Encouragements for our troubled times No. 26
COVID-19 Series | Date: 17 September 2020
The Elders and Deacons want to encourage the members and those who regularly meet with us through this weekly letter. If you have news which you would be happy to share with the fellowship or request for prayer, then please let us know.
A message from our Pastor
Psalm 23:1
“The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want."
After only briefly looking at this Psalm, that is so full of meaning, at our prayer meeting, I thought that it deserved a fuller treatment. Therefore we will be looking into the four sections of this Psalm over the next few weeks.
It starts with a wonderful statement of condescension on behalf of my God and Saviour. The Lord of all the Heavens and earth, the one who angels worship and adore, condescends to be a shepherd to His people. When you consider what a lowly position a shepherd had when this Psalm was penned, this is truly remarkable. Shepherds would be required to live out with the sheep to protect them and keep them safe and fed. It was a dirty, smelly and poorly paid job. Only those who couldn’t get any other work or, like David, had a personal interest and concern for the sheep would do it. And our God, because of the great love with which He loves us and gave Himself for us; has made Himself a shepherd for His sheep. O, what love and condescension that truly is.
This is also a statement of absolute certainty and personal faith. David says “The Lord is my Shepherd.” There is no doubt or question in his mind that the Lord is his shepherd. And, He is not just a shepherd of the sheep but David’s own, personal shepherd. What a great privilege and honour we have that our Lord on High, the Lord of Glory, who is glorious in His majesty and sovereign ruler of all in Heaven and on earth; deigns to be the shepherd of His people. Because I am one of His redeemed, bought at a great price on Calvary, He owns me as His own and numbers me among His flock. But I am not just a number to Him, I am known to Him personally and loved by Him as the apple of His eye. As Spurgeon said, “if I were the only sheep in His fold, He would still be a shepherd to me.”
And it’s because the Lord of Glory is my shepherd that I shall not lack anything that I need. He is the Good Shepherd and we are in His pastoral care. He who owns all things commits Himself to be our provider, preserver, to keep us in His loving tender care; and never to leave us nor forsake us. He will take care of all our needs, both temporal and spiritual. He will not deny us any good thing nor leave us in need. He can and will supply them all and we will be able to say as David could say in Psalm 34:10, “the young lions lack and suffer hunger; but those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.’
‘For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord will give grace and glory; no good thing will He withhold from those who walk upright. O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man who trusts in You!’ Psalm 84:11-12.