Psalms 23-25, Acts 21:18-40 • Key Verse: Psalm 23:1
How much more change can we take? We have information overload, wireless communication
that reaches everywhere and unbelievable stress. And the only change on the horizon is more
change of the same kind – more information, expanded communication, all taking its emotional
toil. What used to be the promise of the future causes us sometimes to brace ourselves,
wondering how we will find our way through the maze.
David said, “The LORD is my shepherd.” Silencing the incessant ring of the cell phone, slowing
the pace of microprocessors, filtering out the Internet downloads is this calming, comforting,
memorable statement. This is God’s program for our welfare.
The Lord … none other than God Himself
i s . . . a present, on-going reality
my . . . first-person singular, personal, possessive, mine
Shepherd . . . one who cares for, provides for and protects..
Say it aloud: “The Lord is my Shepherd.” Each part carries special meaning, so say it repeatedly,
changing the emphasis. “THE LORD is my shepherd.” “The Lord is MY shepherd.” “The Lord
is my SHEPHERD.” No matter which part is emphasized, the blessing is superb. And when all
the parts are emphasized, we then experience God’s welfare program: He shepherds us.
The cell phone will still ring, the information will still bombard us, the pace will be warp speed.
But in the midst of it all, the child of God can stand calmly knowing that God cares, provides,
protects. The “mantra” for survival is thousands of years old—“The Lord is my shepherd.”
Say this truth slowly and let each part sink in. Then thank God. With the assurance that the Lord
is your shepherd, rest in that truth.
Woodrow Kroll & Tony Beckett
www.backtothebible.in