Shepherd, King, Musician

David wrote about all the aspects of being a shepherd when he wrote the 23rd Psalm. He, as a shepherd, was responsible for every aspect of the sheep's care. They depended on him for food, for water, for safety, for direction and for rescue when they strayed away. David did all this but who cared for him. Who provided for his safety, his food and water, showed him the way to go and watched over him as he slept? David knew that the Lord did all this for him. He knew that even though he was totally responsible for the care of the sheep there was one greater who in the same manner to an even greater degree cared for him. As king, David knew the pressures of being in charge of everything, leading men into war, protecting the people in his kingdom, leading the people in worship. As king he could have thought that he was a god, revered by all the people for his exploits, feared by his enemies and ultimately responsible for the welfare of the entire kingdom, but he wrote that the Lord was his shepherd. Here is the great king of Israel acknowledging that he was being led by the Great Shepherd of the sheep. As musician he wrote many Psalms attesting to this and many other ways in which he depended on and trusted the Lord but none quite so concise and reassuring as this one. Not many of us will be shepherds let alone king of a country or write or perform music. However, we do face, in our own worlds, the pressures of providing for our families, being in charge of other people's welfare in the business world or being pastor of a local church. With this comes the times that we truly question "who is looking out for me, guiding my footsteps, protecting me in the 'valley' times?" In the New Testament we see that this Shepherd is Jesus who tells us that as His sheep He knows us and that we know His voice. Jesus, Creator and Lord, King of Kings, Our Redeemer is our personal shepherd. The Lord is MY shepherd, that is all I need.