The Lord Is My Shepherd

The LORD is my shepherd,

The almighty God takes care of me and knows my name. He knows everything about me and cares about each thought, fear, and hope I have. He watches over me. He is my protector from the things that can harm me.

I shall not want.

God will always give me what I need. I don’t need to worry. Sometimes I think I don’t have everything I need, but it is because I have a want and not a need. God is familiar with my needs and wants. He gives me all my needs and some of my wants. He knows what is best for me, and that’s what He gives.

He makes me lie down in green pastures;

Everything good that I have is from God. He is the generous giver of good and perfect gifts. Every time I feel a deep sense of pure happiness, that is from God. All the lasting love and joy in my life is because of him. Perfect skies, smiling flowers, children’s laughter, soft summer evenings, and warm hugs are all God letting me lie down in green pastures.

He leads me beside quiet waters.

God gives me quiet waters in my life. I can go to bed in safety and rest. I have time to think about important things. I have time to dream about what might be in the future. I have time to look out the window and know that God is good and that good things are around the corner.

He restores my soul;

When I’ve had a hard time, God patches me up, dries my tears, and shows me His promises again. Sometimes I am sick, weary, or bitter in my soul. God helps me with that. He fixes me and fills me up.

He guides me in the paths of righteousness
For His name's sake.

Because I belong to God, I represent Him. He is careful to show me His ways. He wants me to do what is right because the path of righteousness is the best place for me to walk.

Even though I walk through the valley
of the shadow of death,
I fear no evil, for You are with me;

When I have lost someone important to me, when I have to do the thing I think I can’t do, when I have to walk into a room of unfriendly people, when I’ve had a really difficult conflict with someone I love, when I feel desperately alone, God is there.

Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;

God always sends light into the darkest places. In one moment, everything seems bad and hopeless. I am afraid and can’t think of a way out. I can’t get along with the people around me. I have no idea what to do. In that place, God spreads a table for me, laden with blessings, new sunrises, and smiles when it seemed they were lost forever.

You have anointed my head with oil;
My cup overflows.

A perfect place to take a walk, a fuzzy dog’s head, people who stick with me, cold lemonade, a baby’s first words, a happy ending to a sad story, cozy joy with my family, a beautiful song, forgiveness, bare feet on summer days, a loving message from a friend, a long moment of real rest. My cup overflows.

Surely goodness and lovingkindness
will follow me all the days of my life,

I know, always, that good things are coming, that God’s stories always have happy endings. No matter how much I think the situation can’t get any better, God has a surprise party planned. When I imagine monsters at my right and left, I will look behind and see goodness and lovingkindness following me, there all the time.

And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

And one day the deepest longing in me will be filled. The thing I’ve looked for all my life and have never been able to find will be inside and around me. I will find myself singing the song I’ve always tried to remember. I will be whole, who I was meant to be all along. And I will dwell forever in God’s house.

(This article is taken from the June 2007 issue of the amie newsletter. amie is a network for Christian homeschooled teenage girls. Members receive a monthly newsletter in the mail and have the opportunity to participate in contests and projects. Visit the amie website for more information. Bible quotation from the NASB.)