someone doing something to you that you might not want. It reminds me of times as a parent with young children when I stepped in and made them do something for their own good. Read that verse again. What is God making you do? Can you think of a time in your life when you were sidelined from busy activity and afterward you realized that God had stopped you for a reason?
I tend to like life to be busy – feeling like I’ve accomplished something. But rushing around really doesn’t lead to peace and a sense of security. We need those moments when we feel loved and accepted. “He leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul”. Take some time to just concentrate on who he is. Take some time to praise him, to focus on how wonderful our God is. Knowing he is my shepherd changes everything.
“I am the good shepherd. I know my own sheep, and they know me.” (John 10: 14)
Our song for today is The Lord’s My Shepherd by Stuart Townend.