Psalm 23:1 — The Lord is My Personal Shepherd

Psalm 23:1 gives us the comforting promise, “The Lord is My Shepherd. I shall not want.” What does this mean?

But before we dive in, let’s consider some foundational observations about this psalm.

As we begin our look at Psalm 23, we have to overcome a few negatives. Granted, these are negatives on our part, but we should be aware of them. Here are the problems.

Psalm 23 is Not Just For Hard Times

First of all, Psalm 23 always shows up at funerals. Now that’s a good thing because funerals are very trying times. But we begin to assume it applies only to those times.

That’s not the case.

Psalm 23 is not just for funerals.

Psalm 23 and the Consequences of Familiarity

The 2nd negative is that we’ve become extra familiar with Psalm 23. And you know how it is when you’re extra familiar with something? You don’t notice things anymore.

You can’t see the forest for the trees.

If you take a minute to walk around your home right now and, slow down, and reflect, do you know what you’ll say? “I didn’t notice that.” Or, “I didn’t know that needed attention.” Why? Because you walk by it every day. You see it all the time. And after a while, things don’t register anymore.

And that can easily happen with Psalm 23.

Almost everybody has seen this psalm at one time or another, probably at a funeral or hanging on somebody’s wall. And we get so familiar with it that we miss the depths in this psalm about the Good Shepherd. Right there in plain sight.

Psalm 23:1 — The LORD is My Shepherd

Psalm 23 starts off with 5 unforgettable words: The LORD is my shepherd.

These words in Psalm 23:1 set the stage for everything to come.

Keep in mind that when you read this psalm that our shepherd is not the Lord, but the LORD.

What’s the difference?

When you see the LORD in all caps, this is God’s name. His name. It’s what you might call him in a conversation with him. It’s very personal.

And it’s intimate.

Sometimes the words the Lord refer to a title. When you see the Lord in lower case letters, that’s a title.

But the LORD, in uppercase, is his name.

Because God is personal. A shepherd is personal.

When you look at Exodus chapter 3, he breaks the name down to I Am. I Am is theological shorthand for God saying, “I am whoever you need me to be.”

“Do you need help? I’ll be your helper.”

“You need provisions? I’ll be your provider.”

All of our needs are vastly different. Who do you need God to be? That’s what He is. And he would say, “I Am.” That’s who I am.

I am who you need me to be.

The Beginning & The End

Here’s another fascinating thing. In the original languages, they didn’t use vowels. But all the letters in the Hebrew alphabet have a numerical value.

When you go to Psalm 23 verse 4, you will see a phrase, “for thou art with me.” Now, the numerical value of all those letters equals 26. And this is significant.

Let me explain. You have to understand that in the Old Testament, ancient writers didn’t write like we do. When we write, we have paragraphs, we have titles, we have indentations, we have bold lettering. There’s a number of ways that we can bring attention to the main points.

However, in Old Testament times, they didn’t write like that. In fact, their manuscripts really were just letters. They didn’t even put in periods. They just wrote and you figured it out as you went.

So, how did you know what the theme was or the important point?

What’s the heart of this psalm?

If you look closely, you’ll see that the word LORD, God’s name, appears only in verse 1 and in verse 6. Once in the beginning and once at the end of the psalm.

So the whole poem is wrapped in the word “LORD.”

The LORD Is With Me

Remember the phrase, “for thou art with me“? The phrase that has a numerical value of 26 in the original Hebrew?

There are 26 words in the Hebrew text before that phrase and 26 words after that phrase.

Which means the heart of the song is “thou art with me.”

All of us, at least once in our lives, have asked, “Where is God?”. He was right there with us.

Now, it often doesn’t feel like it. And when we go by feelings, we doubt God.

But in this Psalm God is telling us that He is with us. The shepherd is always with his sheep.

Why is that? Because sheep aren’t smart. They can’t be left alone. They need constant guidance and protection.

So why would anyone want to be a shepherd? Often it was not a voluntary choice. After all, it was the lowest job on the totem pole.

David was a shepherd. Why? Because he was the youngest. He got stuck with the dirty work.

Why would God want to be our shepherd?

Because He wants you and me to live flourishing, full lives. In other words, God wants us to live fully alive and it’s fully available.

Psalm 23: 1 — The Good Shepherd Provides

Let’s go back to Psalm 23:1 for a minute. There we read, “The LORD is my shepherd.”

Jesus said in John 10:11, “I am the good shepherd.”

Here’s what I know about shepherds. They have to continually move the flock to get them in the right environment. Sheep need plenty of food and water, and shepherds make sure they get that. That’s just what shepherds do.

Here’s what I know about God. He has to get you and me in the right environment if we’re going to be and live fully alive.

Environments matter.

Moments Vs. Lives

Now here’s a misconception about living fully alive. We associate fully alive moments with a fully alive life.

The problem with moments is that they’re just moments. When the Dodgers won the World Series, that’s a moment. And then it’s over. Been there, done that. Let’s move on to next year.

Now, moments may be incredible. They’re fun. They’re full of life. But in the end, they’re just moments.

And I’m not underestimating the power of moments. Of great experiences. We live in an experience economy. We pay for experiences all the time. And I don’t want to discount that. And they create great memories.

