"The Lord is my shepherd"
The Lord
is my shepherd;
there is nothing I lack.
He lets me lie down in green
pastures;
He leads me beside quiet waters.
He renews my life;
He leads me along the right paths
for His name’s sake.
Even when I go through the darkest
valley,
I fear ⌊no⌋ danger,
for You are
with me;
Your rod and Your staff—they comfort
me. (Psalm 23:1-4, HCSV)
Context Psalm 23 
Why use the relationship of sheep to
shepherds to illustrate the relationship humans to God? Perhaps because we are similar to sheep and
need a Shepherd to guide us (Matthew 9:36, Mark 6:34).
While God could tell us the future, He generally doesn’t. If He did, would we understand or respond
correctly?
In ancient ).
Sheep from different flocks would gather together at a watering
hole. When a shepherd was ready to
leave, he called them and they followed.
How do we recognize God’s voice? First, it
takes building a relationship of trusting God.
It takes confiding in God’s provision, Christ’s life, death, and
resurrection to provide forgiveness for our sins. We commit to God’s way as better than
ours. God uses even unwanted
circumstances to accomplish good for those who trust Him (Romans 8:28). We recognize God works in our lives
(Ephesians 2:9; Philippians 2:13), shaping our character through the
circumstances of life. On the other
hand, responding to Christ’s call demonstrates already recognizing His voice (John 6:37).
©2005 Perry Vernon Webb. You may
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How to receive a new life
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