Years ago I went to watch my favorite professional baseball team with a friend. The stadium was awesome. The box seats were the best. The food was out of this world. I was living it up. My buddy pointed to a huge diamond ring on his finger and mentioned the value of our box seats. Then he asked, “Do you know why I have these things?” I thought that was a trick question.
So I was stunned at his answer while I tried to choke down the last bite of my gourmet burger. “Because I can.” That was the punch line and the bottom line.
The rest of the night stunk. The fun was gone. I felt like it was Halloween and I had been tricked, not treated. I later concluded our time together was not about friendship-building as much as it was about impression-making. I have thought about that experience often and realized that I was much the same as my fellow baseball fan. I was just as driven to impress as he was. The difference was that I was not honest about it. After that night at the stadium, I began to inventory my heart more carefully.
The ageless bent of the human heart is for “something more.” More experiences, friendships, romance, cash, reputation, fame or achievement has been, and is, the insatiable longing of every person’s soul. These are mere samplings of countless life pursuits that capture hungry hearts and leave them that way — hungry and restless.
‘Something more’
Beyond the measurable is the inner-heart need to be unconditionally loved and protected. People are wired with the need for that “something more.” Span the culture gap from the celebrated to the forgotten, from the successful to the impoverished, and there is a commonality that unites the whole of humankind. It is the want to be loved and to be protected.
For many the means of satisfying the urge for “something more” has a deep heart origin but a surprisingly short shelf life. Whatever the gain, soul emptiness is the ultimate outcome. We’ve all been there. The lesson is hard to learn and the truth difficult to dismiss. We settle for the passing while longing for the permanent. We have no other recourse, it seems, but to continue living the cycle of frustration far from the elusive prize of true and lasting contentment.
Consider the most familiar of the Psalms found in your Bible. You have heard it plenty of times. You most likely can quote it without ever realizing that you have it memorized, especially that first verse, “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want” (Ps. 23:1).
Without question, this is the pearl of the Psalms. It is the expression of the heart of a man who experienced the inner contentment that people everywhere pursue. By the way, he was a king. King David ruled a nation. He knew what it was like to succeed, but being king had its headaches just like your daily grind at the workplace or household does.
David knew about shepherds. He had been one as a boy (1 Sam. 16:11, 17:28). He knew sheep had a stubborn streak, straying off and unknowingly exposing themselves to danger for the sake of appetite. David knew the life and the wellbeing of each sheep required a shepherd’s constant attention. Sheep were familiar with the sound of their shepherd’s voice, drawn by a call or even the tone of a shrill whistle. It was common for shepherds to name each sheep of their flock and to comfort or correct any by hoisting them up and carrying them across their shoulders.
The shepherd took his responsibility personally and seriously. Each sheep was tended to with care, led to areas of lush pasture and refreshing drink and protected from vicious attack of predators. Shepherds commonly watched over their flocks during the midnight hours, ensuring their protection from thieves. The occupation of shepherding was hazardous and strenuous. But to the shepherd, his flock was worth every ounce of concern and toil.
The first five words of Psalm 23 illustrate what David knew to be true as he considered his own relationship to God. It was God who provided for the king’s every need. It was God who protected David from his enemies. It was God who lovingly pursued David when he strayed. Those five words of this infamous Psalm describe the Good Shepherd’s love for His sheep. To be loved like that, who could ask or want for more?
Jesus commonly used the metaphor of the shepherd to describe His profound affection for His own: “I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd sacrifices His life for the sheep. I am the Good Shepherd; I know My sheep and they know Me. My sheep listen to My voice; I know them and they follow Me. I give them eternal life and they shall never perish” (John 10:11, 14, 27).
Protector and provider
The shepherd imagery challenges the Western mindset. Shepherds were not weaklings, deficient of strength or skill. Shepherds were compassionate and courageous, committed to protecting and providing for their own flock at the cost of their own lives. That is exactly what Jesus did when He laid down His life for you. Willingly, lovingly and sacrificially, He offered up Himself to provide for your greatest need, to give you grace and to protect you from your greatest fear: death.
David personalizes this Psalm from the outset: “The Lord is my Shepherd.” There’s nothing abstract or fuzzy about that. You too can belong to the Good Shepherd. The first step is to admit what’s true. You know that all of your self-sufficiency has led you to dead ends, frustration, soul emptiness and even guilt. That is the reality of sin.
Then turn to Christ. Place your trust in the Shepherd who offered His life for yours so that your sin could be forever forgiven and your eternity forever secured. A sincere appeal to the Shepherd will be heard and responded to.
It’s true, when the Lord is your Shepherd, you will have all you need. Our most critical need is not for success, approval, things or experiences. Our greatest need is for the Shepherd’s love and protection. You know that. Deep in your heart you know that. Today do something about it. Entrust yourself to the Shepherd. He can be yours right now. He is the Shepherd who satisfies. That’s the guarantee of Psalm 23:1.
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