The Right Path

“The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want." Psalm 23:1

When you read Psalm 23, it is all very pleasant and serene, refreshing and comforting. But to be part of the Lord's flock, first we need to be marked. A shepherd uses what they call a "killing knife" to make a notch in the ear of  his sheep, a distinct mark so he can tell his sheep apart from others. That's painful to both the sheep and the shepherd. We too are marked, set apart, sealed by the Holy Spirit. Not only that, if a lamb goes astray too often, a shepherd has no choice but to break two of his legs. After the shepherd sets it, he carries the lamb around on his shoulders for several weeks. That creates a bond between them and the sheep stays close to the shepherd after that. 

Yes, the Lord is our Shepherd. He takes care of us. Only His goodness and kindness follow us all the days of our lives. If there is anything that happens in our lives that is difficult, hard to understand, we need only to have faith that our Shepherd is doing what He needs to do to keep us close. Sheep are known to be stubborn, and maybe that's why Jesus said we are like sheep! We like to go our own way even if there are wolves waiting to devour us! (Is.53:6)

Lord, You are my Shepherd and I belong to You! Help me always to keep on the right path!