This is another meditation from Psalm 23. The more I meditate on this Psalm, the more I see what a powerful tool it is to preach truth to myself. Today, I am confronting my doubts and fears head-on with Psalm 23:1.
“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want” (Psalm 23:1)
For something I can say with confidence, how often have I neglected this marvelous reality? Anxieties, fears, and doubts will often creep into my life and make me doubt that the LORD truly is my Shepherd. Yet, this Psalm forces me to consider this amazing truth and reckon with it.
This is the statement of the Holy Spirit about His relationship to His people. The only question for me to answer is, “Will I take God at His Word, or not?” If so, confidence, peace, and assurance are mine to enjoy for every step of my journey. If not, I will not experience the peace and joy that are mine in Christ. Also, there are root issues of my heart that need to be addressed, especially my belief about the LORD’s character.
If I do not receive this Psalm of relationship with confidence, then I am questioning the character of my Shepherd. This must not only cause grief in the heart of the Spirit (Ephesians 4:30), but it also robs me of the blessing of resting in His care. This does not affect the faithful care of the Shepherd for me, because He is a faithful Shepherd. He will faithfully care for His own no matter our faith. Yet, it robs me of the joy and rest that can be mine in trusting Him. This is needless and foolish for me. The abundant life the Shepherd offers me is mine for the taking, if I will trust Him to be my sufficiency (John 10:10).
Scripture quotations for this post are from the KJV.
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