The most striking word at the beginning of Psalm 23 is the personal pronoun “my,” which is the first of twenty-eight personal pronouns throughout the entire psalm. The sheer number of personal pronouns made William Evans observe that Psalm 23 is both universal and individual.

David did not say the Lord is “a” shepherd, suggesting He is one among many co-equal shepherds. Politically correct people would have loved David for that. He could have said the Lord is “the” shepherd. Although the word “the” is theologically correct, it falls short of the deeply personal relationship David forged with God throughout his life.

Instead, David settled comfortably on, “The Lord is my shepherd,” which begs the question: Is he your shepherd?

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“Every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.”

Romans 8:28 MSG