Psalm 23
“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 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. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. 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.”
Psalm 23 sounds a lot like the perfect doctor’s visit, where the patient is throughly satisfied with his care and prognosis. The basis of any checkup is to confirm good physical condition while adopting healthy lifestyle habits, right? So this morning let’s see how we stack up to the spiritual prowess of the 23rd Psalm writer; because it certainly depicts a person in outstanding spiritual condition. Using this scripture as our guide, let’s submit ourselves to God for a spiritual checkup.
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
The objective of a visit to your physician is to leave their office with a good report. And I can think of no greater report than the opening statement of this psalm: The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. It displays an attitude which exudes extraordinary confidence in a relationship with the Great Physician. It transcends religious furor and fundamental belief. It actually ignores every other process, and places submission to the Lord as central to life and living.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul.
Isn’t this similar to a doctor’s visit? During a visit, the first thing you do is lay down and relax, so your pressure and heart rate can be monitored. The process of being still and resting is paramount for proper healing and recovery. And dare not move beforehand or the doctor will tell you, ‘please be still so I can get the proper readings’. And so it is with the Lord.
He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
I don’t know about you but my doctor is always laying out a pathway for improved health results. Even when I think I’m in perfect shape, he continues to warn, educate and consult on additional steps I should take. Then prescribes the appropriate medication to take to the pharmacist with his name on it. The prescription God has given you is powerful and respected because it has his name on it.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me;
I like this part. Even when I’m suffering from those situations, places and spaces that appear harmful, deadly and dangerous, my heavenly Physician prescribes the perfect cure. But like any medicine, it has side effects. In exchange for the stress and strain of abiding in fear, God replaces it with the antidote. The Apostle Paul concluded, For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; (but He exchanges it for) power, and of love, and of a sound mind. I can live with those kind of side effects.
Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
As uncomfortable as it may sound, the rod of correction and staff of protection are necessary tools in the healing arsenal of God. These tools deal with character and discipline. While a doctor may visually observe the patient, ultimately they have to assess what’s on the inside. Do you have any internal characteristics that are inconsistent with healthy living? So they’ll check your blood. And God does the same. My doctor checks my INR to see if my blood is performing correctly God checks our blood for spiritual INU to ensure ‘I AM is N U!!!
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:
One of the key factors in any health plan is ingesting the right food. You can’t eat just everything from anyone; and everyone can’t eat what you eat. Some folk can’t sit at the table with you. Their diet would be dangerous to your health. But the Good Shepherd has prepared a diet just for His sheep (and unfortunately He’s fresh out of goat food).
Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Sheep can get their head caught in briers and die trying to get untangled. There are horrid little flies that like to torment sheep by laying eggs in their nostrils which turn into worms and drive the sheep to beat their head against a rock, sometimes to death. So the shepherd anoints their whole head with oil. Then there is peace. That oil forms a barrier of protection against the evil that tries to destroy the sheep. And he gives it to his sheep in such supply that it is overflowing in their lives.
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.”
Nothing beats a good report from your doctor, except a great report from the Lord. The checkup this morning involves resting, restoration, righteous living, reciprocity, and right relationship with our Redeemer. However to receive the benefits we have to show up for our appointment, adhere to God’s directives and when instructed, Be Still So He Can Bless You!
God Bless
