Let Me Not Wander

Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. (NIV) What an amazing passage this has been. Verse five ended with King David finally just saying, It's too much! I'm saturated with God's goodness! Now David is summarizing for us, giving us one final thought on the Good Shepherd. His final though begins with " Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life... " He accepts this with faith. He believes that God's goodness and God's lovingkindness will follow him every single day of this life. And it will. It will follow your life as well. God never sets aside His love in the name of judgment. God is a just God, and God is love. These two things do not contradict in Him. He does not have any inner dilemmas like we might have from time to time. I would like you to notice though the final statement is a statement of response, but also responsibility. Da...

You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. (NIV) Anointing the head with oil could mean two different things. It could be referring to his kingship, and that his head was anointed as king. But according to the context of the passage, it more likely referring to the favor that is being shown to him. We can see in the New Testament how anointing with oil can be a sign of respect for an honored guest. As you read through this passage, you can get the real sense of the author culminating to this point and almost being at a loss for words. He gets to this point in his writing and just begins to use these short statements. He is amazed at the favor that the Good Shepherd shows him and finally wraps it up by saying, "my cup overflows." The word overflows means literally saturated. It would be as if you were talking about how good something is and then said, "...it's... it's just too much." So many of us miss the saturated lives we live because we ...

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. (NIV) As the king of Israel, the author of this Psalm dealt with the idea of enemies on a daily basis. There were always people trying to kill him or dethrone him. Most of us who read this psalm don't have to deal with those type of issues, even if we have people who we might consider enemies. David dealt with these things in many different ways. Many times he would cry out to God for judgment on these enemies. This verse isn't telling us about his desires though, it is telling us about what the Good Shepherd does. Notice here God's provision once again. A table has been prepared, and it is a king's table intended for private use by the king. Both the word " before " and the word " presence " have to do with being right in front of . I get the picture of David facing off against his enemies, when they find a table between them. See, I used to think this was a in your face ki...

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. (NIV) The Good Shepherd has lead you beside the quiet waters, He has guided you down the paths of righteousness, yet we still end up in the valley of the shadow of death. This is an easily missed point, but being led by the Shepherd doesn't mean you don't go through the valleys. Sometimes the best pastures are on the other side of the valley. Notice in this verse that the psalmist knows this. He knows that the shepherd is still with him, so he does not fear. In these times he isn't comforted by the softness of the shepherd, he is comforted by the fact that the Shepherd carries a big stick. He knows that whatever comes this way will be handled by the Shepherd. What about you? Where are you at today? Are you in a valley or on top of the greenest pasture? Remember the Shepherd today. If you...

He restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness          for his name's sake. (NIV) He brings your soul back. He restores it. He restores that soul to the place that it should have been before the fall of man. The soul is referring to who that man is, it refers to the seat of appetites and emotions. It is the very base of what drives what you want . If the Good Shepherd will restore your soul, and in essence, change you at your roots, then you will be fulfilled in Him. As He restores your soul, He will also lead you in the well beaten path of righteousness. I am calling it a well-beaten path because the word has to do with an entrenchment or a track. For us the path of righteousness has been walked by Christ. He came to this earth and walked that path. He cleared out the obstacles and has made the way straight. Through the Bible we can see the path of righteousness, but we are serving a Good Shepherd who will continue to ...

He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, (NIV) We see two things here, lying down and being led, we see food and drink. These things speak of resting, of peace, of nourishment, of guidance. When we are in Christ we have all that we need. I would say though that we need to consider all that we need, for truly all that we need is Christ Himself. (consider John 6:25-59 ) Some people come to Jesus as if he is some genie in a bottle. Just when you need something, you pray a passage like psalm 23 and as long as you have enough faith, He will give you what you want. There are some who continue this way, when all along Christ is attempting to change those wants. HE is attempting to transform you. If you seek Him today, the Good Shepherd will lead you beside the waters and show you where to rest.

The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. (NIV) Next to the Lord's Prayer, which can be found in Matthew 6 , this passage is one of the most quoted passages by the world. You can hear it all of the time being quoted in movies and on TV. It is used like it is some sort of magic charm. Usually you will hear it when someone is afraid, they tend to focus on the part that says, ".. though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil ..." But if they knew what this verse was really saying, would they be using it as often as they do? Consider this verse. With the Lord as your shepherd, you will not be in want. Hollywood is all about want . It is about a continual lust for more, yet when someone has the Lord as their shepherd, they won't be in want. That word want means to be lacking or to be diminished . In Christ we do not lack. Psalm 34:10 says, "The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thi...