But life is more than just experiences. And eventually we must return to what we would call the common life.

Full Life Vs. Fully Alive

Another misconception is that living a full life leads to living life fully alive.

Here’s what I mean. There are a lot of people who feel like if I can get all my possessions in place, if I can get the position at work that I’ve always wanted, or if I can get the power over the group, then I’m all set. We equate that with living fully alive.

And those things may actually turn out to be thieves and keep you from living fully alive.

Environment Matters

In order for us to live fully alive, God has to get you and me into the right environment.

Environment is huge.

Think of the story of Joseph in the Old Testament. Joseph had dreams as a teenager. But his brothers–his half-brothers–hated him. They sold him into slavery. And you would have thought that was a major strike against him. It seems obvious that God’s not around.

Joseph winds up in Egypt. He works for an Egyptian. And he’s accused of rape. He has to go to prison. Although he probably went to prison because the woman’s husband didn’t believe her, but he had to do something. Otherwise he would’ve killed him. Instead, he puts him in prison.

Life isn’t going well for Joseph. Now he’s in prison. But in Genesis 39:21 it says the Lord was with him.

How do you explain that?

Here’s how: Joseph was in the environment God wanted him to be in.

Now, I’m not suggesting you go out and break the law, so you get thrown in prison so you can tell God, “OK, I’m in prison now, just like Joseph was. I need you to show up.” That’s probably not the best way to go about it.

But if we reflect back on how God moved us from environment to environment until he got us to just the right environment, we would all be surprised. It usually wouldn’t be things we would have chosen for ourselves.

Environments Matter Today

Let me give you three examples from our own culture and our own time.

The first example is Mark Cuban. He’s always been an entrepreneur. He started selling trash bags as a teenager. And today, he’s regularly investing in new businesses. Now, how can he do that? Because he’s in America. America is the best place in the world to start a business. If you want to be an entrepreneur, this is the environment to be in. The American environment.

Then I think of Beth Moore. In her early adult life, Beth Moore was leading an exercise class, and she needed a little bigger space. So she went to a large church in town to ask about using space there. They said she could use their building, but she’d have to go to church there & become a member there to do it. But she was already attending a different church. And she didn’t want to leave her church. But one thing led to another and she wound up joining the new church. Then she started leading a Bible study in that new church. Today, her Bible studies have sold millions and millions and millions of copies. Why? God put her in the right environment.

We see ourselves as living in a puny little world. We think, “I’m in this little old box.” But we can’t think of everything. And we can’t do everything. God brings different people around us, different events, different experiences, and different ideas.

And when you get people in the right environment, you never know what might happen. You may be amazed at the growth that you might see out of a particular person or group when the proper pieces are put in place for them.

Environments and My Dad

I’m reminded of my dad. My dad started working when he was nine years old. He did everything from plucking chickens to moving furniture to running cranes. And over time, my dad built a reputation for working hard and going above and beyond.

My dad did things that most people don’t do when they’re working a job. My dad was a crane operator and nobody ever did what he did. First of all, he never stopped for lunch. When the men on the job stopped for lunch, you know what my dad did? He always had a box of rags on hand and he would wipe his crane down.

And then on each job, he would count. Count the number of bolts the men could put in in a day. Now who does that? Nobody. So they put in 482 bolts today. What are you going to do with that information? Nothing. Unless God gets you into an environment where you are actually running the business and bidding on work. And you know exactly how many bolts can go in a day. So when you count up all the bolts on those blueprints, you know exactly how long it’s going to take.

Long story short, my dad eventually got a job with a very, very small company that was on the verge of bankruptcy. And he turned the entire company around into a multi-million dollar business. But it took the right environment.

Your Environment

Most of us are one environment away. We could be two or three. Could you imagine if you were just one environment away from living fully alive? Incredible.

My point is, God can get you into the right environment so that you can be who he designed you to be. But you must do your part.

Church may not be a word most think of when it comes to environment. Usually the first thought would be about your workplace, or your neighborhood–where you’re going to buy a house and live–, and things like that.

But your local church experience is a foundational part of your life.

So many quit going to church. Life gets busy. Or people move and it’s hard to get plugged in a new place again. Pretty soon, staying home on Sundays becomes a habit. If that’s you, keep looking for a church home until you find one where you can serve others and be helped spiritually.

You need that spiritual environment and community.

The Shepherd, The Savior

Of course, if you’re like me when I was 17 years old, you may never had made a commitment to live for Christ. You may never have turned from sin and accepted Christ as your Savior.

First, you must realize that you are a sinner, just like the Bible says, and because of your sin, there’s no way to get into heaven. Because sin and holiness don’t mix. And God is infinitely holy.

So how do you put an utterly sinful person together with a holy God?

The cross. Jesus Christ comes right in between us, dies on the cross for our sins, and breaks down the barrier between us and God.

And all I did that day many years ago was repent of my sins, tell God I was sorry, and commit my life to live for Him. And now I’ve walked with God for over 50 years.

My challenge would be, if you were like I was, to commit your life to Christ today.

Today.

Simply ask God to forgive you of your sins, ask Jesus Christ to be your Savior, and turn your life over to Him.

The Next Step

What has disrupted your potential to live fully alive?

Ignore the disruptions, and take the next step towards your next environment.