The Lord is My Shepherd

Knowing that one of my 2024 resolutions was to read more poetry, a friend showed me a poem from a collection titled ‘Poems for My Mother’. The poem read, “I am glad we agree about the Beatles.” That’s it, the whole poem. While I’m merely a poetry appreciator and novice, even I can recognize that as a statement rather than a poem. But it prompted me to think about my recent study of Psalm 23. This well-known Psalm–a beautiful, poetic prayer–begins with a stunning statement: The LORD is my Shepherd, I shall not want (Ps 23:1).

Throughout the six verses of Psalm 23, we see a name for God used only twice, and both times it’s the same name. Here, in verse 1, it says, “The LORD is my Shepherd”. The name David used here is intentional, it’s the covenant name of God–Yahweh.

The name Yahweh is positively bursting out of the Old Testament. In Genesis 2:4 it shows up when we learn that the LORD God created the Heavens and the earth. This is the name by which God swore when He made and kept covenants with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Genesis 16 uses this name when the angel of the LORD met a pregnant Hagar in the wilderness and promised her deliverance, safety, and a future. In Exodus 3 it is the LORD, Yahweh who hears, sees, and cares about the affliction of His people and commissions Moses as their deliverer. 

David uses this name for God at the beginning of Psalm 23, before promising renewal and nourishment, before the assurance of God walking through the path of righteousness and dark valleys with us, to build all of that reality on the foundation that He who will go with us and provide for us is faithful. And this is not merely a corporate God, overseeing all of His children at a distance, providing without contact. Instead, David also reminds us that this is my Shepherd.

He who maintained covenant faithfulness to Israel for thousands of years is the same LORD who will remain ever faithful to the care, protection, and guidance of you and me. It is this same Shepherd who will walk through every valley of darkness with you–with comfort and presence to guide you. He is a Shepherd to be trusted. Because we have Him, we have everything. Rest in His faithfulness toward you today!

Meet the Author
Stephanie Wilcox

Stephanie is an avid tea drinker, thrifter, and reader. Stephanie and her husband, Brandon, live in the Pittsburgh suburbs with their three children, where they enjoy participating in serving the body of Christ together. In the constant pursuit of delight in the Creator, you can most often find her outside with her kids, with bare toes in the grass, hiking, or pulling weeds out of her mediocre garden.

Stephanie currently serves as the Content Director for Chasing Sacred and delights to use her writing to invite women into a deeper knowledge and love of the Word of God. You can find more of her work at stephaniewilcox.substack.com