Psalm 23, One of the most potent psalms, but some have forgotten it’s potency.
I here share my revelation of the Psalm-
“The LORD is my SHEPHERD i shall not want”- We could really stop here and call it a day…this is saying because the LORD ‘is’ (not was, not is going to be, but IS) your SHEPHERD (not minor shepherd, but the ultimate SHEPHERD) you have everything you need…make HIM your SHEPHERD today and always…
“HE maketh me to lie down in green pastures, HE leadeth me beside still waters, HE restoreth my soul, HE leadeth me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.”HE ‘maketh’ me, this shows us what the LORD makes us do, lie down in what we might be looking for somewhere else, HE has us there, don’t forget HE is our SHEPHERD, we are HIS Sheep, and instead of having us graze in dry faded field, HE has us where it’s ‘green’ which represents healthy, vibrant, good and even successful- the grass is greenest where HE maketh us to lie down and not on the other side. Then HE ‘leads’ us beside still waters… something serene, a place where HE can work on us and restore us, ‘Be still and know that “‘I AM’ GOD” We need to be still knowing that HE is in control. The still waters soothes us. HE continues to lead us in the paths of righteousness, for the LORD our GOD is righteous and we are the righteousness of GOD, HE does this for HIS NAME’S sake. Up to this point HE is showing us why we should not want, why we should trust in HIM, why we should be still and that the path to seal this off is the path of righteousness, which is GODLINESS, HE has done this for us and all we need to do is follow the path of GODLINESS…
“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” The key thing here, first and foremost is the word ‘I’…’I’ walk through the valley, not The SHEPHERD takes me through…’I’ walk through, whether by happenstance, circumstance oraccident, somehow, ‘I’ have found myself walking through worry, disappointment, doubt, lack, anxiety, backsliding…the other beautiful thing is that, ‘I’ am not staying there, ‘I’ am only passing through…sheep will sometimes stray and shepherds will break the leg of a straying sheep and carry it around their necks to prevent it from straying away, by the time the leg heals, the sheep never leaves the shepherd. Sometimes what we go through helps us stay closer to GOD…often people make promises like ‘if you bring me out of this one LORD, i will not___again’ Now the firm thing here is that even though it may look like death, because the LORD is my SHEPHERD, I will fear no evil. Even in my straying, I know that the LORD is with me…I may not see HIM, but I know that HE is watching me…HIS ‘Rod’ which represents HIS chastening, and HIS ‘Staff’ which represents HIS authority…(now this is my favourite part of this particular verse) the psalmist says ‘comfort’ him…so even in my straying, HE uses HIS chastening and authority, not to kill me, but to comfort me.
“Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.” So often, this verse is seen only as having dinner with one’s enemies present, but that’s not all it says…i think we sometimes miss the very beginning of it, ‘Thou’ means the LORD- prepares a table, the table is a metaphor for banquet, dinner but also for a variety of blessing…decisions are made at the business table…creative ideas are made at the table…deals are sealed, cheques are signed…but the beauty is that all of these things are done ‘in the presence’ of one’s enemies, naysayers, haters…the coolest bit is because the LORD has done it, there is nothing anyone, yes, anyone can do to undo it…the anointing is to revive you and empower you, this is not one done by man, it is GOD’s anointing to give you the strength to handle all that is ahead of you…and then your cup runneth over…you just signed the deal, got the cheque, you have an overflow…now spread the joy..
“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me, all the days of my life and i shall dwell in the House of the LORD forever…”AMEN!
I have heard some say -surely GOD’s goodness, which is fine, but i think goodness and mercy means even those who may not be Godly would find themselves being good to you…this to me sort of seals off the psalm, THE SHEPHERD has anointed you, now you can go and wherever you go, HIS and ALL goodness and mercy will follow you…not just for one trip, but ALL the days of your life…the new testament prayer tells us that the Kingdom of the LORD is here, so this is alluding to the fact that we who accept JESUS as our LORD and SAVIOUR, will not only live in HIS house here and now- the protection of the SHEPHERD, not wanting for nothing, HIS making and HIS leading to comforts beyond imagination, even in our straying, we have nothing to fear, HE is always with us, chastening and comforting us, HIS showing us off in front of enemies, HIS anointing and the overflow and now HE tells us that not just for a day will goodness and mercy follow us, but for the rest of our lives, the rest of our lives, not just here on earth but we will always be in HIS House, even hereafter…
Take this with you today~KDL®™2011, one of Paulina and Jonathan’s twin boys.
By by Kehinde Dacosta-Lawrence
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