Through the Valley - The Lord is My Shepherd

Through The Valley

Even 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.
Psalm 23:4

This again is a very picturesque scene. The shepherd is leading the sheep back home at evening. As they go down through a narrow gorge, the long shadows lie across the trail. In the Hebrew this is a "valley of deep shadows." The sheep, because they are so timid and defenseless, are frightened by their experience. But they trust the shepherd, and therefore they are comforted. They will fear no evil because the shepherd is with them. We are reminded of the Lord's words quoted in the book of Hebrews: "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you" (Hebrews 13:5). Hence we can confidently say, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?" (Hebrews 13:6). I do not know what your experience has been, but whenever I'm in a situation like this, when there is a great deal of pressure, I begin to wonder if the Lord hasn't abandoned me. But He says He never leaves us, never forsakes us. He is always there. Therefore, we have no reason to fear. That is a great comfort.

And then David writes, "Your rod and your staff, they comfort me." The rod was a club that was used to drive off wild animals. It was never used on the sheep but was a heavy instrument used to protect the sheep from marauding predators. The staff was a slender pole with a little crook on the end that was used to aid the sheep. The crook could be hooked around the leg of a sheep to pull it from harm. Or it could be used as an instrument to direct, and occasionally to discipline, the sheep with taps on the side of the body.

Understanding how shepherds tend their sheep has helped me so much in understanding the character of God. When I go wandering away He doesn't say, "There goes that stupid sheep," and--WHAP!--down comes that big club! No, His attitude is, "How can I help My sheep? How can I move in to bring him back into line? How can I comfort him and supply what he needs?" God may have to discipline, but He always does it in love. He reproves, corrects, encourages, and instructs in righteousness, dealing with us firmly and gently.

The rod and staff are also used against the two greatest enemies we have to face. The rod is for the enemy without, Satan, who is working through the world system to destroy us. Jesus said, "He is a liar and a murderer." He's out to devour us, and so the Lord uses the club on him. But I am the other enemy, the enemy within. In the immortal words, "We have met the enemy, and he is us." I know that. The shepherd's staff is used to chasten and subdue the enemy within. But the confidence He gives is that I have nothing to fear, neither from the enemy without or from the enemy within.

Lord, thank You for leading me through the dark valley, keeping me from harm as I go. Thank You even for Your reproof and correction, which is another expression of Your great love.

Life Application: The Good Shepherd surrounds His sheep with His constant presence. What are two evidences of His protecting love and His firm and gentle care for the sheep?

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Guidance - The Lord is My Shepherd

Guidance

He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Psalm 23:3b

The Hebrew word translated "paths" means "a well-defined, well-worn trail." That indicates again how stupid sheep are, because even when the trail is well laid out, they still need a shepherd. They are still inclined to wander away, no matter how obvious the path may be. The shepherd knows the trails. He has been there before, and the sheep trust him.

I think the most anxiety-producing factor in the world today is uncertainty about the future. What is going to happen tomorrow, and the next day? There are decisions we must make that bear not only upon our own lives but also upon the lives of everyone with whom we are associated. My life touches my family and my neighbors and my business associates. We are constantly making decisions. How do we know that we are making the right ones? Decisions can be crucial and frustrating!

A classic story tells about a man undergoing basic training in the army. He was pulling KP and was given the assignment of sorting potatoes. There was a huge mound of them, and the mess sergeant told him to put all the bad ones in one bin and all the good ones in the other bin. He came back about two hours later to find the man just looking at one potato. There was nothing in the bins. The sergeant said, "What's the matter, don't you like the work?" The soldier said, "It's not the work; it's the decisions that are killing me."

I often feel that way. We have to make countless decisions, day after day, which touch the lives of our children and our wives and husbands. We need wisdom. We need a shepherd. We need someone who knows the trails, someone whom we can trust. We all need a decisive word from someone who knows the way, and the Lord knows the way. But the question arises--"How can I discover His will for my life?" May I suggest these steps?

