A Satisfied Life
[Psalm 23]
Are you satisfied with your life?
Jin-ho Lee, author of 99 Hope Formulas That Make Life Worth Living, says that modern people suffer from a “satisfaction deficiency.”
The philosopher Socrates once said,
“The richest person is the one who is content with the least.”
However, there are more people in the world who don’t know how to be satisfied than those who do.
In her bestseller Pathfinders, American author Gail Sheehy describes truly satisfied people as those who:
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Know the meaning of their life and the direction they should go,
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Are not disappointed by the feeling that they have lived a meaningless life,
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Have a clear long-term plan and are gradually achieving it,
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Have someone they love sincerely,
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Have a close friend they can open their heart to,
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Are cheerful and able to interpret and overcome difficult situations,
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Can listen to criticism or insults without taking them too personally and respond with grace,
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Possess the inner strength to push through fear and anxiety (source: Internet).
In today’s passage, Psalm 23, we find the psalmist David, who lived a life of deep satisfaction.
He confesses,
“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want” (verse 1).
In other words, David is saying that because the Lord is his shepherd, he is satisfied.
The life of a believer who walks with God is a life of contentment.
Based on today’s passage, I would like to reflect on six ways to live a life without lack—a satisfied life.
Through this, I pray that we too may live a life of true satisfaction.
First, in order to live a satisfied life, we must receive provision from the Lord, our Shepherd.
Look at Psalm 23:2:
“He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.”
A true shepherd provides the grass the sheep need to eat and the water they need to drink.
The reason the shepherd makes the sheep lie down in “green pastures” is because such pastures have tender grass that sheep enjoy eating.
In this way, the good shepherd feeds his sheep.
He also leads them beside still waters so that they can drink.
These “still waters” refer to water that flows gently—easy and pleasant for sheep to drink, and beneficial to their health (Calvin).
The Lord, who is our Good Shepherd, not only provides us with physical nourishment but also with spiritual nourishment—the Word of God.
And when He feeds us, He does so abundantly.
The Lord is Jehovah Jireh—The Lord Will Provide (Genesis 22:14).
However, the shepherds of Israel at the time of Ezekiel were “shepherds who fed only themselves.”
Therefore, God spoke to them through the prophet Ezekiel saying:
“…Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Should not the shepherd feed the flock?” (Ezekiel 34:2).
The shepherds of Israel “slaughtered the fat sheep, fed themselves with the wool, but did not feed the flock” (verse 3).
What happens when a shepherd does not provide the necessary food for the sheep?
The sheep wander and scatter, and eventually become food for Satan:
“Because there was no shepherd, they were scattered and became food for every wild animal. My flock was scattered over all the mountains and on every high hill. My flock was scattered over the whole earth, and no one searched or looked for them” (verses 5-6).
Many believers are wandering and scattering, falling into Satan’s temptations.
What is the problem?
We can consider two issues:
(1) The problem of the pastor.
Why is the pastor the problem?
Because, like the shepherds of Israel in Ezekiel’s time, some pastors feed themselves but do not feed their congregation.
Another problem with pastors is that even when they do feed the sheep, they do not give them healthy food, so the sheep suffer spiritual malnutrition.
In other words, they do not faithfully prepare God’s Word and preach and teach it to the congregation, causing the believers to become spiritually malnourished.
(2) The problem of the believers.
Even when pastors diligently prepare the “table” to feed the spiritual sheep, the believers do not come to eat.
This may be because the sheep are already “full,” or their “spiritual digestion” is not working properly.
Isn’t it strange?
We live in an era of a “flood of the Word,” yet believers are refusing to feed on it.
It’s like a mother who carefully prepares three meals a day for her children, but they refuse to eat the food.
Why does this happen?
In my house, sometimes my children eat snacks, cookies, or candy before meals, and other times they do not eat regularly, so they aren’t hungry at mealtime.
In my case, if I eat late at night, sometimes I skip breakfast because I have not fully digested the food and I’m not hungry.
Similarly, we may receive God’s Word on Sunday and feel that we don’t need to “eat” more during the week because we feel “full.”
This is because we do not properly digest the Word we receive by obeying and applying it in daily life, so we don’t feel the need to feed on it again.
However, there are also Christians whose spiritual digestive function seems to be completely broken.
