The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
(Psalm 23 ESV)
I flipped to a familiar place in the Bible—the most famous psalm, Psalm 23. If it is not familiar to you, well, you’ve happened upon a priceless treasure. Consider memorizing these words!
After rereading this psalm today, I had one thought: God cares about more than the path I take. He wants me to find life in his presence.
God Leads Me in Paths of Righteousness
Psalm 23 is often thought of as a guidance psalm. For those of us who have put our faith in Jesus for the forgiveness of our sins, he—the Lord—is our Shepherd, which implies that he is leading us and directing our paths. Verse three explicitly says, “he leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake” (Psalm 23:3 ESV). And we understand from later in the psalm (and from life) that God sometimes leads us into the valley (Psalm 23:4).
Rightfully so, we often close our Bibles on this psalm, once again comforted that God is with us and lovingly leading us. Psalm 23 reassures us in times when we crave direction—God is leading, and he leads well.
Where Is God Leading Us?
Even though we can embrace this truth, most of us would agree that it’s easy to obsess over God’s plans for us. We know he’s shepherding us. We know he wants us on righteous paths. But when those paths lead us through the valley, we wonder when we’ll reach the end of it. And no matter what the path holds, we often wonder why God has us on the path he does. We wonder what the path will look like ahead, growing impatient to see what comes next.
Do you find yourself clinging to Jesus as your Shepherd, desperate for him to reveal the next leg of the journey or “how much longer” you have on this leg?
Notice the final destination that the Shepherd is leading us to: home, home in his house forever (Psalm 23:6). The place our Shepherd leads us to is his own presence, forever. Think about that—the haven God leads us toward is the place where he lives. Our ultimate destiny is life with God in his home. Psalm 23 says that our present situation is life with God “outdoors,” so to speak—in green pastures, by quiet waters, and in valleys. The paths of righteousness—the gentle streams, the fields, and the valley—are all leading us to him, and yet, we get to experience them all with him. He is not accompanying us on a journey to drop us off somewhere after we have learned some lessons. The Lord journeys with us, until he brings us to his own home—to a greater and more glorious experience of his fellowship.
The Lord Leads Us Into Greater Relationship with Him
God cares about the paths we take in this life—that’s why he leads us in ways that are righteous. But our final destination says something about the Lord’s desire for us. The Lord wants us with him.
We often keep our eyes on our feet, and so often on the ground beneath us, locked on where the path is headed. But God wants our eyes on him: He has led me to this green pasture. He has led me by these still waters. He has led me into this valley. And I’m on my way to his house, forever.
The Lord uses Psalm 23 to pull our eyes up to look at the Shepherd rather than the surroundings and our situation. Do you acknowledge Jesus’ regular presence with you? Do you daily pursue deeper relationship with Jesus?
If you have put your faith in Jesus, then one day, you will spend eternity in his house. May you look forward to that day with hope and joy, and may you delight in Jesus’ presence in your life here and now in the “outdoors”—in the green pastures, by still waters, in the valley, in the presence of your enemies, and when your cup is overflowing. When you begin to obsess over knowing God’s plan, choose instead to thank him for his presence.