The Same Faithful Shepherd We Need for A New Year
December 28, 2023 | by: John Lee | 0 Comments
Posted in: Pastoral Encouragement
As we find ourselves at the close of another year and at the entrance of a new one, many of us may be filled with a mixture of emotions. The last year for many has been filled with both great joys and sorrows. For some, this past year has been the hardest year you have faced and for others, a year marked with great growth and joy. In all of this we do well to cast our gaze unto the Lord, who is our never-failing, never-changing and always present-in-times-of-trouble shepherd.
The Lord is the strong and kind shepherd to His people regardless of what the landscape of our lives looked like this past year or what the next year will look like. I’d like to draw our attention briefly to Psalm 23 and to the wonderful good news that we have a perfect shepherd who leads, protects, and brings his people home safely.
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters
He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.
Our Shepherd Who Leads [v.1-3]
Psalm 23 begins with identifying who the shepherd is. It’s one thing to know that we have a shepherd but it’s another thing to know who this shepherd is. Here the psalm reminds us that the shepherd is none other than the Lord himself. The use of “Lord” is God’s personal name, Yahweh, referring to his self-existent nature. In other words, The Lord who is our shepherd is the shepherd who needs nothing and never lacks. He shepherds us from his eternal and undiminishing fullness and is never at risk of running out. This truth leads to the wonderful reality that all those who belong to the Lord lack nothing because it is the Lord who is their shepherd. He is the shepherd who is able to make us lie down in rest, to lead us to the still waters, to restore our souls, and to lead us in the paths of righteousness. This Psalm highlights the actions of the shepherd for his sheep. David Gibson helpfully writes, “the images of green [pastures], still waters, and restored soul speak to a sense of whole-person refreshment that the Lord Jesus, our good shepherd, brings. They are word pictures for the totality of his care” (The Lord of Psalm 23, 30-31).
Our Shepherd Who Protects [v.4]
The truth that the Lord is our shepherd should strengthen us with a great peace. He is the shepherd who is forever in full control and never lost or confused. He is always faithful in his leading, though we may not always understand. Even when we are led through the valleys of great darkness, we are able to find unwavering comfort because our shepherd is with us and for us. Notice how the psalmist finds his fears quenched simply because his shepherd is with him. The Lord is not a shepherd who simply waits on the other side of the valley or simply gives us that ‘encouraging nudge’ from behind, but is presently and closely with us even through the valley of the shadow of death. Not only is He with us, but he is able and mighty to protect us through the valley. His rod and staff are two images pointing to the ability of this shepherd who keeps us from danger and actively protects us from danger. Intimately tied to the shepherd’s protection is his loving care for his sheep. We hear this in the voice of Jesus, the good shepherd who says, “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand” (John 10:28).
Our Shepherd Who Brings Us Home [v.5-6]
Psalm 23 is a bird’s eye view of the journey with our shepherd. The end goal in the shepherd’s leading and protecting of his own is to bring them safely home, full of great delight. We do well to consider these words from David Gibson, “In every place, at every season of life, the shepherd is with us, and there is more to savor here of his delightful presence as he leads us home” (The Lord of Psalm 23, 104). He is the shepherd who sets things in order and leads us to the place of pleasures forevermore (Ps. 16:11). He is the shepherd who sustains us even in the presence of our enemies. He is the one who anoints our head with oil. He is the one who causes our cup to overflow. Because the Lord is our shepherd, we can be sure that goodness and mercy shall follow us all our days and that we shall dwell forever in the Lord’s house.
So, as we prepare to leave 2023 and enter into 2024, may your gaze be ever upon your magnificent, wonderful, and good shepherd. Reflect on Psalm 23. Pray for these words from our good shepherd to be your meditation day and night. Be refreshed in Jesus, our good shepherd, who in love lays his life down for his sheep (John 10:11). He is the shepherd who knows, with the utmost care, his own sheep, and his sheep know him (John 10:27). There are a lot of things we do not know especially as we enter into a new year, but take comfort as you trust, rest, hope, and delight in knowing who your shepherd is for he will lead, protect, and safely bring you home.
Soli Deo Gloria,
Pastor John
