The Shepherd I Can Trust

May 17, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Strands of Nigerian DNA

David’s psalm begins with raw honesty: sheep need shepherds. Like DNA results revealing unexpected heritage, Psalm 23 reorients our identity. The pastor’s kids celebrated 0.6% Nigerian roots more than dominant European lineage—a mirror of how God’s small truths often disrupt our self-narratives. [15:51]

Sheep instinctually know their survival depends on the shepherd’s voice, not their pedigree. Jesus highlighted this when saying “My sheep hear My voice” (John 10:27). Your ancestry, personality tests, or achievements cannot anchor your soul during life’s storms.

When anxiety whispers you’re defined by your past or DNA, pause. Write down one lie you’ve believed about your identity. Then burn or tear it as an act of surrender. What false narrative have you let shepherd your heart?

“All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way.”
(Isaiah 53:6, ESV)

Prayer: Ask Jesus to silence every voice defining you apart from His ownership.
Challenge: Text one person: “Today I remembered I’m God’s sheep—not my resume, past, or DNA.”

Day 2: Oxygen for the Crushed

David wrote Psalm 23 not as a poetic youth, but as a battle-scarred king. These words became oxygen when life squeezed him—betrayal, failure, and grief pressed David until only raw dependence remained. The psalm is a war cry for the weary, not a funeral dirge. [19:55]

Sheep don’t philosophize about green pastures—they either eat or starve. Jesus said “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35), not “I’ll explain hunger.” God designed Psalm 23 to be ingested daily, not framed on walls.

Next time you feel crushed, speak “The Lord is my shepherd” aloud three times. Keep a running list of moments this truth steadied you. Where are you treating faith like decoration instead of daily bread?

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul.”
(Psalm 23:1-3, ESV)

Prayer: Thank Jesus for being breathable grace, not abstract theology.
Challenge: Set a 3pm alarm labeled “SHEPHERD CHECK” to pause and recite verse 1.

Day 3: Walmart Lists and Lost Sheep

Sheep wander into danger while chasing grass; humans scroll into anxiety while chasing comfort. The pastor joked about entering Walmart for strawberries but leaving with a chainsaw—a metaphor for how aimless we become without the Shepherd’s lead. [23:29]

Jesus didn’t say “I’ll make you eagles.” He called us sheep because we need His direction hourly. When David wrote “He leads me,” he used the Hebrew verb nahal—a guide who knows desert dangers.

Today, notice one decision where you default to cultural instincts over Christ’s voice. Text a friend: “Pray I follow the Shepherd, not my GPS.” What purchase, click, or conversation needs His redirecting?

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”
(John 10:11, ESV)

Prayer: Confess one area you’ve resisted Jesus’ leadership this week.
Challenge: Physically place your wallet/phone on open palms and pray: “Shepherd, rule this.”

Day 4: My Barbecue with Mahomes

David’s “my” in “The Lord is my shepherd” changes everything—like knowing Patrick Mahomes’ stats versus sharing a meal with him. Jesus emphasized this intimacy: “My sheep know Me,” not “My fans know about Me.” [29:00]

Ancient Near Eastern kings called themselves shepherds over people. David reversed it—declaring himself a sheep under God’s rule. This humility fueled his courage against Goliath and repentance after adultery.

Write down three “shepherd substitutes” you’ve followed (e.g., others’ opinions, bank accounts). Cross out each, writing “Yahweh” above. Which substitute still tempts you to abandon the flock?

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”
(John 10:27, ESV)

Prayer: Ask Jesus to surface one relationship where you’ve mimicked His voice with others’ expectations.
Challenge: Call someone who reflects Christ’s voice to you. Say: “Your faith helped me hear our Shepherd.”

Day 5: Chainsaws and Enough

“I shall not want” doesn’t mean strawberries magically appear—it means craving chainsaws less. The Hebrew (lo echsar) means “I lack nothing essential.” Jesus proved this by letting soldiers strip Him naked so we could be clothed in righteousness. [31:33]

Sheep lie down only when full, safe, and calm. David’s psalm ends in warfare (“enemies”) yet peace (“overflowing cup”). Your enough isn’t in resolved circumstances but in the Shepherd’s presence.

Next time anxiety says “If only I had…,” write the lie on paper. Draw a cup beside it and write “OVERFLOW” from Psalm 23:5. What mirage of “enough” distracts you from His presence?

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.”
(Psalm 23:1, ESV)

Prayer: Thank Jesus for three specific lacks that drove you to His sufficiency.
Challenge: Place an empty cup where you’ll see it daily. Fill it each morning while praying verse 1.

