He Prepares
I haven’t kept count, but I am confident that I have quoted Psalm 23 more than a thousand times just in the last few years. This psalm has been and continues to be a prayer that sustains me, encourages me, and helps me maintain a proper perspective of who God is and who we are in relationship to him.
How many times have you read a familiar passage and discovered yet another way that passage speaks to you and your current situation? Today as I read this familiar passage, I quickly began to think about words and phrases.
I can’t read the first three words without considering the first line in Genesis: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” There has never been a moment that God did not exist. When Moses asked God to tell him how to answer the people of Israel when they asked, “Who sent you?” God’s reply was, “I Am has sent you.” Psalm 23:1 reminds us that God is and will always be, and we have the additional promise that God acts in our behalf.
The Lord is my shepherd. God shepherds you, and he shepherds me. Jesus reminds us in John 10 that shepherds are all in. They lay down their lives for their sheep. We have everything we need because the great I Am is our shepherd and is providing for our every need. He is always present in the world and present in our lives.
The next thing I see today are the things God does:
He makes.
He leads.
He restores.
He prepares.
He anoints.
He follows.
Sometimes in moments of difficulty we forget that God is and we think that we, therefore, must do something. We can take confidence that before we act or know what to do, the Lord, our shepherd, is already in action.
David reminds us that God also gives his rod and staff to guide and protect us and then follows us with his goodness and mercy all of our days.
What, then, do we do? We walk through this life, even on days that are uncertain, dark, and seemingly dangerous. And we do not have to fear evil because God is with us and following behind us.
God is not intimidated by our enemies. He prepares a table of blessing right in front of our enemies and calls us to be filled to overflowing. His goodness never runs out. Because he is with us we can dwell and abide secure, both now and forevermore.
Father, thank you for the comfort and strength we receive from the wonderful promises of Psalm 23. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Your Time with God’s Word
Psalm 22:4-5, 11, 19, 24, 27, 30-31, 23:1-6; Genesis 1:1 ESV
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