Discipline, Guide, and Protect

 Psalms 23:4

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

It doesn't matter where we are in life, God is always with us. We might literally be in a very dangerous place, or it may be that we are mentally in a bad place, either way, God is with us.

Psalm 27 asks who should we be afraid of if God is with us. 

Psalms 27:1 The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

 Should we even fear our own thoughts?

God is our strength and guide. The purpose of the rod and staff is for discipline, guidance, and protection. God's ways are all those for us. His commands are not meant to make life hard for us, but to protect and guide us and when needed, discipline us. We should take comfort in the knowledge that God loves us enough to desire to do all that for us. Just as our children know that we love them by giving them guidelines and limits, so must we feel towards God.

Paths of Righteousness

 Psalms 23:3

He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

At first glance, one gets the impression that "restoreth" mean a refreshing. While that may be the case here, it is important to look at how God restores our souls.

When we look at the original Hebrew and the meaning of the word, we see that it means to turn back to God, to repent, to come back to a dying relationship. We have a tendency to wander, but God draws us back to Him!

He leads us down the right paths-the paths that lead to Him and the blessing He has for us. When we follow Him and His commands, we can't go wrong. At times it may seem like we are going on the wrong path because it isn't the way everyone else is going, but God's paths always lead to righteousness and His blessings!

Still Waters

 Psalms 23:2

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

Green pastures give the idea of abundance and complete provision. I find it interesting that it is a place where God "makes" us lie down. Why wouldn't it be something we wanted to do?

Still waters give a feeling of peace and tranquility. I learned something interesting about sheep and water that really helps bring understanding to this part of the verse.

Sheep can not drink from rough waters. Their nostrils are so close to their mouth that the water would choke them if it was bubbling up when they tried to drink. Still waters is a necessity.

In the same way, peace is a necessity for us. God is gracious enough to pour His peace on us. When we follow Him, we can experience true peace.

Psalm 23

In his commentary of Psalm 23, Matthew Henry wrote of verse one:

I shall be supplied with whatever I need, and if I have not every thing I desire, I may conclude it is either not fit for me or not good for me, or I shall have it in due time.

Oh, that I would have this perspective! Many times I have acted as a spoiled brat when I didn't get what I wanted, when I wanted it. Oh, Father, forgive me for all those times!

I should rest in knowing that God is a good shepherd and will take care of all I need, when I need it. I can rest in His perfect timing and perfect provisions. I can have peace that when I don't get something I desire, that there is good reason for it.