What are we missing?

This weeks devo is written by my Brother in law; Hugo Ruiz! (yay Hugo!)

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“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me.” (KJV Psalms 23:1-4)

We can quickly see that the Psalmist uses the metaphor of a shepherd to describe the love and kindness of God. King David, the author of the psalm, illustrates God’s kindness by allowing us to rest in green pastures, beside still waters. In other words, when we are tired and restless, He places us in a safe haven. However, I feel that when reading this psalm, we are often tired and perhaps stressed, and our emotions may cloud how we interpret the scripture. As a result, we might read it as, "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall ALWAYS be in need. He makes me rest on wet land, beside raging waters, with NO rest for my soul." Undoubtedly, His Word states the complete opposite.

Furthermore, the shepherd always goes ahead of his flock. He leads his sheep away from danger and into safe areas where they can rest peacefully. God, our Shepherd, will always look out for our best interests. He will feed us not only physically but spiritually as well. He will give us strength to continue walking in His ways. We must not be afraid, for our Shepherd is always with us.

The Psalmist immediately places his flock in an open field, far from any danger. Whenever we feel as though the enemy is winning a battle against us, we should retreat into those green pastures. There, we can rest and regain our strength to continue the fight. However, at times, it might be necessary to endure hardships in our lives. We may not always understand why God allows certain struggles, but our trust must always rest in Him. The Psalmist states, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me.” This means that no matter where we are, as long as we stand firm with our Lord Jesus Christ, nothing can defeat us. We will walk through the valley of death and emerge victorious on the other side. Just as a shepherd protects his sheep, God uses His rod and staff to protect and guide us.

No matter what situation we find ourselves in, God will always protect us. He will set us apart from evil. He will feed us, give us rest, and restore our souls whenever we are weary. So, what are we missing? Trust. I believe we often lack trust in our Lord. Unlike sheep, who follow their shepherd’s voice without hesitation, His followers tend to question everything. We may say things like; Why me God? I’m not good enough, it’s not my time. However, we need to fully immerse ourselves in His love and His ability to guide us. We need to trust in Him and the plans that He has for us, for He has “… plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jer 29:11) Our God is awesome! He wants nothing but the best for us. Therefore, for us to dwell in the house of the Lord, we must follow His voice and trust the plans He has set before us.