We live in a world that is always connected and a million voices and paths are beckoning our attention. Which is the path that I need to take? What is the voice I need to hear? It is so easy to spend a few minutes here or there on various social media, be easily influenced, feel dissatisfied with our life, go off on a tangent and walk a different path other than what we are called to. How do you not lose your focus and not meander through life aimlessly and lost? How do you live purposefully and gloriously and live out what we are created for? I believe that Psalm 23 provides us a helpful guide to live gloriously and purposefully! It all starts with following the Shepherd of our souls!
The Bible tells us in Isaiah 53:6 that like sheep we have all strayed away and that we have left God’s paths to follow our own. Coming back to God and hearing the voice of our Creator helps us to live a life that does not meander but focused based on who we are created to be and the purpose we are meant to achieve! That is why we need to hear the voice of God for clear direction! Jesus, the Shepherd of our souls is waiting to guide us and we must be willing to follow His leading to not get lost and meander but instead to step into this glorious life waiting for us!
Ephesians 1:11-12 (The Message)
11-12 It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone.
John 10:27-28
27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.
So where does the Jesus, the Good Shepherd lead us to? The Good Shepherd leads to us to a strategic place in our life – a place of provision and flourishing and righteous living! A place where there is no lack but a place of refreshing not only for our physical needs but for our souls too! A place that is the right path for me in the midst of a million different paths where I just feel right and where I belong! A place that is of rest and not of striving! This is glorious life indeed and that is why we need to be so close to the Shepherd because you don’t want to miss this strategic place that He is leading you to!
Psalm 23:1-3
1 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name’s sake.
We know that life is not perfect and that there are storms we are going through right now or storms on the horizon. Guess what? When we live in close proximity to the Shepherd, we don’t fear the future. We know that the Shepherd will get us safely through the storm. No matter how high the mountain or how fierce the storm, He knows the way out and He will prod us out to safety while comforting us! God’s presence close to us casts out all fear! How glorious is this!
Psalm 23:4
4 Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
Wait, it gets even better! God says that God Himself will honor us and take us to a place of promotion where we will get a chance to serve out our assignment even more fully for His glory! This is not because we are great by ourselves but because of God’s favor and power working in our lives even as we follow Him faithfully and obediently! This was a reality in David’s life. David was a shepherd boy who was chosen from obscurity and anointed to be the future king of Israel. When David was seventeen, the prophet Samuel anointed David and he was given a glimpse of his purpose and destiny but he had to follow God and wait on Him to take him from the pasture to the palace. Even his own family did not believe he was capable of this, he faced opposition, hardship and heartbreak but through it all He kept following God’s voice diligently and kept making right choices! Twenty years later from the time of being shown the initial glimpse of his destiny, David was appointed to the strategic position of being king of Israel and Judah to serve God and people even in the presence of his enemies! God promotes us to a strategic place that is just for us when we follow Him!
Psalm 23:5
5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Being placed strategically for impact, leaving a legacy and knowing you are fully living out God’s purpose in your life is such a fulfilling and satisfying place to be! Even more satisfying and fulfilling is knowing that we are not just secure in the here and now but that we have a secure place in the house of the Lord forever! We have eternal security in Christ and joy unending set before us! How is this not just great and glorious living?! So what are you waiting for? Spend time seeking out the Shepherd’s voice above all other voices in your life. Enjoy the Good Shepherd, Jesus and allow Him to lead you. You need His clear direction and guidance to take you to your strategic place!
Psalm 23:6
6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.
Designs for Glorious Living 
Leave a comment