ALWAYS THERE

1 The LORD is my shepherd;
I have everything I need.

2 He lets me rest in green meadows;
he leads me beside peaceful streams.

3 He renews my strength.
He guides me along right paths,
bringing honor to his name.
4 Even when I walk
through the dark valley of death,
I will not be afraid,

for you are close beside me.
Your rod and your staff
protect and comfort me.
5 You prepare a feast for me
in the presence of my enemies.

You welcome me as a guest,
anointing my head with oil.
My cup overflows with blessings.

6 Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me
all the days of my life,
and I will live in the house of the LORD
forever.

Psalm 23 (NLT)

When I was in the fourth grade my class went to visit a farm. On the farm one event caught my attention. The farmer was tending to his sheep and I noticed how all the sheep followed the farmer's commands. Wherever the farmer went, the sheep were always behind him. Wherever the farmer chose to settle down, that is where the sheep grazed. When the farmer prodded the sheep to go in a specific direction, the animals obeyed without hesitation. And when the farmer brought out pails of water, the sheep surround him for a drink.

The reason this caught my attention was the fact that the farmer was always there for the sheep. There was this special bond between the animals and the one shepherding them. The sheep instinctively submit their fate into the hands of the farmer, all day and all night.

When we sense that God is not with us, it is this special bond that we question is missing. We are like sheep that depend so much on the instruction and guidance of our shepherd, the Lord. When God is nowhere to be found, we become lost, beings without any direction in life.

Psalm 13 is a perfect example of a person who believed God had forsaken him, and he questions where God is at. "How long will you forget me? Forever?" cries the frustrated psalmist. "How long will you look the other way?" The writer continues to ask God when he will bring victory to the writer who is suffering endless beatings from the enemy. The psalmist whimpers in pain, "How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul, with sorrow in my heart every day?" When the shepherd abandons the sheep, the sheep's life becomes meaningless.

But Psalm 13 is not just all about this supposed abandonment. In fact, the psalmist reminds God that God's nature is one of faithfulness to his people. The psalmist challenges God to appear again and restore victory and hope in the psalmist's life. God does so and in the end of the psalm, the song-writer praises God because God had finally rescued him.

Psalm 23 is like a continuation of where Psalm 13 lefts off. Psalm 13 begins to unveil for us the truth that God never really abandons us, contrary to what we think, "feel" or "sense." Psalm 23 affirms this truth: God is always there for us.

Psalm 23 begins with this assertion: The Lord is our shepherd and we have everything we need. (v. 1)

Verse 1 clarifies two points for us. First, it establishes God's position and function in our lives. God's position is that of a shepherd, which means we are his sheep. God's function is to always care for us and provide guidance for our daily lives. As the sheep, we are fully dependent on the leadership of God. We willingly give up our trust in ourselves in favor of trusting in God's wisdom and strength.

The second point verse 1 clarifies for us is that we have everything we need. Note carefully that it does not say we have everything we want. It says we have everything we need. This is significant because it is God who determines what is enough for us. When we seek the Lord and allow him to be our shepherd we lack nothing.

How does God provide for all of our needs? He lets us rest in green meadows and leads us to peaceful streams. (v. 2) Green meadows and peaceful streams signify refreshment and restoration for the person who puts his or her trust in the Lord. God is very concerned with our well-being; as a shepherd it is his job to provide nourishment and care for us.

Here is the first lesson of the passage:

1. God is not an abandoner. He is the care-giver of life.

God does not flee from his responsibilities as the shepherd of our lives. We can hold onto his promises in delivering us from our enemies and lead us to the green meadows and peaceful streams where we can find rest. God cannot abandon us; that is not his nature. Instead, his nature is to care for us in his lovingkindness.

Remember, though, that the underlying assumption here is that for God to care for us, we must allow him to be the true shepherd of our lives. This means submitting in faith to everything God wants us to do. He is our leader – he knows what we need in life, he knows where we need to go for nourishment, and he is the only provider of peace and rest. We cannot be the rulers of our own fate and still expect God to pull through for us. For God to be the care-giver of our lives we must choose to make him the only shepherd of our lives. When we do, rest assured that God will always be there for you.

