Which Way to Go?

Psa 23:1  A Psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

Psa 23:2  He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

Psa 23:3  He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

Psa 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.

Psa 23:5  Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

Psa 23:6  Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

Over the past few weeks, I started reading Psalm 23 almost every day. One morning as I was reading it, I noticed that this Psalm is really all about following the Lord. It starts with the affirmation, "The LORD is my SHEPHERD."  Elsewhere in the Psalms, it says that we are sheep.

Psa 100:3  Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

A shepherd takes care of his sheep. In John 10:14 Jesus says:

I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.

So we need leading and guidance because we can so easily wander off and we don't know where to go or where we are going. Pretty soon, we are lost.  Jesus is the most trustworthy Shepherd because He loves us and died for us to save us from sin and the inevitable utter destruction that results from a life without the saving grace of God.   

In Luke 19:10 Jesus says:

For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

I don't know a lot about sheep, but I do know they can be dumb and they can be stubborn and very independent.  Throughout Scripture the Lord talks about leading His people.  All we have to do is look at the journey of the children of Israel where he "led" them from slavery in Egypt through the wilderness to their Promised Land.   In the New Testament Jesus told His disciples to "follow Me." In fact they left ALL to follow Him (Mark 10:28).

Jesus also taught us to be discerning.  Satan is our known enemy and He wants to destroy.  He will imitate the Good Shepherd, Jesus, and try everything he can to fool us and get us to follow him instead.  And where Satan tempts us will always lead us to destruction because he is evil to the core and is incapable of doing any good.

Joh 10:10  The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

How do we know when it is the Good Shepherd, Jesus?  There is a sense of peace and freedom.

2Co 3:17  Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

Wherever Jesus is we do not feel closed in.  He opens doors and windows; He opens our hearts, our understanding.  Only Satan tries to box us in and make us think there is no escape.  It is all part of his stranglehold to kill and destroy (suffocate us) like a snake/serpent that he is.

As I read Psalm 23, the Lord spoke to my heart about verse 2.  Sometimes He will lead us to a peaceful place because He wants us to quiet our soul, and spend quiet time with Him to relax and listen.  For me, He has led me to a peaceful place right beside a large body of water.  It is fall, and the geese fly overhead, the leaves are changing and the sun is casting long shadows over fallen golden leaves.  This is a beautiful rest stop, a place for me to heal, a place for me to do my writing.  It is really so peaceful here, and I should not feel lonely, but strangely, sometimes I do.  And so the Lord spoke to me about loneliness.  If I am not following Him, I will be lost and feel lost.  If I have trouble focusing on what is good, then I have strayed from following the Lord, and I am not quiet enough to listen to His still small voice.  If I let my thoughts stray from Him, then I am as lost as if I walked into an unfamiliar forest of thick trees at night and don't know where I am going.  But the Lord says, "Here I AM, this is the way, walk ye in it! (Isaiah 30:21). He doesn't just say, "Go this way," and I am to go off by myself.  He says, "I AM THE WAY" (John 14:6).

I must FOLLOW HIM to find my way.  He didn't tell the children of Israel the plan to free them and just let Moses do all the work.  No, God worked with Moses and never left the camp or the people. He is Emmanuel -- GOD WITH US.  And the amazing thing is, He WANTS to be with us.

Psalm 23 says there is peace where the Lord is, no matter how small the house or living quarters.  The Lord opens our mind and our heart and enlarges our territory.  I know that the secret to safety and peace lies with being with Him, to follow wherever He leads.  Psalm 91:1-2 says:

Psa 91:1  He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

Psa 91:2  I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.

So when life does not make sense, and we are not sure of which way to go, we need to run to the One who leads us, and He will comfort and guide, love us and assure us, and make our way clear.