Sermon Summary

We open Psalm 23 and place ourselves under the care of the good shepherd. We name the Lord as our shepherd, not as an abstract idea but as a present, personal guide who leads, protects, and provides. We admit that we act like sheep: directionless, vulnerable, and prone to wander. We confess that other things often shepherd us—anxiety, success, money, or approval—and we acknowledge how exhausting it becomes when we try to lead ourselves.

We reclaim a simple truth: our identity does not come from DNA, personality tests, or performance. We locate our belonging and purpose in the shepherd who knows us by name. We read the phrase I shall not want as a promise about essentials, not a guarantee of constant comfort. We rest in the assurance that, when the Lord shepherds us, nothing necessary for life and faith is missing even amid trials.

We trace Psalm 23 through the life of David and forward to Jesus. We see David remembering God’s faithfulness through betrayal, danger, failure, and restoration. We see Jesus embodying the shepherd by laying down his life, taking on our wandering and sin so we would never lack God’s presence. We hold the cross as the decisive act that secures our access to the shepherd and supplies our deepest needs.

We practice a concrete response: whenever anxiety spikes, we speak the truth The Lord is my shepherd. We stop trying to manage everything and hand over the burdens only the shepherd can carry. We pursue intimacy with the shepherd so that knowledge about God becomes knowing God. We do not try harder to perform; we follow closer, letting the shepherd shape our identity and calm our souls.

Key Takeaways

1. A sheep that leads itself loses itself We recognize that self-shepherding exhausts and fragments us. We confess the futility of trying to carry ultimate responsibility for outcomes and people. We choose to stop acting as our own final authority and instead follow the guidance of the Lord whose wisdom surpasses ours. [18:30]
2. Identity rests in the shepherd We refuse to let ancestry, personality, or achievement define our worth. We root our belonging in the relational claim The Lord is my shepherd and allow that claim to reorder our decisions, ambitions, and self-talk. We grow secure not by finding ourselves but by being found. [27:45]
3. I shall not want means sufficiency We understand this line as the promise that nothing essential will be missing when God leads. We admit that material comfort and easy days may not arrive, yet we hold to the deeper provision that sustains faith, hope, and perseverance. We live with contentment centered on what truly matters. [31:33]
4. The shepherd laid down his life We see Jesus take abandonment and sin into himself so we would receive God’s presence and pardon. We embrace a shepherd who enters our pain rather than pointing from afar. We let that costly vulnerability shape how we trust, follow, and love. [33:23]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[12:59] - Celebrating Graduates
[13:28] - Series Kickoff: 23 in me
[17:25] - Reading Psalm 23
[18:30] - A Sheep Needs a Shepherd
[23:10] - Our Tendency to Wander
[25:09] - Yahweh as Personal Shepherd
[27:45] - Identity Found in the Shepherd
[31:33] - I Shall Not Want Explained
[33:23] - The Good Shepherd and the Cross
[38:43] - Invitation: Follow Closer
[39:21] - Prayer for the Nation and Close

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Psalm 23 (NLT)
Isaiah 53:6 (NLT)
John 10:11 (NLT)

Observation Questions

Psalm 23 begins with "The Lord is my shepherd." What does the metaphor of a shepherd and sheep reveal about our relationship with God?
According to the sermon, why did David likely write Psalm 23 (e.g., as a "manifesto for life" vs. a funeral text)? [19:55]
Isaiah 53:6 says, "All of us, like sheep, have strayed away." What specific examples of "wandering" were mentioned in the sermon? [24:05]
How does Jesus redefine the role of a shepherd in John 10:11 compared to cultural expectations of leadership in David’s time?

Interpretation Questions

Why does David emphasize the word "my" in "The Lord is my shepherd" (Psalm 23:1)? How does this contrast with defining God as a distant or abstract authority?
The sermon states, "A sheep that leads itself loses itself." What does this reveal about the consequences of self-reliance or trying to control outcomes? [18:30]
How does Jesus’ act of laying down His life (John 10:11) address the "abandonment" and "wandering" described in Psalm 23 and Isaiah 53:6?
The phrase "I shall not want" is called a "promise about essentials, not constant comfort." What essential needs does God provide even in trials? [31:33]

Application Questions

What areas of your life (e.g., finances, relationships, career) do you most often try to "shepherd" yourself instead of surrendering to God’s guidance? What practical step could you take this week to release control?
The sermon suggests declaring "The Lord is my shepherd" when anxiety spikes. What specific situation or recurring worry could you apply this truth to today? [34:43]
How might your decisions or priorities shift if you fully believed your identity is rooted in being "found" by the Shepherd rather than in achievements, ancestry, or approval? [27:45]
The sermon says, "Follow closer—don’t try harder." What habits or practices could help you pursue intimacy with God rather than relying on self-effort?
In what ways have you equated "I shall not want" with material comfort? How can you cultivate contentment in God’s sufficiency during a current challenge? [31:57]
The cross is described as securing our access to the Shepherd. How does Jesus’ sacrifice deepen your trust in God’s presence during seasons of pain or uncertainty?

