King David is a phenomenal biblical character that I admire especially because of his relationship with God. When I read the book of Psalms and go through his writings, all I see is a man who demonstrated so much vulnerability in his relationship with God.

One of the psalms that always gets me is Psalm 23 — arguably the most popular Psalm. I know what you’re thinking — Psalm 23 is just a simple one right? We were even made to memorize it growing up in children’s church and I bet you can still recite it off the top of your head. This psalm may seem so simple but it is so powerful and we will talk about it today.

The first line of the psalm is what the whole psalm is built on — THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD. To help us understand the psalm, we must understand how important the job of a shepherd was. In the time of King David’s era, the economy was largely agrarian with focus on livestock and crops, so being a shepherd was serious business. Shepherds took their jobs very seriously, they guided the sheep with their entire being because they are in charge of a person’s or a family’s livelihood. David himself was once a shepherd before becoming a king, and he understood what it meant to be a shepherd — the sacrifices, the industry, and the diligence required. He knew the lengths he went to care for his sheep, so when he called the Lord his shepherd, he knew exactly what it meant. The Lord is my Shepherd — the one in charge of my life.

There was an understanding David had about who a shepherd was such that he could write a whole psalm and we would be examining this psalm together and see how we can relate with it.

Verse 1: “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.”
Brethren, because the Lord is your shepherd, you shall not lack anything good. The Lord knows your needs and he shall supply according to His riches in glory. Remember this every day, that the one who is in charge of your life has the power to provide all that you need. Isn’t this just so reassuring?

Verse 2: “He makes me to lie down in green pastures, he leads me besides the still waters.”
This verse reminds me that God is concerned with the nourishment of my body. One of the responsibilities of the shepherd is to ensure the wellbeing of his sheep. If you are a sheep, My shepherd will definitely nourish the body of His sheep with the best of the land.

There is a reason why we can say there is a lifting up when others say there is a casting down. There is a reason why we can smile when the economy isn’t looking like it’s in our favour. It is because we know that our shepherd is leading us to the green pasture, the best that there is.

Verse 3: “He restores my soul, He leads me in the path of righteousness for His name’s sake.”
The Hebrew word that translates to restore actually means to bring back or refresh. Even when my soul wanders, the grace of God is enough to bring restoration and refreshing. I like how the Amplified version puts it:

“He refreshes and restores my life (my self); He leads me in the paths of righteousness [uprightness and right standing with Him — not for my earning it but] — for His name’s sake.” — Psalm 23:3(AMP)

Oh, so beautiful. I don’t need to work to prove a point to my shepherd, He gives me right standing with Him just because I trust in His name. Dear friends, put off that cloak of condemnation and see your shepherd leading you in the path of righteousness.

Verse 4: “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.”
Ohh how I love this verse. I grew up in a duplex in the city of brown roofs and sometimes at night, my mum would send me to help her bring something from her room upstairs. I was usually so scared of going up alone especially when there was “no light”. So, I would beg one of my sisters to follow me so that at least, if “ojuju” appears, we would face it together. This story is what verse 4 reminds me of. Because my shepherd is always with me, I shall not fear. Look, you might be at your lowest and be going through your toughest season but you must always remember that there is someone who walks with you, leading you with his rod and comforting you with His staff. There is no room for fear because he will lead you right out of that valley. The one who knows the way leads me, I am never alone! I might not have everything, but, I have His Holy Spirit to teach me and His Word to lead me. Isn’t it interesting that David who didn’t even have the Holy Spirit dwelling in him was bold enough to make that statement — how much more you and I who house the Spirit of God?

Verse 5: “You prepare a table before me, you anoint my head with oil, my cup runs over.”
So, I found out that sheep are susceptible to flies perching on their nose. These flies or bugs sometimes enter their nose and lay eggs which hatch into worms and burrow their way up into the sheep’s brain which then causes irritation and make the sheep hit its head continuously as though going crazy. This continuous hitting could cause the sheep’s death. To prevent this, the shepherd pours oil on the sheep’s head so the flies slide down instead of entering their nose and guess what, He does this every day! Your shepherd is there to protect you from the corruption in this world. You would agree with me that sometimes life can be a lot, thoughts flying up and down almost even making one go crazy like those flies do to the sheep. Submit your head to your shepherd and allow him anoint your head with oil. Let him protect your head. Your shepherd cares so much about you, and He’s looking out for you every day.

Verse 6: “Surely, goodness and mercy shall follow me, All the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
So, this is the conclusion of the whole matter, because the Lord is my shepherd, I can say for sure that His goodness and mercies shall always follow me as long as I live. David must have thought — what better place is there to be than the house of God, to bask in His presence — but we have a better reality, we carry the presence of God and we are the house of God.
Whooshhhh!!!!

If there is anything to remember today and for the rest of your life, it is that the Lord God is your shepherd. Truly, there is no greater flex than this — that the Lord God is your shepherd. He is not just your creator or a God with power who rules the universe — He is the God who loves, guides and cares for you. He looks upon you so tenderly. He’s a provider and a friend.

I have said many things today, but in all, never forget that the Lord is your shepherd and let this frame your reality.

Have a productive week ahead

Dir Eniola Akingbemila

Push Buttons is a weekly devotional of The Powerpoint Tribe.