Nursing Home

Psalms 23

As a child we all had to have someone to care for us

Maybe it was your parents/grandparents

Maybe a family friend

Even when we get older the same applies

Maybe a spouse.

Maybe a friend.

Maybe a pastor or church family.

And sometimes we can wonder:

“Who is going to take care of me?”

Psalm 23 gives us a beautiful answer.

David doesn't say, “I can take care of myself.”

He says:

“The LORD is my shepherd.”

David understood something important:

We were never meant to walk through life alone.

We have a Shepherd.

And that Shepherd is the Lord.

Today we're going to look at four things our Shepherd does for us.

1. The Shepherd Provides for Us

Psalm 23:1–2

David begins:

“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.”

A shepherd's job was to take care of his sheep.

The shepherd made sure they had food.

He found water for them.

He protected them.

He led them to places where they could rest.

So when David calls God his Shepherd, he's saying:

“God takes care of me.”

Verse 2 says:

“He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.”

Notice who is doing the work.

He makes.

He leads.

The sheep aren't figuring everything out.

The shepherd is leading them.

Sometimes we spend so much time worrying about tomorrow that we forget that God has already promised to take care of us.

Jesus said in Matthew 6:31–32:

“Do not be anxious... your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.”

God knows what you need.

He knows your circumstances.

He knows your fears.

He knows your needs.

And He hasn't forgotten you.

Application

You may not have everything you want.

But we can trust God to provide everything we truly need.

Sometimes God's provision looks like food on the table.

Sometimes it looks like a family member who visits.

Sometimes it looks like a friend who calls.

Sometimes it looks like peace in the middle of a difficult day.

And sometimes God's greatest provision is simply His presence.

2. The Shepherd Restores and Guides Us

Psalm 23:3

David continues:

“He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.”

I love those words:

“He restores my soul.”

There are times when our bodies get tired.

But sometimes our souls get tired too.

We become discouraged.

We become worried.

We become lonely.

We become weary.

But God knows how to restore us.

The word "restore" carries the idea of bringing something back.

God brings refreshment to weary hearts.

And then David says:

“He leads me in paths of righteousness.”

The Shepherd doesn't simply give us rest.

He gives us direction.

Sheep aren't known for being great navigators.

They need someone to lead them.

And honestly, neither are we.

We don't always know what tomorrow holds.

We don't always know which direction to take.

But God does.

Proverbs 3:5–6 says:

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”

Application

You don't have to understand everything God is doing.

You simply need to trust your Shepherd.

3. The Shepherd Is With Us in the Valley

Psalm 23:4

Now we come to one of the most famous verses in Scripture:

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.”

Notice something.

David doesn't say:

“If I walk through the valley.”

He says:

“Even though I walk through the valley.”

Every person experiences valleys.

There are valleys of sickness.

Valleys of grief.

Valleys of loneliness.

Valleys of fear.

Valleys of uncertainty.

And eventually, we all face the valley of death.

But look at what David says:

“I will fear no evil, for you are with me.”

That's the key.

David's confidence isn't that the valley won't be difficult.

His confidence is that he won't walk through it alone.

The Shepherd is there.

Think about that.

When you're sitting alone, God is there.

When you're afraid, God is there.

When you're hurting, God is there.

When you don't know what tomorrow holds, God is there.

And when we eventually walk through the valley of death, God will be there.

Jesus said in Matthew 28:20:

“I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Not just on good days.

Not just when everything is going well.

Always.

4. The Shepherd Brings Us Home

Psalm 23:5–6

The Psalm ends with these beautiful words:

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.”

David doesn't end with fear.

He ends with hope.

He says:

“I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.”

That's the promise for God's people.

This life isn't all there is.

For those who belong to Christ, there is something better coming.

Jesus promised in John 14:2–3:

“In my Father's house are many rooms... I go to prepare a place for you.”

The Shepherd isn't simply taking care of us for today.

He's leading us home.

One day, we will be in the presence of Jesus.

No more sickness.

No more pain.

No more loneliness.

No more death.

Revelation 21:4 says:

“He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more.”

That's where the Shepherd is taking His sheep.

Home.

Conclusion — “The Shepherd Is Enough”

You see Psalm 23 is ultimately about one thing:

God is enough.

He provides.

He restores.

He guides.

He protects.

He comforts.

And He leads us home.

So I want to challenge you with this, this week I want you to remind yourself of this

“The Lord is my Shepherd.”

When you're worried:

“The Lord is my Shepherd.”

When you're lonely:

“The Lord is my Shepherd.”

When you're hurting:

“The Lord is my Shepherd.”

When you're afraid of the future:

“The Lord is my Shepherd.”

Because the Good Shepherd doesn't abandon His sheep.

Jesus said in John 10:27–28:

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish.”

What a promise.

If you belong to Jesus, you belong to the Shepherd.

And the Shepherd will never let you go.