BY: Pastor Luis Rodriguez
As the news that we been receiving this past couple of weeks, with many of our members being sick with covid-19, some who are in the hospital, some battling cancer, and some mourning, it seems that we can’t catch a break at the start of this year, with everything that is going on, made me remember Psalm 23.
I love this Psalm, it is a Psalm that has always comfort me, the beginning is beautiful, the words “The Lord is my shepherd” beautiful words of comfort that king David writes, it is a reminder that the Lord is our shepherd, and as a shepherd he is looking after us, caring and a healer to his sheep, the next phrase “ I lack nothing” a reminder that he has given us everything, and we don’t need more, he is enough, as Christians we must always remember that his Holy Spirit is in us, and that Jesus is enough, his salvation is enough, he is our shepherd and he sustain us.
“He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me besides quiet waters, he refreshes my soul” this next verses reminding us the caring nature of God as our shepherd, that he leads us to green pastures, so that we can be feed and nourish, he leads us along the quiet waters so we can remain clam, and lastly the word’s he refreshes my soul, in this rough beginning to our year, with all the bad news that seem to be never ending each week in our church, we must remember that in this hard time our shepherd refreshes our soul, maybe just maybe, all we have to do in the mist of all this news, is just to take a moment to stop reflect on this words and let God nourish us and refresh our soul. In other words, maybe all we must do is to be still and know that He is God and that He is still I control.
“Even though I walk through the darkest valley” he is our guide as our shepherd, he leads along and although the road may be dark, and it may seem that we cannot see the light and the end of the road, we know that our shepherd is with us, and because he is with us “I will fear no evil, for you are with me”, the assurance of our shepherd in our life’s, gives us peace in the mist of the darkest valley, for he is with us and because he is with us we will fear no evil for our God is mighty, and he is our protector. “Your rod and your staff, they comfort me” the shepherd uses his staff to guide the sheep, directing them and setting boundaries, he uses his rod as a weapon against predators. By guiding them into safe places and fighting off their enemies, the shepherd’s rod and staff were a comfort to the sheep. He keeps us from going astray and He is our protector and our comforter and in this time of darkness we must remember that he is our protector and because he is with us we shall fear no evil.
“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.” This picture in this next verse may be misunderstood by our standards but it may reflect one of two things, (1) a description of God’s protection and power, in this case in David’s life as he could feast in safety and security even thought he was surrounded by enemies, or (2) this could represent a victory fest at which David celebrated the defeat of his enemies, who were his prisoners without weapons and no longer dangerous. But what we can know for certain is this, is that if the Lord is my shepherd, He will keep us safe even in the middle of our enemies.
“You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows”, pastors apply oil in the heads of the sheep to help alleviate the pain produce from larva from flies that lay their eggs in the nostrils of the sheep, this larva torment the sheep to a point that the sheep may take its own life because of the pain, so the oil alleviates this pain caused by the larva, in the same way God’s Holy Spirit alleviates us from the pain of this world, we are anointed in Jesus Christ with his blood, the Lord is my shepherd, a word of assurance that our God is always looking after us and because he is always looking after us we can surely say “my cup overflows”.
And if you have made it this far on this beautiful Psalm, we can end with these beautiful words that culminate the nature of God and his love toward us and his care for us as our Shepherd. “Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever” what beautiful words of reassurance in this time, in the mist of the problems, in the middle of the pandemic, in our walk in the darkest valley, his goodness and his love will follow us all the days of our life. May God bless you in this time, and as we took this journey through this Psalm my prayer is that you can find that peace and reassurance that the Lord is our shepherd, and we lack nothing.