Psalm 23
1The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
3He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
for his name’s sake.
4Even 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.
5You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.
Note how it is that all the action in this Psalm is by the Shepherd. He is the One who makes us lie down. He is the One who leads us to the waters. He restores our souls, leads in the paths of righteousness, accompanies us through the valley of the shadow of death, stays with us, uses His rod and staff to comfort us. Prepares a table before us in the presence of our enemies and follows us with goodness and mercy. The only thing we do in this Psalm is dwell in the house of the Lord forever. God does the work.
All that we do as servants of Christ is a response to the great things He has already done. Grace, grace, grace. It is all of grace. And when that grace is received it will always, always, always produce faithfulness in those who receive it. This does not mean that we will never sin. But it does mean that His grace will always bring us back. No true believer will ever dessert His Lord – because He who began a good work in us will perform it in us until the day of Jesus Christ. What a Shepherd!!
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