Jesus Is My Shepherd
What if I told you that I have two words that could change your life? These two little words could transform how you celebrate Christmas. The Christmas season is a time of tremendous joy and celebration, a time to gather with friends and family. However, for many folks, this joyous time of the year is overshadowed by sadness, loneliness and memories of happier days gone by. The weight of these emotions can make it extremely difficult for some people to keep going.
With our nation’s current economic situation, many families are finding that there just isn’t enough money to do all the things they had hoped to do for Christmas 2008. It’s easy during the Christmas season to struggle with keeping your priorities straight. After all, there are so many needs in your family, your church and the world. To complicate matters, there are those loved ones who are not with us this year, family or friends serving overseas, relatives battling diseases and illnesses and a host of other personal issues.
Okay, now let me tell you those two words. Better yet, let me give you an example from Psalm 23:1 (NKJV):
“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.”
Most of us are quite familiar with this verse of Scripture. But, adding the words “if” and “then” adds tremendous power. Try it. “If the Lord is my shepherd, then I shall not want.” With this in mind, now go a step further and read Psalm 23:2-4 (NKJV):
“He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. Yea, 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.”
If we believe that Jesus is our Shepherd and we are obedient to follow Him, then we will experience blessings, provision for our needs, peace in our hearts and unspeakable joy. He promises to walk beside us and lead us to the other side when we pass from this life to the next. But, the “shadow of death” also refers to those times in our lives when we experience intense suffering and sorrow. We need not fear these seasons in our lives for they are mere shadows, temporarily blocking the light. We have an assurance from the Lord that He will also walk with us during our darkest periods here on earth.
