Psalm 23: Who Is Leading Us?

At the dawn of a new year, we're reminded of perhaps the most comforting passage in all of Scripture: Psalm 23. This beloved psalm offers us two profound metaphors that illuminate God's relationship with His people—the shepherd who guides and protects, and the gracious host who prepares a banquet. When David declares 'The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want,' he's making a revolutionary statement of personal intimacy with God. This isn't just 'our God' in a corporate sense; this is 'my shepherd'—the one who knows me, feeds me beside quiet waters, and restores my soul when I've wandered. The psalm takes us through green pastures and dark valleys alike, reminding us that the shepherd's presence transforms even the valley of the shadow of death into a passage we can walk through without fear. Then the imagery shifts beautifully to a banquet table set before us in the presence of our enemies—a victory celebration where defeated foes watch as God honors us as His beloved guests. This isn't just ancient poetry; it's a roadmap for navigating 2026 and every year that follows, with the confidence that goodness and mercy will pursue us all our days until we finally sit at that eternal table with our Lord.