To live a satisfied life, we must be believers who properly receive the daily provision that the Lord, our Shepherd, gives, including God’s Word as spiritual food.
Also, our spiritual digestive function must work well.
To do this, after receiving the Word, we must obey (apply) it in our daily lives.
Therefore, we must run toward God’s Word eagerly, wanting to feed on the Lord’s Word more and more (Psalm 119:32).
Secondly, in order to live a satisfied life, the Lord who is our Shepherd must revive us.
Look at the first half of Psalm 23:3:
“He restores my soul…”
Here, “restoring the soul” means leading the soul, which has sinned, to repentance and granting it true life (according to Park Yoon Sun).
When we sin and do not repent, our soul becomes oppressed.
David experienced this. Look at Psalm 32:3-4:
“When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy on me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer.”
A soul whose problem of sin is unresolved inevitably feels a constant sense of lack.
Not only is the soul oppressed, but it is also bound by sin and is not free.
A heart that has not repented cannot be satisfied.
A soul whose tears of repentance have dried up has no satisfaction.
Dr. Park Yoon Sun said: “The soul dies only because of sin, and it only comes back to life through repentance of sin.”
That is true. When we repent of our sins, our oppressed souls can be revived.
However, this is only possible by the grace of God.
In other words, our Lord must expose our sins through His Word, which is the holy food of the Spirit, so that we can recognize sin as sin and, with the help of the Holy Spirit, truly repent of our sins.
Only the Lord, our Shepherd, can restore our souls.
The Lord’s restoration of our souls is deeply connected to His Word.
For example, in Psalm 119 we find:
“My soul clings to the dust; revive me according to your word.” (v.25)
“My soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me according to your word.” (v.28)
“Turn my heart toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain.” (v.36)
“Your promises have given me life.” (v.50)
The Lord restores our souls and revives us through His Word.
The Lord, as our Shepherd, supplies us with the spiritual food of His Word and thereby restores our souls.
Many of us Christians live with souls oppressed by unrepented sin, unable to enjoy true freedom in faith.
As a result, even though we practice our faith, we lack true satisfaction.
What is the problem?
I believe it is because we are not properly supplied with God’s Word and are not faithfully living a life that reflects upon that Word.
Because of this, we fail to recognize sin as sin and do not pray with repentance.
As a result, our souls remain oppressed.
We must long for the supply of the Lord’s Word, our Shepherd.
In that longing, we should diligently examine ourselves in light of His Word and thoroughly repent of the sins the Holy Spirit reveals to us.
When we do this, the Lord revives our souls through His Word.
When we live a life revived by God’s Word, we can experience satisfaction.
Third, to live a satisfied life, we must receive the guidance of the Lord who is our Shepherd.
Look at the latter half of Psalm 23:3:
“… He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.”
Here, the phrase “He leads me in paths of righteousness” means that the Lord, who is our Shepherd, guides us on a straight, that is, a smooth and level path (Park Yoon Sun).
Many people living in this sinful world today choose the path of wickedness rather than the path of righteousness, and they walk on that evil path.
However, we Christians must walk the path of righteousness.
When we do so, like the righteous Lot who lived among those who walked on the path of wickedness, by seeing and hearing their unlawful deeds day by day, our righteous spirit inevitably becomes distressed (2 Peter 2:8).
Our wounded righteous spirit must be restored by the Lord, our Shepherd, through His word, so that we may rise up and walk again on the path of righteousness.
One amazing fact is that the reason the Lord leads us on the path of righteousness is not because of any good conditions on our side, but for the sake of God’s own name (Park Yoon Sun).
God is the One who, for the sake of His name, not only blots out our sins but also is the Lord who revives our souls and leads us on the path of righteousness for His name’s sake.
Dr. Park Yoon Sun said:
“What seems a smooth path to God may appear rough and narrow to people. But that is the shortcut to entering heaven.”
This is a very true statement. God’s perspective can be very different from ours.
Therefore, to receive the Lord’s guidance, we must fully trust and obey the Lord who is our Shepherd.
We, the sheep, must listen only to the voice of the Shepherd and follow it.
Look at John 10:26-27:
“But you do not believe because you are not my sheep.
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”
We must never follow a hired shepherd.
Because “the hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. When he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away, and the wolf attacks and scatters the sheep. This happens because he is a hired hand and does not care for the sheep” (verses 12-13).
