Family Devo: THE 23RD PSALM

Read the text and briefly discuss it together. Some discussion-starter questions are provided. Then read the closing text as a guide to your family prayer and finish by praying together and singing a hymn.

The 23rd Psalm is one of the very best well-known Psalms in the Bible. King David wrote it. Here's what it says:

The Lord is my shepherd. I have everything I need. He gives me rest in green pastures. He leads me to calm water. He gives me new strength. For the good of his name, he leads me on paths that are right. Even if I walk through a very dark valley, I will not be afraid because you are with me. Your rod and your shepherd’s staff comfort me. You prepare a meal for me in front of my enemies. You pour oil of blessing on my head. You give me more than I can hold. Surely your goodness and love will be with me all my life. And I will live in the house of the Lord forever (ICB).

Jesus talks about this in the Bible, too. In John 10:11–17 (ICB), He says:

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives his life for the sheep. The worker who is paid to keep the sheep is different from the shepherd who owns them. So when the worker sees a wolf coming, he runs away and leaves the sheep alone. Then the wolf attacks the sheep and scatters them. The man runs away because he is only a paid worker. He does not really care for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep, and my sheep know me, just as the Father knows me, and I know the Father. I give my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not in this flock here. I must bring them also. They will listen to my voice, and there will be one flock and one shepherd. The Father loves me because I give my life. I give my life so that I can take it back again. No one takes it away from me. I give my own life freely. I have the right to give my life, and I have the right to take it back. This is what my Father commanded me to do.”

Here are three main points from these teachings:

1. The Lord looks after you to make sure you have what you need (like food and rest).

2. He gives you new strength when you are tired and weak.

3. He plans a good future for you. He wants you to have hope that, in the end, everything will be okay, and you’ll have a home with Him forever.

Discuss:

• Why do you think David compares the Lord to a shepherd in the Psalm?

• How does Jesus describe Himself as different from a hired worker in John 10?

• What does it mean to have your “cup overflow” in the traditional reading of the Psalm (the above version says, “You give me more than I can hold”)? Can you see this in your life?

This week, we learned a little bit about one of the Bible’s Psalms of restoration. Let’s say a prayer together and promise the Lord we will always trust in Him as our Good Shepherd and strive to be good sheep in His sheepfold. 

—JLP

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