Now, it is easy to acknowledge God as our shepherd when life is going well. It is simple to exclaim that God is always there for us when our problems are solved without difficulties. But, what should our response be when times are very rough in life? In fact, it is in the midst of great troubles that we need God the most, right? Will he be there for me?

The answer is a resounding YES! God will always be there for you, in the most joyful of times as well as in the most difficult of times. As our shepherd it is God's responsibility to protect and guide us through every circumstance in life. Look at what the psalmist writes here in Psalm 23, verses 3-4:

It is God who renews our strength. Because of our sinful limitations we are unable to renew our own strength. Only God, our shepherd, can offer us the strength and courage we need to break through from our trials.

It is God who guides us along right paths. When we choose to shepherd our own lives, it is a guarantee that we will walk down the wrong paths of life because we do not know where we are going. We will continually make the same mistakes and hurt one another in the process. That is what the stronghold of sin does to us.

But, with God in control over our lives, he will lead us in the right direction towards the green meadows and peaceful streams. Again, we cannot go wrong when we follow the Lord faithfully. Our obedience brings honor to him, and rightfully so: all credit goes to the One who never abandons his people.

Therefore, when we face the dark trial of life, we no longer have to be afraid. (v. 4) Why? Because God has dominion over our lives. As the shepherd God is prepared to defend us from any wicked schemes from the enemy. God is close beside us; his rod and staff is used to fight the dangers that come our way. This is what God is equipped to do for us; he will always comfort us and he will always win our battles. We need to trust in such an unfailing guarantee.

The second lesson we can learn in Psalm 23 is this:

2. As the care-giver of life, God will defend you into victory.

God does not just protect and comfort us. He does so in victory! A shepherd uses his rod and staff as protection if other animals want to destroy his sheep. The rod becomes the weapon that will chase the sheep's enemies away. That is what God offers us. As our care-giver God will chase down our enemies and destroy them one by one. Again, the idea here is not just one of protection; it is a protection that leads us into victory.

That is why you do not have to live fearful lives anymore. Even as you walk through the dark valleys of death, you have the assurance that God is already winning the battles for you and you can face your difficulties with boldness. He is not just comforting you, he is destroying your very enemies! Whereas in Psalm 13 the writer is frustrated because God is nowhere to be found, here in Psalm 23 we have definitive guarantee that God is in fact always with us.

Want proof that God has already claimed victory for you? The psalmist ends the chapter by making some profound statements. First, God has prepared a feast for the writer in the presence of the writer's enemies. (v. 5) "To prepare a feast" is normally reserved when victory is in hand and the king declares a celebration for the triumph. We learn here that we are allowed to celebrate victory with God in front of our conquered enemies!

Second, this victory is further illustrated with the writer being welcomed as a guest of God to the feast of celebration. (v. 5) And as a guest of God, the writer is anointed with oil, another sign of victory in the life of the writer. His life is overflowing with the blessings from God. Our lives will also experience the anointing and blessings of God as long as we trust that he is always there for us.

Third, victory is always at hand because God's goodness and unfailing love has been pursuing the writer all the days of his life! (v. 6) Once you have given your life over to God the care-giver you cannot escape his great love and mercy for you. His love will overwhelm and consume you so much your enemies cannot defeat you. No matter whether your life faces an uphill battle or you have sunken so low in the valley of death, you are still victorious because God has pursued you with his love.

This leads us to our final lesson:

3. Our response to God, our care-giver, is also to pursue him forever.

Psalm 23 ends with the writer acknowledging that he too will live in the house of the Lord forever. (v. 6) The psalmist recognizes that for all that God has done for him there must also be a reciprocity of commitment back to God. As God chooses to pursue us with his love and grace, we too must choose to entrust our lives over to him, to live with him forever in infinity. God does not abandon us; he chases us with his unconditional mercy. He cares so much for you that he is willing to walk with you, even in the most depressing times of your life, in order to protect you from your enemies. But, this protection is more than just temporary comfort; it is guaranteed victory for you. Triumph will come because God has given our enemies to us. Celebration ensues as we come into contact with the blessings of God.

Therefore, believe in this God who cares so much for you, for he is always there for you…

© Arthur Hsu (2003)