The Lord Our Shepherd

“The Lord our Shepherd, I shall not want.” Psalm 23:1 I had a vivid experience of this at one time in my Christian life. The Twenty-third Psalm had, of course, always been familiar to me from my nursery days, but it had never seemed to have any special meaning. Then came a critical moment in my life when I was sadly in need of comfort, but could see none anywhere. I could not at the moment lay my hands on my Bible, and I cast about in my mind for some passage of Scripture that would help me. Immediately there flashed into my mind the words, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” (Psalm 23:1) At first I turned from it almost with scorn.

“Such a common text as that,” I said to myself, “is not likely to do me any good”; and I tried hard to think of a more recherché one, but none would come; and at last it almost seemed as if there were no other text in the whole Bible. And finally I was reduced to saying “Well, if I cannot think of any other text, I must try to get what little good I can out of this one,” and I began to repeat to myself over and over, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” Suddenly, as I did so, the words were di vinely illuminated, and there poured out upon me such floods of comfort that I felt as if I could never have a trouble again.

The moment I could get hold of a Bible I turned over its leaves with eagerness to see whether it could possibly be true that such untold treasures of comfort were really and actually mine, and whether I might dare to let out my heart into the full enjoyment of them. And I did what I have often found great profit in doing, I built up a pyramid of declarations and promises concerning the Lord being our Shepherd that, once built, presented an immovable and indestructible front to all the winds and storms of doubt or trial that could assail it. And I became convinced, beyond a shadow of doubt, that the Lord really was my Shepherd, and that in giving Himself this name He assumed the duties belonging to the name, and really would be, what He declares Himself to be, a “good shepherd who giveth his life for his sheep.” (John 10:11) He Himself draws a clear contrast between a good shepherd and a bad one. After declaring, “I am the good shepherd,” He continues: “He that is a hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches them and scatters the sheep.” (John 10:12) Through His prophets, the Lord speaks with strong condemnation against such unfaithful shepherds. The prophet Zechariah records: “Woe to my worthless shepherd, who deserts the flock! May the sword strike his arm and his right eye! Let his arm be wholly withered, his right eye utterly blinded!” (Zechariah 11:27) And again, through the prophet Ezekiel: “The weak you have not strengthened, the sick you have not healed, the injured you have not bound up, the strayed you have not brought back, the lost you have not sought, and with force and harshness you have ruled them.”

Surely no Christian would consciously accuse our divine Shepherd of such faithlessness. And yet, if the hidden thoughts of many hearts were revealed, it might be found that, though unspoken, such suspicions linger beneath the surface.

What else can it mean when believers say the Lord has forsaken them? When they cry for spiritual nourishment and feel unheard? When they are surrounded by trials and believe He does not deliver them? When they feel weak and assume He does not strengthen them, or sick in soul and think He does not heal them?

Are not these thoughts, however unintentional, quiet accusations against the very Shepherd who promises never to abandon His flock?

A dear Christian once shared: “I had always said, ‘The Lord is my Shepherd,’ but it meant nothing to me. In truth, I lived as though I were the shepherd and He the sheep—afraid that if I did not hold tightly to Him, He would wander away. When dark days came, I never expected Him to stand by me. When my soul hungered, I did not believe He would feed me. I see now that I never trusted Him as a faithful Shepherd at all.

But now everything has changed. I am no stronger than before, but I have discovered that I have a good Shepherd—and that is enough. I see now that it is truly real: the Lord is my Shepherd, and I shall not want.”

Dear fellow believer, consider this honestly.

You have said many times, “The Lord is my Shepherd.” But have you truly believed it? Have you lived in the peace and security that such a truth brings? Or have you felt like a lost sheep— uncared for, uncertain, and alone?

Ask yourself plainly: has your spiritual life been marked by comfort or by unease?

If it has been full of struggle and lack, how does that align with the promise, “I shall not want”?

If the Shepherd is perfect, where does the failure lie?

You may answer, “The fault is mine. I am too weak, too foolish, too unworthy.”