First, submit wholeheartedly to the leadership of the shepherd. That is the basic attitude we must maintain. Unless we are willing to admit that we don't know the way through the wilderness and submit to His leadership, we will never find the way.

The second thing we must do is to obey what we know now to be God's will for us. Most of God's will is already revealed in His Word. We have to begin by obeying the truth that we have.

But what about other areas of life where the Scriptures do not give specific information? There we are led by the peace of God. As we spend time praying and waiting upon God, there comes a sense of peace, an inner conviction, about the correctness of a certain direction. The peace of God will umpire in our life and let us know what to do. When we move out on the basis of it, we discover that God supports and undergirds our actions and, through confirming circumstances, further strengthens our sense of peace.

Father, You have promised to lead me in paths of righteousness. Help me to be willing to follow, even when I don't understand.

Life Application: The Good Shepherd does not drive His sheep. He tenderly guides them. What are two essentials by which we can discern His guidance?

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Where Needs Are Met - The Lord is My Shepherd

Where Needs Are Met —

He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul.

Psalm 23:2-3a

In this psalm David enumerates the ways in which the Good Shepherd meets our needs. The first thing He does is to meet the needs of the inner person, the basic needs that we have for nourishment within. The basic needs of a flock of sheep are grass and water. Here is the very picturesque scene of sheep bedded down in grassy meadows, having eaten their fill and now totally satisfied, and then being led by still waters. Sheep are afraid of running water; they will drink only from a quiet pool. A good shepherd, particularly in a semi-arid region such as Palestine, knows where the watering holes are. He knows where the grassy meadows are. And so he leads the sheep into places where they can rest and feed and where they can drink. The picture is one of calm and tranquility, because the basic needs of the sheep are met.

The counterpart in our lives is obvious. It is God who restores the inner person through His Word. As we feed upon the Word of God we see the Lord Jesus there. We draw upon Him, and our inner person is satisfied. The Word of God brings us, first, to the person of Christ. "Beyond the sacred page," the hymn says, "we see thee, Lord." We see Him, and we eat and drink of Him, and we discover Him to be the resource that we need. As Paul says, "Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day" (2 Corinthians 4:16). Our souls are restored. How? As we feed upon Him. As we come to know Him, believe what He says, and act on His word, we discover that the inner person is fed.

A Bible study I led met one evening a week in a fraternity house at Stanford University. Our basic assumption there was that the Bible is the authority. No one really taught the class; we simply opened up the Word, and the men in the group made observations. Last week a student from Austria sat in with us. He shared some of his thinking with us and made a real contribution to the group. Afterward, as we were leaving, he made this comment: "I'm so thankful I could be here tonight, because I discovered that you men have found direct access to God through this book."

Have you discovered that access? In times of deep, dire need, when we cast about for help, it is no farther away than God's Word. Everything we need to nourish the inner person is right there. As Peter says, "His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness" (2 Peter 1:3). Everything we need that relates to life and to living godly lives in the world is available in Him. I wonder if we are employing that resource.

Lord, thank You for Your Word. May it be to me like green pastures and still waters, leaving me fully satisfied in You.

Life Application: Are we learning to find green pastures and still waters in the written Words of God. Do we see there the Good Shepherd who is our Life?

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No Want - The Lord is my Shepherd

No Want — Psalm 23:1

The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
Psalm 23:1

Because the Lord is my shepherd, I do not lack anything. He satisfies my needs. That is the place where God wants to bring us. He wants us to be independently dependent upon Him, to need Him alone. It struck me as I was studying this psalm that there are really only two options in life. If the Lord is my shepherd, then I shall not want; but if I am in want, then it is obvious that the Lord is not my shepherd. It is that simple. If emptiness, loneliness, despair, and frustration exist in our lives, then the Lord is not our shepherd. Or if anyone or anything else is shepherding us, we are never satisfied. If our vocation shepherds us, then there is restlessness and feverish activity and frustration. If education is our shepherd, then we are constantly being disillusioned. If another person is our shepherd, we are always disappointed, and ultimately we are left empty. If drug abuse is our shepherd, then "we are wasted," as one rock artist said recently. But if the Lord is our shepherd, David says, we shall not want.

