The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.  Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. 
(Psalm 23)

Provision and Protection

A good shepherd watches over his sheep and keeps them from danger. So too the Lord watches over us as the Good Shepherd when we trust and rely on Him to provide for all our needs. Even though our enemies are present and up to no good, this scripture indicates that we are still blessed and provided for. This is encouraging to me in that we don’t have to live in perpetual fear, unforgiveness, or anxiety. We are released to enjoy our lives in the presence of our opposition because we are protected and provided for by the Lord in spite of what are adversaries try to do to us.

In this world we will find an abundance of negativity, depression, anxiety and the like, but the Lord has promised to restore our soul. (Psalm 23:3) I had a dream one night that the Lord gave me a shot with this huge needle. When I asked Him what that was all about He replied, “I am inoculating you against the negativity which is to come.” Boy! Do I know what He means now! It seems that the love of many is growing colder and the world is filled with an increasing negativity and pessimistic attitude. One synonym for the word inoculate is to protect.

The Struggle

Our soul is made up of our free-will, emotions and thought patterns. Remember that we are spirits that live in a body and possess a soul. We are definitely effected by the principalities and powers that are in this world. The Bible says we battle not against flesh and blood but against spiritual beings in heavenly places. The battlefield is in our mind or soul and the struggle is to recognize that we are in a spiritual battle.

 “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:12)

I am also reminded of the scripture found in Matthew 24:10-14:

“At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people.  Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.  And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.”

In the Valley

The valley of the shadow of death indicates a dark place or a hard place to live or exist. This is a place of evil foreboding or a feeling that something bad is going to happen. During this time the Lord promises to be with us protecting us with His rod and directing us with His staff. (Psalm 23:4) This scripture assures that we will fear no evil. This is only because of the One who is with us, Jesus Christ himself.

The Lord is stronger than our enemies so as long as we stay with the Good Shepherd the wolves won’t devour us.

The Decree

Psalm 23 is decreeing that surely goodness and mercy shall follow us all the days of our lives. A promise to those who believe, follow, and trust in Jesus Christ. The house of the Lord is our eternal place of dwelling in mansions not made with human hands.

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me.  My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.  You know the way to the place where I am going.” (John 14:2 NIV)

“In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.” (John 14:2 KJV)

The Lord has promised those who believe in him will live in mansions with many rooms. I dreamt last night that I was living in one of those mansions. It had big, beautiful, spacious rooms overlooking oceans and streams filled with green pastures and still waters. In my dream people were canoeing and playing throughout nature. It was a peaceful, lush place that I longed for. Sounds like what I have heard some describe as heaven.

The Present

The beauty of Psalm 23 is that it is all encompassing. It covers are present and our future state. We can experience the Lord’s peace, provision, protection and power right now! If we simply follow the Good Shepherd and stay within His flock, we will be protected. Our Lord is so wonderful that if only one sheep strays He will go after it. He wishes none to perish.

“If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off?  And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off.  In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.” (Matthew 18:12-14)

The Holy Spirit

We have a Helper that manifests the power of the Lord. The Holy Spirit is with us and teaches us how to live overcoming lives. It is the Holy Spirit whom gives us revelation to what the scriptures mean and how to apply these truths to our everyday lives. The Holy Spirit is the third person of the trinity which endues us with power. It is not our power but the power of the Holy Spirit working through us that keeps us in alignment with God’s will.

“But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.  Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:26-27)

There is no real peace in the world. Because of all the turmoil and unrest in the world lasting peace is fleeting. The peace that comes from the Lord is a permanent peace a peace that is unshakeable because it is the peace of knowing we are sheltered under the wing of the Almighty. He promises that He will never leave nor forsake us. People will let you down and abandon you, but the Lord will always be the Good Shepherd to those who believe and follow him.  When we live in His presence we will find peace, provision, protection, and power.