The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil, for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
forever. | Psalm 23
God loves us very much. He showed His great love by giving His dear Son, Jesus, to die for us. Surely, if He loves us so much, He will always take care of us, won’t he?
The Bible says that He will. The Bible tells us that no matter what happens, he is taking care of us. Day and night, every day and all night, He watches over us.
Do you remember David, the shepherd boy who became a great king? David loved God. And David knew that God loved him. David wrote many Psalms or songs. Some of them are in the Bible. One of his songs is called the Shepherd Psalm.
When David was a shepherd boy, he took good care of his sheep. He found grass for them to eat. He led them to good clean water, so that they could drink. When the sun shone hot, he found a shady place for them to rest. And he always watched. He watched to see that the little lambs did not fall off the high rocks, or get hurt in some other way. He watched to make sure that a bear or a lion did not catch one of the sheep. Before it was dark, he gathered all the sheep into the fold, the big sheep-house. There they were safe and warm. Then David lay down in the doorway, so that nothing could get in to harm the sheep at night. David was a very good shepherd. He would even give his life is something came to get the sheep.
When David though how he took care of his sheep, he thought of the Lord God, how He took care of His sheep. And so he wrote this Psalm , about the Lord taking care of His sheep. David knew he was one of the lord’s sheep. And he knew the Lord was a good Shepherd.
One day, Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd.”
Yes, the Lord Jesus is a very good shepherd, a very special shepherd. He watches over us all the time, and He never even goes to sleep.
And who are Jesus’ sheep? Do you know?
Yes, all God’s people are Jesus’ sheep. Jesus takes care of them, just as David took care of his sheep. Boys and girls are Jesus’ lambs. He loves them. He watches over them, just as David watched over the lamb in his flock. God loves us. He takes care of us.
When we remember that He loves us, we can be happy even when we are sick. We can be happy in time of trouble. We can be happy when it is time for us to die and go to heaven. There we will see our Good Shepherd. Shall we read David’s song about his Shepherd?
Something to Talk about
- How did God show us that He loves us?
- What has God done to take care of you?
- How is Jesus like a shepherd?
- What does “I shall not want” mean?
Memory verse
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. | Psalm 23:1