The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.
I shall not want.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.
When we think of David as a shepherd we immediately have a vision
of our Lord Jesus Christ....The Good Shepherd of our souls.
There are several thoughts that stand out to me in these words from this wonderful Psalm. I would like to share them with you.
They are based on the words: He MAKETH
He LEADETH
and He RESTORETH
There is the thought of MASTERY.
"He MAKETH ME to lie down in green pastures."
Sheep do not lie down wherever and whenever they please. The lie down when and where the shepherd see fit. The shepherd is the master of the sheep.
Jesus is the great shepherd
and master of the soul!
To try and live independently of Him is a lonely and hazardous life.
The person who rejects and refuses to allow Jesus to be Lord and Master of their life and says "I am my own master" is the person who is making a shipwreck of their life. No man is fit to be their own master. The Psalmist David is saying here: "The Lord is my shepherd and master of my life.."
Even people who have lived good lives, if they have lived it apart from Jesus Christ it has all been in vain.
We have only one life and it will soon be past....
only what is done for Christ will last.
There is a mastery which is brutal and degrading to a person....such as the mastery of the devil. BUT, to be mastered by Jesus is to be mastered by divine love. This kind of mastery is uplifting and rewarding.
Eternal life in the house of the Lord forever
awaits the soul who is mastered by Jesus!
There is also the thought of LEADERSHIP
in these words "He LEADETH ME beside still waters."
Jesus is the leader of the soul
who always leads to peace!
There is no real peace outside of Jesus Christ. You can search the world over but no real peace can be found apart from the peace of God. This peace will only come when you make peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
He is the only master of the soul that will give you peace.....a peace that passes all understanding.
The devil and the world have nothing to offer but turmoil and unrest.
But, Jesus says, "Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28)
And in John 14:1 He says, "Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me."
Lastly I would like to share with you from the words of the Psalmist,
"He RESTORETH MY SOUL"..... the thought of RESTORATION.
David knew from personal experience what these words meant.
As you remember, David had a life of multiple mistakes and transgressions against God. But, David's soul was restored. If you are reading these words and you have gotten away from God, know that restoration is available for your soul.
Let the love of God and the love of The Master take mastery over your soul and life today. Give everything over to Him and surrender to His heavenly leadership.
You will find restoration!
You can only be restored by Jesus Christ - The Master of the soul.
Won't you accept Him today?
