In a trial? Find rest in Jehovah-Rohi: There's power in the name! (part 6)
Feeling alone? Are you in a trial, difficult situation or feeling stuck in a “desert”? You are not alone.
God cares, loves, guides, protects and will bless you all the days of your life—if you will only allow him. Simply follow His leading and trust the Lord in every circumstance. Learn to recognize the voice of the Lord by spending time with the Lord and becoming familiar with His voice.
Understanding His names is a means to understand who God is—and, in turn, how important you are to Him.
The names we’ve studied so far are: Elohim: the strong creator, Jehovah: and the self-existent one, Adonai: owner, master, and supreme authority, Jehovah-Jireh: your provider, Jehovah-Rapha: the Lord who heals, and Jehovah-Shalom: the Lord is peace.
Today we learn about Jehovah-Rohi: the Lord is my shepherd.
The names of God convey the truth of His power, love, sovereignty and authority. He created you, loves you and His desire is to be intimately involved in your life. He sees you; he’s with you. Receive the rest and love of God today.
Struggling today? Here’s how to find rest in God.
The Names of God
We have been looking at different names of God that are found in scripture. The six we’ve studied so far are:
Elohim - the strong creator.
Jehovah - the self-existent One, the I Am.
Adonai - owner, master, Lord and sovereign God over all creation.
Jehovah-Jireh - the Lord will provide.
Jehovah-Rapha - the Lord who heals.
Jehova-Shalom - the Lord is peace.
Believe God is for you and that the power and presence of God is consistent and 100% true no matter how your situation feels. He is the eternal I Am.
Each name of God: reveals something new about God, helps us to know and understand more about God, will give you a better idea of how much God loves you, has come from personal experience and is an expression of their faith in God, and each name should encourage you to believe that the Lord is for you. Allow each name to enlarge your faith in God.
This week, we look at Jehovah-Rohi: the Lord is my shepherd.
David Teaches us About God’s love and protection
David wrote this Psalm, which tells us The Lord—the self-existent one, the eternal I am—is my shepherd.
“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. 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. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 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” (Psalm 23, NIV).
This is a mental picture that David wanted to convey: God cares, loves, guides, protects and will bless you all the days of your life—if you will only allow him. We simply need to follow His leading and trust the Lord in every circumstance.
Psalm 23 is a clear picture of a shepherd caring for his flock and the trust the flock developed toward the shepherd. The shepherd’s care for the sheep is seen in his protection and the shepherd’s constant presence and provision. The sheep who trust the shepherd are rewarded by being cared for and blessed all their days. The shepherd in Psalm 23 is beautiful a picture of God caring for His people. It is not a stretch to say that the shepherd also represents the Lord Jesus, especially when Jesus references himself in the Gospel of John as the Good Shepherd. The sheep, represent the people of God, meaning every believer. The blessing described in verse 6, is for both physical and spiritual. The Psalm is written for both the present and the future.
A Personal God
David knew from personal experience the spiritual truth that he wanted to convey. He chose the image of sheep and a shepherd as the way to teach us a truth about God. Notice that David writes this Psalm from a personal perspective: David used personal pronouns (such as me, my, and I) referring to himself 17 times.
We must experience God in a personal way if we are going to fully know the Lord.
Live in the present, Look forward to the future
Next, David is speaking in the present tense, not past tense. David tells us what God does for him: He makes me, leads me, restores me, guides me, comforts me, anoints me, and so on (Psalm 23:2-5).
We need to live in the present and not in the past. The present gives us faith for the future.
He knows you by name
A shepherd is not a shepherd of only one sheep, and yet David is speaking as if the LORD is his own personal shepherd. A shepherd cares for many sheep and each sheep knows the shepherd’s voice. The shepherd cares not just for the flock but for each of the sheep that make up the flock, and the shepherd knows all of them by name.
In part one of this series we learned of the name Jehovah: the self-existent One, the eternal I Am. David desires to dwell with the Lord forever (Psalm 23:6).
What about you?
Do you know the Lord as your shepherd?
Do you know his voice?
Do you know the blessings of God?
Do you want to experience peace and provision in times of distress?
If so, learn the voice of God. Follow his leading and know that without a doubt, God is present and will not leave you in your time of need.
Consider what David says in this Psalm and how it relates to the different names of God that we have already studied as well as some that we will be studying.
Jehovah-Jireh: the Lord will provide, “I lack nothing” (Psalm 23:1).
