by “The Lord is my shepherd, I have all I need” Psalms 23:1, NLT.
After the Covid pandemic when my daughter was in high school, I found myself paying school fees for four terms in one year. So when the school announced that they would communicate about a school trip and the charges (which I feared could be hundreds of thousands of shillings), I worried they would ask for money when I didn’t have any and I wouldn’t have the time to raise it. I worried I would be embarrassed and would embarrass my daughter if given a short notice to raise the cash — there are things only heads of households battle with.
In the end, I was able to pay the money with ease.
Today, as I reflected on Psalm 23, I remembered that incident and the terror and trepidation I felt at the time.
In this Psalm, David paints the figure of a Shepherd God and his sheep (his people).
David continues to write, “He lets me lie down in green pastures”.
Those who know anything about sheep know they will not lie down unless completely satisfied — well fed and watered. However, some sheep can still remain fidgety even after being satisfied.
In the wilderness of Judea, most likely the setting for Psalm 23, there were no stretches of green pasture. It was an unforgiving place, a desert environment with no grass except in a few places. A shepherd had to make a long journey to find pasture.
The shepherd knew where to find pasture but not the sheep. But there was no way he could communicate this with the sheep. The sheep had to rest and somehow trust the shepherd. And so it is in our case — do all you can. Work hard. Sweat it out. Plan. Fight for it. However, after all is said and done, trust the Good Shepherd.
Looking back, my greatest challenge has been the fear of lack (not just of physical resources) than the lack itself. Fear has torment. Perfect love casts out fear.
The shepherd knows. We can trust that and lie down to rest. Even if we don’t know where tomorrow’s pasture will be found. The shepherd has already figured out our predicament and he knows where to find the pasture — or anything else we need. He is our shepherd.
We can trust that and lie down to rest. Even if we don’t know where tomorrow’s pasture will be found. The shepherd has already figured it out.
John Mwazemba is a book publisher based in Nairobi.