We must not reject the guidance of the Lord who is our Shepherd.
It is like a father taking his child’s hand to lead him away from muddy water to walk on dry ground, but the child breaks away and runs into the mud, getting his shoes and pants wet.
We must not reject the Lord’s hand and walk according to our own will.
We must firmly hold His hand, receive His word, and as our soul is revived by that word, we must follow His guidance.
Our Lord, who is our Shepherd, leads us on the path of righteousness for His name’s sake.
When we accept His guidance and walk on the straight and smooth path, we can live a satisfied life.
Fourth, to live a satisfied life, we must receive the protection of the Lord who is our Shepherd.
Look at Psalm 23:4:
“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”
Here, “the valley of the shadow of death” refers to the extreme of danger (Park Yoon Sun). David was not afraid of any danger because he had made the Lord his Shepherd. The reason is that he believed God was with him.
Just as God was with Joseph, who enjoyed blessings and prosperity, whether he was serving as a slave in the house of Potiphar in Egypt or unjustly imprisoned, he was under God’s protection.
The Lord, our Shepherd, was with David and protected him with His rod and staff. Just as a shepherd protects his sheep from wild animals with a rod and staff and leads them to green pastures and still waters, the Lord, our Shepherd, protects us—His people—from the wild beast-like Satan and his servants and leads us.
David made this confession about the Lord:
“You are my refuge; you will protect me from trouble; you will surround me with songs of deliverance” (Psalm 32:7).
The Lord, who is our refuge, watches over us like the apple of His eye and hides us under the shadow of His wings (Psalm 17:8).
Look at the first half of Ruth 2:12, where Boaz says to Ruth:
“… May the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge …”
Just as Ruth was protected under the Lord’s wings, we too are under the protection of the Lord, our Shepherd, and therefore we do not fear any extreme danger.
We are the Lord’s sheep who live under the Shepherd’s protection. And as those who receive His protection, we lack nothing.
Therefore, we agree with the psalmist’s confession:
“The Lord will keep you;
The Lord will be your shade at your right hand;
The sun shall not strike you by day,
Nor the moon by night” (Psalm 121:5-6).
Fifth, to live a satisfied life, we must receive the exaltation of the Lord who is our Shepherd.
Look at Psalm 23:5:
“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.”
The Lord is the Shepherd who prepares a table for us in front of our enemies.
The Lord, our Shepherd, gave David a joyful victory as if hosting a banquet before the enemies who sought to destroy him (Park Yoon Sun).
Also, the phrase “you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows” refers to the custom of anointing honored guests with oil at a banquet (Park Yoon Sun).
God treated persecuted David before his enemies as a guest of honor invited to a banquet.
As a result, the honor and portion David received were abundant and overflowing (Park Yoon Sun).
Our Lord, who is our Shepherd, exalts us before our enemies.
He is the Lord who grants us victory and who prepares a banquet for us—lavishly and abundantly.
Therefore, we live a satisfied life.
Lastly, sixthly, to live a satisfied life, we must be filled with the love and hope given by the Lord who is our Shepherd.
Look at Psalm 23:6:
“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
Here, David recalls the grace he had experienced in the past while looking forward to his future.
Because he had received God’s love and help in the past (verses 1-5), he believed that his future would be eternally peaceful.
The reason is that the Lord’s goodness and mercy were always with him.
Therefore, David had the confident hope of dwelling forever in the house of the Lord, that is, in the kingdom of God.
A life full of such hope lacks nothing.
A life that receives the love of the Lord, our Shepherd—namely, His provision, revival, guidance, protection, and exaltation—has a certain future.
Because he lived his present life with the sure hope of dwelling eternally in God’s kingdom, he lived a satisfied life.
When the end of life draws near, we should be able to look back on our lives and confess like David:
“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want” (verse 1).
If we can make such a confession, we can say that we have lived a satisfied life.
If we have received the provision of the Lord, our Shepherd, have experienced His reviving work, have received His guidance and protection, have received the grace by which He exalts us even before our enemies, and have lived a life filled with the love and hope He gives, then truly we can say we have lived a satisfied life.
Only those who have such blessings can confess like David:
“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want” (verse 1).
May we all receive such blessings.
With a heart desiring to confess,
“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want,”
Shared by Pastor James Kim
(wishing to be satisfied with only the Lord)