The Lord is My Shepherd

Sometimes a verse or phrase in the Bible becomes too familiar. We read it without even thinking about what it is saying. How many times have you read or heard the words The Lord is my Shepherd? As I break it down word by word, it helps me to think more deeply about what I am reading.

THE Lord is my Shepherd. Jesus Christ is THE Lord. He alone died for the sins of the world, was raised from the dead, ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father. He alone changes the hearts, minds and lives of countless human beings everyday. There is no one like Him. No one else made the claims He made and then backed them up with resurrection.

The LORD is my Shepherd. There is only one person worthy of the title Lord. Has there ever been a person other than Christ who caused blind eyes to see, who made the deaf hear and the lame to walk? Perhaps by medical means but not with just a word.

The Lord IS my Shepherd. In John 8:58 Jesus Christ identifies himself this way:
Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM."
Because He is God come in the flesh, He could identify himself the way God identified himself in the Old Testament. Jesus Christ is the great I AM.

The Lord is MY Shepherd. Mine, my Lord, my Savior. Not owned by me... rather I am owned by Him.

The Lord is my SHEPHERD. We raised sheep for a number of years and knowing Christ as the Good Shepherd has meaning for me. The clearest picture of the relationship between sheep and their shepherd comes as I recall watching my husband go out in the morning to call the sheep to come to the barn to eat. When he was away I would feed them, but they wouldn't come when I called. Because he was the one they trusted, when he called them they would come running. Not because they were so smart - they weren't - but because they recognized the good will of the one who cared for them.

THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD... is He yours?

Posted by Teresa Wood