“The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing.” Psalm 23:1 (NIV)

On my 50th birthday, sunshine warmed my face as I sat in my backyard with my Bible and journal. I’d asked God to give me a special promise from His Word — something to carry me through the next half century.

When Psalm 23:1 came to mind, I brushed it off as trivial. Give me something more profound, I insisted.

Thankfully, God persisted.

Psalm 23:1 says, “The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing.” I discovered that “the LORD is my shepherd” is the meaning of one of God’s Hebrew names in Scripture, Yahweh Rohi. Thus began a life-changing journey into discovering more about His character as revealed through His names.

This name, Yahweh Rohi, helps us understand that God takes full responsibility for our well-being. Just as a wise and good shepherd cares for his sheep, so the Lord provides everything we need to flourish.

That’s easy to believe when everything’s going well, right? Not so much when our kids make bad choices, our health suffers, our marriage struggles, and our finances take a hit. Still, our circumstances don’t change who God is. The truth about God’s character remains constant no matter what.

The profound truth contained in Yahweh Rohi has grown precious to me as I’ve walked alongside my husband following his radiation therapy for cancer. I watch him struggle with lingering fatigue and wonder what our future holds. When fear raises its head, I return to “the LORD is my shepherd” (Psalm 23:1), and peace prevails.

I’ve found it especially helpful to meditate on each word of this phrase:

“The LORD” reminds me that my Shepherd is one of a kind. He’s almighty God, sovereign and supreme King, Creator of heaven and earth. He’s wise and good. He never grows weary, always keeps His promises and is undefeatable. Because of who He is, I know I’m in good hands.

“Is” declares that my Shepherd is present-tense faithful. He’s not a has-been, nor is He just promising to step into His shepherding role in the future. He’s my Shepherd in this very moment and the next and the next. He’s always relevant.

“My” indicates relationship. I belong to Jesus. He has bought me with His precious blood and adopted me into His family through my faith in Him for salvation.

“Shepherd” infers a person. Scripture often speaks about God as a rock or fortress, but as Yahweh Rohi, He is also a real, living, divine person, with whom relationship is possible.

Understanding Yahweh Rohi helps us live unafraid. It invites us to trust God with those we love, to cast our cares on Him, and to believe He’ll always bring the best outcome from difficult circumstances we can neither understand nor control.

Yahweh Rohi: The Lord is my shepherd. This simple and profound truth is more than enough to carry us through the next half century and beyond, living unafraid, come what may.

Yahweh Rohi, thank You for being my Shepherd, the One I trust. Keep my heart tuned to Your voice, and help me follow hard after You all the days of my life. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

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Discover more about God’s character as manifested through His names in Grace Fox’s new devotional Bible study, Names of God: Living Unafraid. The book was released today and is ideal for book clubs. Grab your copy here!

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FOR DEEPER STUDY

Isaiah 40:11, “He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young” (NIV).

Identify the action words in the verse above. How have you experienced Yahweh Rohi caring for you in these ways?

How does the description of God gathering you in His arms and carrying you close to His heart speak comfort and courage into a challenge you currently face? Share your answer in the comments!

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