Sometime in the last decade, farmers in our area have turned to raising sheep. We didn’t see many of the woolly creatures while I was growing up, but now flocks have appeared on our hillsides. One flock near my home is too large to count and sometimes ranges up the sides of both hills bordering the road. Almost always when I pass those hills dotted with white, I think of Psalm 23.

Psalm 23 might seem an unlikely Scripture to read at Christmas. But may I suggest you do that?

Doesn’t this psalm describe the life we all want, pinpointing our deepest longings and promising that those needs will be satisfied?

The Man whose birth we’re celebrating tells us He is the Shepherd who pours all these things into our lives. Everything our souls long for, we will find provided by Him. And you can depend on your Shepherd to supply whatever specific thing you need today.

The baby born in Bethlehem gathers and cares for His sheep. He never abandons them. He knows all their needs. He keeps them constantly under His watchful eye. He is so passionately committed to His sheep that He submitted to beatings, humiliation, and an ugly death — so that they could live.

The Lord is our Shepherd. We will not be in want.

“My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life. I am the good shepherd.”
John 10:10-11