Just Five Words

 "The Lord is my Shepherd." Psalm 23:1

    When I was a child, my mom assigned to me the task of memorizing the twenty-third Psalm. What seemed like a chore at the time has become a means of blessing to me the older I get. Though this familiar Psalm is often spoken at funerals, those first five words portray abundant life to me. 

    As I pondered the verse above, I toyed with placing the emphasis on one word at a time, like this:

• The Lord is my Shepherd: Not just any lord, He is the Ancient of Days, the one and only God.
• The Lord is my Shepherd: The Master of the Universe is my King of kings, Almighty God.
• The Lord is my Shepherd: Present tense, not "was" or "will be." In the here and now, He is mine.
• The Lord is my Shepherd: Up close, personal and familiar with all my ways. 
• The Lord is my Shepherd: He leads me and guides me all the days of my life.

    If I am injured, He will stoop down to bind my wounds because He is close to the broken-hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. If I drift away, it doesn't matter how many other sheep are in the fold, He will come looking for me. When hunger and thirst assail me, He opens His hand and I am fed. And when the enemy prowls 'round me as a lion, my Victor will rescue me, drawing me close. 

    By believing in just five words, my needs are met for all eternity.

"I am the good Shepherd: I know my sheep and my sheep know me...and I lay down my life for the sheep." John 10:14