But that is precisely the nature of sheep. They are weak, dependent, and unable to care for themselves. That is why they need a shepherd. Their safety does not depend on their strength, but entirely on the shepherd’s care.

And so it is with you.

Imagine two flocks meeting after winter—one strong and healthy, the other weak and starving.

Would the healthy sheep praise themselves? Certainly not. They would speak only of their shepherd: how he protected them, fed them, and guided them through storms. And the weak flock—would they blame themselves? No. They too would speak of their shepherd: “Our shepherd failed us. He did not feed us, did not heal us, did not protect us. In danger, he fled.”

We understand this clearly when speaking of sheep. Yet when we apply it to our spiritual lives, we shift responsibility away from the Shepherd and place it upon ourselves—expecting from ourselves what only He can provide.

And so we fail, and our lives become burdened and restless.

There is, of course, one difference: sheep cannot leave their shepherd, but we can. No sheep would ever say: “Our shepherd offers care, but we are too unworthy to trust him. Others may rest in his provision, but we must fend for ourselves.”

Such thinking would be absurd for sheep. Yet this is exactly how many believers think.

We consider ourselves wiser than sheep—and in doing so, we refuse the very trust that would save us.

The truth is simple: if a sheep in Christ’s flock is weak and starving, only two explanations exist.

Either the Shepherd is unfaithful, or the sheep has not trusted His care. No one would dare say the Lord is unfaithful. Therefore, the issue must be this: either we have not truly believed He is our Shepherd, or we have not allowed Him to care for us.

Face this honestly.

Not only your peace depends on it—but His honor as well.

A shepherd is judged by the condition of his flock. No claim of excellence can stand if the sheep are neglected and broken.

The Lord declares to all creation, “I am the good Shepherd.” And the world looks at His people as the evidence of that claim.

Are we a testimony to His care?

Or do our lives suggest neglect, weakness, and fear?

The apostle Paul writes that through the Church, the wisdom of God is made known—even to heavenly powers. What a profound calling: that our lives would display the goodness and wisdom of our Shepherd.

Should we not, then, trust Him completely? Should we not yield ourselves fully into His care— so that His grace may be seen in us? But if we refuse His care—if we do not feed in His pastures or rest in His fold—then we remain weak and troubled, and our condition not only harms us, but misrepresents Him. The world is watching. And what they see in us will shape what they believe about our Shepherd.

I do not wonder that unbelievers are not drawn into the church when I consider the condition of believers. I do not wonder that in some churches there are no conversions from one end of the year to the other. If I were a poor sheep wandering in the wilderness, and I saw some poor, wretched, sick-looking sheep peering out of a fold and calling me to come in, and I looked into the fold and saw it hard, bare, and uncomfortable, I do not think I would be much tempted to go into such a fold.

Someone once said that some churches were too much like well-ordered graveyards: people were brought in and buried, and that was the end of it. Of course, you cannot expect living people to want to live in graveyards. We must have a fold that shows sheep in good condition if we expect outsiders to come into that fold; and if we want to attract others to the salvation of the Lord Jesus Christ, we must be able to show them that it is a satisfying and comforting salvation. No one wants to add to their earthly discomforts by adopting an uncomfortable religion, and it is useless to expect to win outsiders by the sight of our misery.

Surely, if you do not care for yourselves, you must care about the dishonour you bring upon your divine Shepherd by your poor and wretched condition. You long to serve Him and to bring Him glory; and you can do so if you show the world that He is a Shepherd whom it is safe to trust.

Let me help you to do this. First, face the fact of what a shepherd must be and do in order to be a good shepherd, and then face the fact that the Lord is truly, and in the highest sense, a good Shepherd. Then say these words to yourself with all the determination you can gather: “The Lord is my Shepherd. He is. He is. No matter what I feel, He says He is, and He is. I will believe it, whatever comes.” Then repeat the words with a different emphasis each time: The Lord is my Shepherd.

The Lord is my Shepherd.

The Lord is my Shepherd.

The Lord is my Shepherd.