Sermon Clips

34s

#GoodShepherdSacrifice

“Our shepherd, the son of God, he didn't just point the way. He laid down his life. In John 10, Jesus picks up David's pen and finishes his thought. In verse 11, he says, I am the good shepherd, and the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. It's what the shepherd looks like. You see, on the cross, Jesus experienced a ultimate abandonment as he took on himself the sin of the world.”

38s

#YahwehOverEverything

“The word here for lord is the word Yahweh. This is the name that God revealed to Moses, the self existent promise keeping I am that had no beginning. And I think when David says, the Lord is my shepherd, he's implying, guess what? There's things that are not my shepherd. My calendar is not my shepherd. My money is not my shepherd. My reputation is not my shepherd. My ability to control the outcomes in this life, that's not my shepherd. It's the Lord. It's the great I am. It's the God who created me.”

33s

#IdentityInTheShepherd

“Maybe you've been looking for peace in your life by trying to figure out who you are, where you came from, what's my personality, what what's my past, or you've been looking for security in a promotion or understanding your family, trying to find some anchor for who you are. But your identity is not necessarily found in your DNA, it's found in your shepherd. You don't have to, this week, find yourself. You just have to let yourself be found and shepherded by him.”

37s

#StopBeingYourOwnShepherd

“So today, some of you showed up to church on this amazing Sunday, and you showed up exhausted. Maybe not physically, but inside. And the question today is, is it because that you've been trying to be your own shepherd? I've been there. It's exhausting. Trying to carry the weight of your future or the the problems in life, the financial situation, the diagnosis, you're trying to to be your own shepherd, you feel like the the security of all those things is is laying on your back.”

35s

#WhoIsYourShepherd

“You see, we like sheep. We need a shepherd because we have a tendency to wander. We need a leader. Isaiah fifty three six says this, all of us like sheep have strayed away. We have left God's paths to follow our own. See, the truth is that everybody is being led by something. Some are shepherded by money. Some some are being led by politics, by approval of others, by some are being driven and shepherded by fear or even success, and that's what's driving you.”

32s

#SheepUnderGod

“But in Psalm 23, he doesn't say that. He swims against the current. He doesn't say that I am the shepherd of my people. He says, I am a sheep under God. I am a sheep under God. And in that, we see the humility of David that was so uncommon then, and maybe it's much rare today. I believe it's one of the reasons why David is known in scripture as the man after God's own heart. We see this humility in him. David says, I am a sheep.”

38s

#ListenToPsalm23

“Now, Psalm 23 is one of the most well known chapters in all the Bible, but is there something that you've heard so many times that you stopped really hearing it? Maybe it was when you took that flight on the airplane, and the flight attendant gave the emergency briefing. Right? And if you've flown enough, you sometimes just stop listening to the thing until the oxygen masks fall and you hit some major turbulence and like, hey, sir, would you run through that one more time? And you're looking for the emergency exits, but you've heard it so many times, you just stop listening to it.”

32s

#MyShepherdMyAll

“Notice that emphasis that we gave it there, the possessive my. He didn't say the Lord is a shepherd or the Lord is Israel's shepherd or the Lord is mom and dad's shepherd or the Lord is my pastor's shepherd. He said the Lord is is my shepherd. I think this might be my favorite part of the whole psalm, this one word, my. I know that sounds selfish and self focusing, but I love this. The Lord is my shepherd.”

Ask a question about this sermon

mynewlifechurch This sermon · AI assistant

What does it mean to be a sheep?

Where is Christian identity ultimately found?

What is the significance of my in Psalm 23?

The Shepherd I Can Trust

Devotional

Day 1: Strands of Nigerian DNA

Day 2: Oxygen for the Crushed

Day 3: Walmart Lists and Lost Sheep

Day 4: My Barbecue with Mahomes

Day 5: Chainsaws and Enough

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

The Shepherd I Can Trust

Share