Psalm 23: The LORD is my Shepherd

Notes from Pastor Peggy's sermon on July 26, 2026

Psalm 23 is probably one of the most loved and most read psalms. Many of you could probably quote all of it or at least portions of it. This Psalm is often quoted in times of trouble, found on funeral home memorial folders, and this psalm comforts us through sorrow. Yet, it is also a psalm that should dominate our everyday life. It is a testimony, per se, of the reality of God in a person’s experience who have personal relationship with the Lord.

We live in a universe where “God is.” But He is not a remote agent, the unmoved mover, or a disinterested deity. He personally interfaces with my life in the occupational role of shepherd: provider, guider, protector, healer, keeper, shearer, searcher, nurturer, and defender.

The author, because he is a shepherd, thinks of how he cares for his own sheep, and then the conviction floods his mind that God cares for his people the exact same way.

Just as the shepherd accepts the responsibility for each animal in his charge, so God cares for every person as though he cared for that person alone. Just as the shepherd cares actively for his sheep, so God does not watch over us passively but involves himself in our lives to lead and comfort and reassure and restore. Just as the shepherd is concerned for the total welfare of his flock, so God is concerned for the “whole” of us, not just our spiritual lives.

This psalm really becomes the testimony of the “sheep.” It is a personal confession of faith in the God who daily cares for us and loves us.

**We can’t really begin fully looking at our Scripture today without first hearing the testimony of the Shepherd of our lives—Jesus.

John 10:1-18

Jesus is the Good Shepherd, he is the “door of the Sheep”. This sets a beautiful analogy for us this morning. In ancient times the shepherd would prepare a place of shelter for the sheep. This would be a place where they are safe from the attacks of wild animals and anything that could harm. A doorway carefully guarded forms the entrance into the sheep-fold. Jesus is really saying that he has made a safe way for each sheep to come to him and be safe.

Jesus speaks clearly so that each sheep can hear his voice and distinquish it from those that would potentially bring harm. He calls them each by name.

Isn’t it wonderful to know that each of you today, being a “sheep” in the Lord’s flock—are known by your name to God. This reveals to us a personal and intimate relationship.

Jesus also says that he leads the sheep. He provides for us salvation, safety, security, and nourishment…and eternal life.

Psalm 23:1—the Lord is my Shepherd

          A story is told of one of England’s leading actors was being honored at a banquet. After dinner, the Master of Ceremonies asked the actor if he would recite for the guests. He consented, asking if there was something in particular someone would like to hear. After a moment’s pause, an old clergyman spoke up saying, “Sir, could you recite the 23^rd Psalm?” For a moment the actor was speechless. Then he said, “Yes, I will be glad to, but on one condition; that is, that after I have recited it, you will do the same.” Impressively the actor recited the psalm, holding his audience spellbound. As he finished, a great burst of applause broke forth from the guests. After the applause ceased, the clergyman quietly arose, the audience listened as the Psalm was given. When it was done, there was not a dry eye in the room. After a moment of silence, the actor said, “I reached your ears, but this man reached your heart. I know the Psalm, but he knows the Shepherd.”

As we now come to the first line of the Psalm, “the LORD is my Shepherd”, we begin to understand the crucial aspect of understanding who our shepherd is. What is His character? Does He have the adequate credentials to be my Shepherd—my manager—my owner? And if He does, how do I come under His control? In what way do I become the object of His concern and diligent care?

The Psalmist is referring to Jehovah—the Lord God of Israel. His statement was confirmed by Jesus. Our Scripture in John confirms this when Jesus said, I am the Good Shepherd.

When we come closer to these two words, The LORD”, we have to widen our view and understand that the one to whom we call our Shepherd is the very one who was directly responsible for the creation of all things both natural and supernatural.

Listen to Colossians 1:15-20, talking about Jesus--¹⁵ The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. ¹⁶ For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. ¹⁷ He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. ¹⁸ And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. ¹⁹ For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, ²⁰ and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

If we take the time this morning to pause and reflect on the person of Christ, on His power and upon His achievements—suddenly like the psalmist David, we state proudly that the Lord is our Shepherd.