Realise what your ideal Shepherd would be, all that you would expect from anyone in such a position of trust and responsibility, and then understand that an ideal far beyond yours, and a view of the duties of such a role higher than anything you have imagined, was in the mind of our Lord when He said, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” (John 10:11) He, better than anyone, knew the sheep He had undertaken to save, and He knew the Shepherd’s responsibilities. He knew that the Shepherd is responsible for His flock and must, even at the cost of comfort, health, or life itself, care for them and bring them safely home to the Father’s fold. Therefore, He said: “And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day.” (John 6:39) And again: “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.” (John 10:27–28) Centuries before Jesus came as the Shepherd, the Father said: “I will rescue my flock; they shall no longer be a prey. And I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd.” (Ezekiel 34:22–23) It seems that in these words we see the Father’s deep, longing love. He has placed help upon One who is mighty; therefore, none who belong to this flock need fear any evil.

He has taken on His role, fully aware of its responsibilities. He knows He is dealing with very helpless sheep, who have no strength to protect themselves, no wisdom to guide themselves, and nothing to recommend them except their complete weakness and need. Yet none of this confuses Him. His strength and skill are enough for every situation that could arise.

There is only one thing that can hinder Him: if the sheep refuse to trust Him and will not allow Him to care for them. If they stand at a distance, look at the food He has provided, long for it, cry out for it, yet refuse to eat, He cannot satisfy their hunger. If they remain outside the shelter He has made, afraid to enter because they feel unworthy or distrustful, He cannot protect them. No sheep would act like this, but we human beings, who think ourselves wiser, do it continually.

No sheep, if it could speak, would say to the shepherd, “I long for the food you have provided, and for the shelter and peace of your fold, and I wish I could enjoy them; but I feel too unworthy.

I am too weak and foolish. I do not feel grateful enough. I am not sure I desire it strongly enough. I dare not assume that you mean these good things for me.” One can imagine how deeply such words would grieve a good shepherd.

And our Lord has shown us His sorrow over those who refuse to trust Him. When He looked at Jerusalem, He wept and said: “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.” (Luke 19:42) Dear Christians, have you not sometimes grieved your divine Shepherd in this same way? If so, consider for a moment the Shepherd’s perspective. Think about how He feels and what His heart is towards you. If He is your Shepherd, then He desires to care for you in the very best way, because He is a good Shepherd and He cares for His sheep. It does not depend on what you think or feel. You are not the Shepherd—you are the sheep. What matters is what He thinks and how He feels.

Forget yourself for a moment and try to see things from His point of view. Consider your condition as He sees it. See Him coming to find you in your wandering. See His tender love, His deep desire to save you. Believe what He says about Himself, and take Him at His word.

If our faith were simpler, We would take Him at His word; And our lives would be full of joy In the light of our Lord.

Yes, this is the problem. Our faith is not simple enough to take Him at His word. Instead, we add “ifs” and “buts” of our own and cloud the brightness of His love with doubts we create ourselves.

If we truly understood what brings us peace, how quickly we would throw aside every doubt and trust completely in His unfailing love and care.

You may ask, if all this is true of the Shepherd, what is the role of the sheep? It is simply to trust and to follow. There is nothing complicated about obedience when we fully trust the one we are following.

So I urge you to begin trusting and following your Shepherd now. Give yourself fully to His care and guidance, like a sheep under the care of a shepherd, and trust Him completely.

You need not fear following Him wherever He leads, for He always leads His sheep into green pastures and beside still waters. Even if you feel as though you are in a desert, with nothing refreshing around you, the good Shepherd can turn that very place into green pastures. He has the power to make the desert bloom, and He has promised: “Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress; instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle.”

(Isaiah 55:13) “The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus.” (Isaiah 35:1) “And waters break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert.” (Isaiah 35:6) Or you may say, “My life is full of storms and troubles. It will take a long time before I can experience peace.” But has not your Shepherd already said: “He awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, ‘Peace! Be still!’ And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.” (Mark 4:39) Can He not do the same again?

