The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Psalm 23:1-3 NIV

Have you ever wandered away from your parents? When I was a kid we took the grueling 5 hour flight from Hawaii to California to visit my grandparents one summer. I don’t have many memories of this trip except one thing that is stuck in my mind forever, getting lost in Disneyland. If you were to ask my Mom about it she would tell you I wasn’t really lost but that I wandered off far enough that when I looked around I couldn’t see her, but she saw me. Little Logan was terrified. I don’t remember what caught my attention, whether it was some vendor or a disney character. I wandered away from my parents and it was traumatic. It’s interesting that this seems to be a pretty common experience for kids, something grabs their attention, good or bad, and they find themselves further away from their parents than they intended. Sometimes this happens knowingly and sometimes it happens by accident. The amazing thing is that more often than not the parents are just around the corner ready to help. The Bible actually describes this exact thing when it comes to our relationship with God. Don’t believe me? Don’t worry I’m not offended. I guess you’ll have to just keep reading. 

The 23rd Psalm starts off with an amazing statement, “The Lord is my shepherd”. The author of this very famous Psalm was King David, formerly known as the Shepherd boy, the son of Jesse. He knew what it meant to be a shepherd and here he was identifying as the sheep being led. That’s amazing. What’s even more amazing is that David admits to wandering off! The Psalm continues on to tell us David walking through the Valley of Shadow of Death, right after David says that God is leading him. No you didn’t read that wrong. Go look at it! Verse 3 ends with David saying that God is his guide and verse 4 starts all of a sudden walking through death. This makes me think that David understood sheep really well. Sheep like the rambunctious child I once was, wander off. God did not guide David into this valley but He did follow. 

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. Psalm 23:4

Sheep wander, we wander, David wanders, God does not. The Bible tells us that we are pretty bad followers but God is a really good shepherd. Although we look up suddenly realizing our peril the good shepherd is there with his rod and his staff. Tools for protection and guidance. I can’t help but think that as David was writing this psalm he was realizing how often he got into trouble and God was there to get him out of it. That’s the beauty of the good shepherd. He does not leave us. 

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

Romans 8:38,39 NIV

Put simply God will not leave us if us in our darkest moments. Paul reflects on this when he writes the famous lines of Romans 8:38,39. In them he outlines that there is nothing that can separate us from God’s love. He goes as far as to say that there is no power good or bad that could do it. God’s love for us cannot be taken from us. Paul sums it up by identifying the source of that love, Jesus Christ. Yes, that same Jesus that tells us that He is our good shepherd! Yes! Its even the same Jesus that died for us so that we could have life! Finally, its the same Jesus who is coming again and wants to guide you to a calm pasture where you will not need. 

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil;  my cup overflows. 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 5,6

Jesus is coming again and David had something to say about this too. He finishes his Psalm off by saying that he will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Doesn’t that sound nice? Maybe you have felt like you’ve wandered off far from God and that now that you’ve looked up everything seems dark. God has not forsaken you. You may have wandered into a dark valley but the good shepherd is seeking you out right now. Nothing can separate you from His love. We wander, but God does not.