Many of us are familiar with Psalm 23. It was written by David, a boy who was a shepherd and later became a king. He lived in the desert. He led sheep through the desert. He experienced God leading him through the wilderness, and he learned to trust God through times of plenty, times of scarcity, and times of danger.

His life was characterized by wandering from one place to another with nothing but God as his shepherd to lead him. He understood both roles: being the shepherd and feeling like a sheep.

When we look at the very first line of this Psalm, David writes: “The Lord is my shepherd.”

We Are the Sheep

So, if the Lord is my shepherd, what kind of creature am I?

I am a sheep.

Sheep live completely under the care of their shepherd. He's the center of their community. Without the shepherd, the sheep don't really have anything. They have no means to defend themselves. Sheep don't have sharp fangs or fearsome claws. They don't have armor. They don't run fast, they're not sneaky, and they don't blend in. They're just delicious balls of fluff!

Apart from the shepherd, sheep are pathetically hopeless. They become scattered easily. They stumble over rocks. They get eaten by wolves. Sometimes, they'll even eat themselves to death if a shepherd doesn't step in and say, "Hey, stop eating. We're moving away from the food now."

We are the sheep. This is how God has decided to describe our relationship. Some of us may feel offended, and some of us may feel seen by this! But the beautiful thing is that David understood exactly what it was like to care for these creatures when he wrote it.

Yahweh Is My Shepherd

Let’s look at the words in that first sentence: The Lord is my shepherd.

  • The LORD: Notice how "LORD" is in all caps in your Bible? It is literally Yahweh. It is a name so holy that for ages people wouldn't even pronounce it. The maker of reality, the ruler of creation, the one who keeps the planets spinning is also my shepherd.

  • Is: It’s a statement of how things are currently. It's not "someday the LORD will be my shepherd," or "maybe the LORD was my shepherd and I messed it up." It is a current and ongoing reality.

  • My: He’s not just someone else's shepherd. It's personal. He's my shepherd. He knows my name, He recognizes my voice, and He knows what I need.

  • Shepherd: A shepherd has one job, and it's to personally care for the sheep. They guarantee security, they unite the flock, and they lead them to green pastures and quiet waters.

Take a moment to say that out loud wherever you are right now: The LORD is my shepherd. It’s a lifelong journey to truly rest in that truth, but He is ready to lead you today.

Draw a picture of you and your Shepherd. How do you relate right now? How do you feel about Him? How do you think He feels about you?