Many in Christ’s flock can testify that when they have fully trusted Him, He has calmed their storms and turned their deserts into places of life and beauty. This does not mean that outward troubles disappear, but even in those places, the soul finds peace and nourishment. The Shepherd knows which pastures are best for His sheep, and they must trust Him without doubt. Sometimes the best growth comes in times of difficulty. If He leads you there, you can be sure it is good for you.

Words cannot fully describe what the good Shepherd does for those who trust Him. He fulfils His promise and makes a covenant of peace with them: “I will make with them a covenant of peace and banish wild beasts from the land, so that they may dwell securely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods.” (Ezekiel 34:25) “And I will make them and the places all around my hill a blessing, and I will send down the showers in their season; they shall be showers of blessing.” (Ezekiel 34:26) “And the trees of the field shall yield their fruit, and the earth shall yield its increase… And they shall be no more a prey to the nations, nor shall the beasts of the land devour them. They shall dwell securely, and none shall make them afraid.” (Ezekiel 34:27–28) You may now wonder how you can have the Lord as your Shepherd. The answer is that you do not need to make Him your Shepherd—He already is. You only need to recognise it and yield yourself to His care.

When children are told that a long-awaited baby sister has been born, they do not keep saying, “We wish we had a sister,” or “What must we do to get one?” Instead, they rejoice and say, “We have a sister now!”

In the same way, the announcement has already been made to us: “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:10–11) We do not need to say, “If only I had a Saviour,” or “What must I do to make Christ my Saviour?” He is already our Saviour. We must simply rejoice and place ourselves in His care. It is not complicated. It is to believe it and live as though it is true. And every person who begins today to trust the good Shepherd will, sooner or later, find themselves feeding in His green pastures and walking beside His still waters.

What else can the Lord, who is our Shepherd, do with His sheep, but just this? He has no folds that are not good folds, no pastures that are not green pastures, and no waters but still waters.

They may not appear so outwardly; but we who have experienced them can testify that, whatever the outward appearance may be, His fold and His pastures are always places of peace and comfort to the inner life of the soul.

If you seem to struggle to understand all this, and if the life of complete trust appears complicated and mysterious, I would advise you not to try to understand it, but simply begin to live it. Just take our nursery psalm and say, “this is my psalm, and I am going to believe it. I have always known it by heart, but it has never meant much to me. But now I have decided to believe that the Lord truly is my Shepherd and that He will care for me as a shepherd cares for his sheep.

I will not doubt or question it again.” And then simply surrender yourself to His care, as the sheep surrender themselves to the care of their shepherd, trusting Him fully, and following wherever He leads.

But we must not forget that while sheep trust unconsciously and by instinct, we need to trust intelligently and intentionally, because our instincts are, unfortunately, all against trusting. We will have to make an effort to trust. We will have to choose to do it. But we can do this, however weak and ignorant we may be. We may not understand all that it means to belong as sheep to such a Shepherd, but He knows. And if our faith will simply embrace Him in this blessed and wonderful relationship, He will care for us according to His love, His wisdom, and His power, and not according to our limited understanding of it.

It really seems to me that we would not need any other passage in the entire Bible besides this nursery psalm to make our spiritual lives full of comfort. I honestly do not see where there is any room left for the believer to worry, if they truly believe this psalm. With the Lord as our Shepherd, how is it possible for anything to go wrong? With Him as our Shepherd, all that this psalm promises must belong to us; and when we have learned to know Him in this way, we will be able to say with triumphant trust: “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” (Psalm 23:6) Even the future will lose all its fear for us, and our confidence in our Shepherd will deliver us from all fear of troubling news.

And I can only say, in conclusion, that if each one of you will enter into this relationship with Christ, and truly be a helpless, willing, trusting sheep, and will believe Him to be your Shepherd, caring for you with all the love, care, and tenderness that that name implies, and will follow Him wherever He leads, you will soon lose all your old spiritual unease, and will know the peace of God that surpasses all understanding, guarding your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:7).

“They did not understand that he had been speaking to them about the Father.” (John 8:27)