It occurs to me that if Jehovah is to be our shepherd, then we have to begin by recognizing that we are sheep. I don't like that analogy, frankly, because I don't like sheep. I come by my dislike honestly. I used to raise sheep. In high school I was in the 4-H Club, and I had a herd of sheep and goats. Now goats I can abide, because they may be obnoxious, but at least they're smart. Sheep are, beyond question, the most stupid animals on the face of the earth. They are dumb and they are dirty and they are timid and defenseless and helpless. Mine were always getting lost and hurt and snakebitten. They literally do not know enough to come in out of the rain. Sheep are miserable creatures.

And then to have God tell me that I am one! That hurts my feelings. But if I am really honest with myself, I know it is true. I know that I lack wisdom and strength. I'm inclined to be self-destructive. Isaiah said it best: "We all, like sheep, have gone astray; each of us has turned to his own way" (Isaiah 53:6). I know my tendency toward self-indulgent individualism, going my own way and doing my own thing. That's me. I'm a sheep. And if Jesus Christ is to be my shepherd, I have to admit that I need one. It is difficult, but that is where we must start. Once we admit that need, we discover the truth of what David is saying. We shall not want.

Lord, though I am a sheep who is prone to wander, come and be my shepherd today. Bring me to that place where I can say, "The Lord is my shepherd I shall not be in want"
Life Application: If emptiness, loneliness, despair, frustration, hopelessness, or wants exist in our lives, then the Lord is not our shepherd. Can we recognize His call to rescue us?

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Coronavirus and How to Pray for Victims

Here are the latest figures for the Coronavirus outbreak. Be warned: these figures change daily, and specifically hourly. As of 16 February there are worldwide 71,000 cases. There are 1,770 deaths. The novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) is affecting 29 countries and territories around the world. China has 63,866 cases, followed by 259 cases in Japan and 56 In Hong Kong. Clearly Asia, where the virus originated, is taking the brunt of the toll. Still 26 other countries have reported deaths and people infected as well.

One of the latest concerns is for health care workers who are daily exposed to this virus. In China, six health workers have died and 1,716 have been infected since the outbreak began. Local authorities are struggling to provide enough protective equipment, such as respiratory masks, goggles, and protective suits in hospitals. Some medical workers have been quarantined. On 7 February the plight facing medical workers was highlighted with the death of Doctor Li Wenliang, the doctor at Wuhan Central Hospital who tried to warn others about the virus on 30 December. At that time, the Chinese government attempted to hush up the story, fearing a panic. Eventually, they realized that the country needed to be notified of the severity of the situation and take immediate precautions. The result has been a virtual shutdown of much of the country’s industry and transportation. Many streets remain eerily empty of their usual noisy bustle.

The economic impact in Asia of the virus has been devastating: global airline revenue has fallen, China’s car sales are expected to fall more than 10 percent in the first half of the year, and Singapore’s economy is expected to fall into a recession. Cruise ships in the region have been stopped. The Diamond Princess is in quarantine in Yokohama, Japan with 218 crew and passengers testing positive for the virus. The spread of the virus worldwide in such a short time certainly proves that what happens globally affects all of us – be it for good or for evil. (Source - BBC)

Let us pray fervently for:

Health care workers who continue to work, treat their patients, and try to alleviate their suffering at great risks to their own lives. We thank God for their loyalty and devotion to their calling. We pray for their protection. (The Bible, James 5:14-15).

Those in authority in each affected country to have wisdom and compassion in understanding the gravity of the virus, and knowledge on how to intervene in the most appropriate ways (The Bible, 1 Timothy 2:1-4).

Those infected with the Coronavirus to obtain the appropriate care and recover fully (The Bible James 5:16).

The Gospel message that Jesus died to take away the sins of the world to be known – rapidly, multiplying quickly, and touching individuals all over the world, bringing many into the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world (The Bible, Acts 17:6).