- The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.
- He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters.
- He restores my soul;
- HE GUIDES ME IN THE PATHS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS for His name’s sake.
- Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil,
- for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
- You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
- You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows.
- Surely goodness and loving kindness will follow me all the days of my life,
- And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. (Psalms 23:1-6)
Sheep have a strong instinct to follow the sheep in front of them. When one sheep decides to go somewhere, the rest of the flock usually follows, even if it is not a good decision. For example, sheep will follow each other to slaughter. If one sheep jumps over a cliff, the others are likely to follow. Even from birth, lambs are conditioned to follow the older members of the flock. This instinct is ‘hard-wired’ into sheep. It’s not something they think about.
May we further identity with the sheep-like nature? Have we ever found ourselves listening to others instead of listening to what God say’s about us and then end up following mere men instead of following God’s perfect plan? Maybe we have blindly wandered somewhere we never thought because we did not seek God’s true wisdom. If not for the grace of God, we could follow, in our flesh, others around us, right until the end of my time. Therefore, we should be forever thankful for a loving shepherd who leads us in the right direction. I believe that David hand selected these wonderful words, “THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD” to remind himself and us, of God’s goodness.
Let us fear no evil, for Jesus is with us…Bill Stockham