There was an elderly pastor who had been forced to retire. Years of preaching had caused his voice to crack. One day he was invited to a high society luncheon by a friend. A famous actor was present who was asked to recite something for the guests. He agreed to do so but asked if anyone had a specific request. The elderly pastor said; “How about the 23rd Psalm?” The actor replied; “I happen to know it, but I’ll do it on one condition, you recite it after me.” The pastor had not bargained for that, but agreed to do so. The actor recited the Psalm with great intonation of his lyrical voice. When he was done, everyone applauded. The pastor then stood and spoke the Psalm in his humble way with a cracking voice. When he was done, there was not a dry eye in the room. Sensing the emotion of the moment, the actor stood and said; “you clapped for me, but you wept for him. The difference is obvious; I know the psalm, but he knows the Shepherd.”

Left on their own, sheep will starve.

Sheep do not have enough sense to move to greener pastures when their own is stripped of foliage. They will wander off into traps and stand helpless while predators stalk them. Of all God’s creatures, few are more helpless than sheep. Isn’t it interesting that God calls us His sheep? We may often think that we have complete control over our lives, and yet we sometimes find ourselves helpless. When we admit weakness, that is our strength because we understand our need for God. He will provide for us, guide us from place to place, and never leave us alone. He truly is the Good Shepherd. The opening words of the 23rd Psalm “The Lord is my Shepherd” implies the relationship that David had with God.

Phillip Keller in his book “A Shepherd looks at Psalm 23,” wrote this: “One of the outstanding marks of a Christian should be a serene sense of gentle contentment.” He also shared several attitudes to allow us to move forward in our walk with God:

• Instead of loving myself most, I am willing to love Christ most
• Instead of being one of the crowd, I am willing to be singled out
• Instead of asserting my rights, I am willing to forego them in favor of others
• Instead of choosing my way, I am willing to choose to follow in Christ’s way

We can do those when we commit ourselves to spending time in His Word daily, and making a concerted effort in spending time talking with Him. We should be known as the most contented people on earth knowing that we are always in the case of the Divine Shepherd, Jesus Christ.  In knowing the Shepherd, we follow where He would lead us.