In reading a book called “A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23”, the author says this:

“it helps to hold clearly in mind the particular part played upon our history by God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. God the Father is God the author—the originator of all that exists. It was in His mind, first, that all took shape. God the Son, our Savior, is God the artisan—the artist, the Creator of all that exists. He brought into being all that had been originally formulated in His Father’s mind. God the Holy Spirit is God the agent who presents these facts to both my mind and my spiritual understanding so that they become both real and relative to me as an individual.”

The beautiful relationships given to us repeatedly in Scripture, between God and humankind are those of a father to his children and a shepherd to his sheep. These concepts were first conceived in the mind of God our Father. They were made possible through the work of Jesus. They are confirmed and made real to me and to you through the agency of the gracious Holy Spirit.

When we proclaim, “the Lord is my Shepherd”, we are speaking of a profound yet practical working relationship between a human being and his/her Maker.

To think that Jesus is deeply concerned about us as individual people should provide for us a great purpose and deep meaning for us to be alive at this time in history.

The greater and wider and more majestic our concept is of Jesus, the more vital our relationship will be with Him.

As we move through this psalm in the weeks to come, we will begin to see in a deeper way how the psalmist, speaking not as a shepherd as David was, but as the sheep in the fold, that David had a sense of pride, devotion, and admiration in who his Shepherd was.

So, let’s contemplate this for a moment—if the Lord is my Shepherd I should know something of this character and His ability.

Have you ever just walked outside at night and looked up into the starry sky? Scientifically speaking, there are 250 billion times 250 billion star-studded bodies in our universe—many larger than our sun and these amazing bodies have been scattered across the vast universe by His hand. The planet earth, is so minute a speck of matter in space that if it were possible to transport our most powerful telescope to our nearest neighbor star—Alpha Centauri—and look back this way, the earth could not be seen, even with the aid of the most powerful telescope.

It helps to put things in perspective…yet the amazing fact remains that Jesus Christ, the Creator of all things, the enormous universe, chooses to call Himself my Shepherd and invites you and me to consider ourselves one of His sheep—His special object of affection and attention.

Jesus, God the Son, brought into being this gigantic galaxy and the most minute microbe to function flawlessly under the divine orders of creation.

Think about this today—each of us belongs to Him simply because He deliberately chose to create you and I as objects of His affection and love.

This became the most real when Jesus demonstrated on the cross the deep desire of His heart to have people come under His loving care. Isaiah 53:6 says, “all we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned everyone to his own way, and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” Jesus bought each of us at an incredible price—His life. Jesus said, “I am the Good Shepherd, the Good Shepherd gives His life for the sheep.”

Jesus has the right of full claim upon our lives.

Sheep don’t just take care of themselves—they require attention and meticulous care. I read that it is no accident that God has chosen to call us sheep because we have many similarities with them. Our group instincts, our fears and timidity, our stubbornness and often stupidity, and our many different habits…many adverse characteristics, yet Jesus chooses us—calls us by name, purchased us, and makes us His very own.

Jesus literally lays Himself out for us continually. He is always interceding for us. He is always guiding us by the Holy Spirit. He is always working on our behalf to ensure that we benefit from His care.

The entire psalm will lay out for us very clearly how the Good Shepherd cares for us and looks out for our welfare in so many ways.

It is so crucial that we understand that we belong to the Lord. That through who He is and what He has done for us He has every right to claim us as His own…but the important factor is do we in turn declare Him our Shepherd.

Do I really belong to Him?

Do I really recognize His right to me?

Do I respond to His authority and acknowledge His ownership?

Do I sense a purpose and deep contentment because I am not only under His care but under His direction in my life?

Do I find a place of rest in knowing who my Shepherd is?

If so, then my heart should be full of gratitude and praise as I can freely proclaim as David did, “The LORD is my Shepherd.” I am thrilled to belong to Him and as a result I can flourish and thrive—no matter what life may throw at me!

Only the Good Shepherd can meet our deepest needs and, in the weeks to come, the psalmist will help us to see the processes by which Jesus uses to bring our hearts to places of peace, comfort and contentment.