Jehovah-Shalom: the Lord our peace, “leads me beside quiet waters” (Psalm 23:2).
Jehovah-Rapha: the Lord who heals, “he refreshes my soul” (Psalm 23:3).
David proclaims just how mighty God is in Psalm 23. I believe that is why this Psalm is so comforting to read in times of trouble.
Psalm 23 proclaims what you need to hear when you experience sorrow, and what God is doing for you as you look forward to see Jesus, the Good Shepherd face to face.
Jesus is the Good Shepherd and He will love and protect His flock, and He knows each of you by name (see also John 10:1-4, 7-11).
Do you know the voice of the shepherd?
There are so many voices in the world today, each calling for your attention. David knew the Lord was his shepherd, and he could distinguish God’s voice from all the other voices. In the same way we need to learn to recognize the voice of the Lord in our lives. But, that can only be accomplished by spending time with the Lord and becoming familiar with His voice.
When we follow Jehovah-Rohi, the Lord our shepherd, we can know that all we need will be provided by the Lord, the shepherd, the one who leads us all the days of our lives. All we need do is listen and obey. Trust the Lord, your shepherd, in every circumstance.
Experience real peace, love, and joy
Do you consider yourself not in need of a shepherd? You might be a leader, but even leaders need help at times. Until you realize you need help, God in your life, you will never be truly satisfied. There is no success, money, stimulant, relationship, or hobby that will have a lasting sense of joy or satisfaction for you. You will always want more, even if you don’t know why.
Real satisfaction, real peace, real love comes only when you know Jesus as the Lord and he becomes the shepherd of your life. Your spiritual need and healing is the beginning of being physically and spiritually satisfied in every area of life, both in the present and the future.
People can be spiritually ignorant at times, and they will follow or worship lifeless, empty images such as: money, sex, success, excitement. But they have no eternal value like that of knowing Jesus, which will truly satisfy the spiritual needs in their lives.
God will help you to lie down and stretch out and spiritually relax if you let him. God will also give you all you need to restore your soul.
With God as your shepherd you will:
Find rest and nourishment as you follow the leading of the shepherd.
Find calm waters and rest for your soul.
Understand and experience righteousness.
Do you feel lost? Weary? Empty?
God, Jesus the Good Shepherd, is calling you and waiting for you to come back and be reinstated as a child of God. Maybe you are hearing this for the very first time. God loves you, no matter your past. He promises to give rest to all who are weary and burdened (see Matthew 11:28-29), to give peace instead of fear or troubled hearts (see John 14:27).
No one is perfect; we all have gone astray. But! When you turn to God, He will guide you and provide for you a place of rest as He guides you in the paths of righteousness. The Lord will make you lie down in green pastures. He will lead you to calm and pleasant water. He will restore your soul.
In verse 4 of Psalms 23 we find that David recognizes that at times he may find himself in a valley or in the shadow of death.
At times no matter the good choices you make, problems may come. Dark days can happen not of your doing no matter how faithful you are. Things can happen that you have no control over. But we are not to fear. Why? Because the Shepherd of your soul is with you. God is always in control; He is always there (as His name Jehovah-Shammah—the Lord is there—tells us), no matter how out of control things appear.
At times we need correction, or a prodding to keep us going forward spiritually, and sometimes we need to be rescued and pulled out of trouble. In all of these cases, even in times of correction, God does so out of love. God will use whatever it takes to get your attention, but if you do not listen to God’s voice and wander off, He may need to rescue and correct you all the more. Jesus will seek and call out to you. Are you listening?
Do you live with a sense of spiritual blessing?
All of us who know Jesus as Lord and savior should. Because of Jesus:
We have forgiveness of sin.
We are blessed beyond measure.
We have a hope and future.
We have a heavenly home to look forward to.
The blood of Christ sets us apart and indicates to everyone that we are His. Psalm 23, verse 6 says it all: “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.”
Any correction, blessing or protection that you experience from the Lord in the present is never to harm you, but rather to provide you a future where you will be forever with the Lord.
Jesus, the Good Shepherd, sent the Holy Spirit to be a comforter and to guide you in your spiritual journey. God by his Holy Spirit speaks to your heart through His word, in prayer, in quiet meditation, and in song. God can send someone into your life to speak guidance with life and hope, to speak a word of caution and to point you back to God.
Listen for the voice of God.
Know the peace, provision and protection of God.
Live and walk in faith, without fear.
Trust the Lord to be Jehovah-Rohi, the shepherd of your life, and you will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Suggested Praise and Worship:
