Who/What is your shepherd?

A few years back our small group did a study on Psalm 23 and if I’m being honest, I wasn’t too excited about it, “Psalm 23, so cliché, I want some meat and potatoes” I thought. Little did I know it would become one of my favorite and most meaningful studies to date.

23 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

What encouragement. The psalmist, David, wrote Psalm 23 while in the Judean wilderness. I don’t know if you know much about the Judean wilderness, but it’s not filled with plush green pastures and still waters; it’s a dry, barren, desert land. David knew that regardless of his circumstances, when He was allowing the Lord to shepherd his life he didn’t have to worry, he could live from a place of rest and restoration, a place of comfort and confidence, knowing that not only would he be taken care of and provided for, but that the Lord would restoreth his soul and lead him in paths of righteousness for his own namesake. What encouragement, the Lord is never going to go against his word because he cares too much about his namesake; that to me is extremely encouraging and something to stand firm on. David knew that even though he might walk through the valley of the shadow of death, he wouldn’t fear because his Shepherd was providing for and protecting him.

Do you feel like you are living from a place of provision and rest? Do you feel like you are in plush green pastures, beside still waters? Or do you feel like you’re weary, exhausted, and living in a dry and barren desert land? Do you feel like your battery is on overdrive, unable to tell up from down with no time for genuine renewal?

Very quickly into this study, I realized I was not living from a place of restoration in Jesus, I was exhausted, spent, and quite frankly at my breaking point in almost every aspect of my life. I came to realize that in that season, the Lord was not my shepherd. Work, kids, expectations, and performance was not only shepherding my life, but it was sucking every ounce of life out of me.

As we prepare for the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, let me ask you, who or what are you allowing to shepherd your life? Let’s not allow the expectations of modern-day life to Shepherd us, let’s be intentional about allowing the Lord to Shepherd us. When the Lord is our Shepherd, not only are we able to live from a place of rest and restoration in Jesus, but there’s protection, provision, and confidence in the person and work of Christ.

Written by Britnee Barnes