By Daniel Kolenda
Fear No Evil
The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will 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 anoint my head with oil. My cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Psalm 23 (NKJV)
The focal point
David was a pretty good writer, wasn't he? Even just reading this psalm, I can feel strength in my heart. No wonder it has touched the souls of God's people for countless generations.
I want to start with that very first statement, because the first words of Psalm 23 are the linchpin. They are the focal point of the whole passage.
The Lord is my shepherd.
Declare it by faith to yourself right now. Do you believe that the Lord is the one who leads and guides and protects and restores your life?
No matter where you find yourself
The psalmist starts with that statement, then proceeds to list situations we might find ourselves in. One situation is we're on top of the mountain. Another is walking next to sparkling streams. Then we're in a beautiful meadow. And then suddenly we're in the valley of the shadow of death.
But no matter where I find myself, there is one thing I can be sure of: the Lord is my shepherd. That is why I don't fear anything. That is why I'm not worried about tomorrow. That's why I don't worry about the economy or the government or what's in my bank account. Because there is one thing that anchors me in all things: the Lord is my shepherd.
A shepherd's perspective
David was himself a shepherd. He understood how shepherds felt about their sheep, and he was able to relate to God through that lens. I wonder if David wrote this while he was still a shepherd boy in the field. Maybe after a day of leading his sheep through green pastures, rescuing a lamb from a wolf, passing through a shadowy valley.
Or maybe he wrote it years later, when he was king, thinking back on those old days. When he was a shepherd, he worried about lions and bears. Now he had to worry about murderous betrayers plotting against him. Maybe when he needed comfort, he would close his eyes and dream about those peaceful hills where he used to enjoy uninterrupted fellowship with God. And in those moments of turmoil, he remembered: the Lord is still my shepherd.
I may be in a different place in my life. I may miss the younger, simpler days. But even here, the Lord is still my shepherd.
I shall not want
What does it mean to say the Lord is my shepherd? It means He is going to take care of me. That's why the next statement is I shall not want.
These two go together. When it comes to faith, the most basic place we can land is this: the Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. And sometimes it's the hardest thing to wrap our heads around, because we wonder if God really cares about the practical needs of our lives.
We know God cares about eternity. We know He cares about our hearts. But does He care about my job? My marriage? My children? My health?
The Lord cares about the most basic elements of your life as much as He cares about your eternal destination. The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. That means you can trust Him. You are not going to lack anything you need.
Preach to yourself
We need to learn how to encourage ourselves in the Lord. David was talking to himself. The Bible says he encouraged himself in the Lord. He was preaching to himself.
Most of the time I'm preaching to myself. I preach myself into faith. And you can do that too. You don't need a pulpit or an audience. Just encourage yourself in the Lord.
The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not be afraid. The Lord is my shepherd. I'm going to trust him to take care of everything.
How do I know this? Because the Lord is my shepherd.
When the seed is all you have
Back when I was in Bible college, I was living by faith. I came to the end of my first semester and needed $2,000. I went to my bank account and I had $200.
I got down on my knees and prayed. “Lord, you see this need? You said you would provide.” And suddenly I realized something. I needed $2,000 and I had $200. Two hundred is the tithe of two thousand. The Lord gave me the seed to sow.
These words came to my heart: If what you have in your hand will not meet your need, it can't be your harvest. It must be your seed.
A joy came into my heart. I said, Lord, where would you like me to sow the seed? At that moment there was a knock on my door. A friend named Josh stood there with tears streaming down his face. He said, “I'm going around saying goodbye because I can't come back next semester. I need $300 for my dorm deposit and I only have $100.”
I said, “Josh, you knocked on the right door. I've got that $200 for you.”
I wrote him a check and he went off rejoicing. I shut the door and got back down on my knees. Many times the Lord will use you to meet someone else's need before He meets your own. But don't worry – the miracle for you is going to be even greater.
The money didn't come that day. At the end of the day, I went to the public library to check my email. I had a message from my dad. He said a letter came from an old family friend I hadn't seen in years. He sent a check to help with my Bible school bill. It was for $2,000.
Don't you love the way the Lord shows us He's interested in the details of our lives? He could have provided that money a hundred different ways, but He chose to do it in such a way that I would know: the Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want.
Choosing faith
I have this feeling we need to start preaching more about faith. I know some people have abused faith teaching. But I am not going to back off the Word of God. I have decided I'm going to be a faith man. I'm going to believe that it's God's will to bless me, because that's what His word says. I'm not going to let the devil steal my joy or my hope or my trust.
You can be a doubt person if you want. You can be skeptical and cynical. That's your business. But I'm choosing faith. I'm choosing to believe that God is good and His Word is true. I'm not waiting for the economy to improve. I've seen too much. I've tasted too much. I am an incurable believer in Jesus' name.
Why? Because the Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want.
A table in the presence of my enemies
Then he says: You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
This is my favorite line. People often misunderstand it. They think it means even though I have enemies around me, God will take care of me anyway. That's part of it. But that's not all.
You prepare a table. This is the language of feasting. Celebration. A lavish display. This is not nibbling bread while hiding behind a boulder. He's saying you're going to give me a feast, right before my enemies.
This is the ultimate revenge. They're over there cursing you, wishing for your destruction. Instead, they're going to watch your promotion. They want to see you ruined. Instead, they're going to see you prosper. And you're just feasting on the goodness of God.
Reinhard Bonnke used to tell a story about being in Africa. A group of witchdoctors marched around his hotel room all night cursing him. In the morning he opened the window and saw them still walking around, stark naked, exhausted. Bonnke shouted out, “Hey guys, I feel so bad for you. You worked so hard last night and I slept so well.”
What was he saying? You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
The people cursing you are going to wear themselves out. But you're going to feast. You ask, how should I answer my critics? Don't even give them the dignity of an answer. Don't stoop to their level. Let them rage. You just enjoy the feast God is giving you, right in the presence of your enemies.
The shadow is not the substance
He also says, you anoint my head with oil.
David says, “even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death.” We often use this at funerals. But he ends the psalm saying goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life. He's not talking about death. He's talking about the shadow of death.
A shadow is not substance. It is perception. Something blocks the light.
Have you ever felt like you were in that valley, walled in on all sides, wondering if you'd make it out alive? But that's not the place where you're going to die. David said you anoint my head with oil. It may feel like the end, but it is the place where God is going to anoint your life like never before. You're going to come out of that valley stronger, more anointed, walking in the power and presence of God.
You can't really know in the deepest part of you that the Lord is your shepherd until you pass through that valley, because it's on the other side that you look back and see: He never left me one step of the way.
Surely goodness and mercy
My cup runs over… I imagine those critics with their parched mouths, exhausted. Because being your enemy is a lot of work. All that tearing you down takes energy. But when they look at you, they see your cup so full it's splashing over. And you hold it up and say, “Hi, guys. The Lord is my shepherd.”
That's my revenge. The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. That's the answer to my critics.
Bonnke was asked one time, “What do you say to your critics?” He said, “My answer to my critics is the next campaign.”
And then David says, surely. Surely means without a doubt. Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life.
You don't have to chase good things when you follow the good Shepherd. The good things chase you. The world is full of people trying to satisfy themselves and they're never happy. But for those in the kingdom, it works opposite. Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. You don't chase them. They chase you. You follow him and they follow you.
Why? Because the Lord is my shepherd.
And the best part is this is not temporary. It's eternal. And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
We have the best shepherd! He's the only shepherd I know that lets the sheep live in the house. He's not just our shepherd. He's our father, our friend, our king. And He's a good, good God.
