Over the next year, devotions will come from the 23rd Psalm.  The opening words of this Psalm are “The Lord is my Shepherd”.  You may ask what are the duties of a shepherd?  One of the foremost is to keep their flock intact and protect them from predators.  A good shepherd also needs to show great concern for his sheep by providing them with nourishment and rest.  He guides them and leads the way.  One other item of extreme importance is to know that the sheep recognize the voice of the shepherd.  You could also take shepherd as synonymous with “protector”.

Without a shepherd, sheep are prone to wandering off from the flock.  Wandering off can be dangerous for a host of reasons. Sheep just do not take care of themselves.  They require more care than any other class of livestock.  It should be no accident then, but that God has chosen to call us sheep.  Reflect now on the person of Christ.  Suddenly, like David, we can state proudly, The Lord is my Shepherd.  He was and is the Good Shepherd, and the concerned Shepherd, who cares enough to seek out, save, and restore both men and women.

Jesus, and no one else, is better able to understand and care for you.  There is a tragic truth that may come into play here.  To merely admit that He is their Shepherd and then go about satisfying one’s self with worldly pleasures and nothing more, is not following Him.  We either belong or we don’t.  One must also ask “Do I really belong to Him”?  “Do I sense His purpose and deep contentment because I am under His direction?”  “Do I respond to His authority in my life and acknowledge His direction?”  If you can answer yes to those questions, then like David, you can proudly proclaim “The Lord is my Shepherd”.  You can flourish and thrive no matter what life may bring to you.  Next month, “I shall not want”.