In Psalm 19 David declares who God is.

1 The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
2 Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they reveal knowledge.
Psalm 19:1-2 NIV

Then David shows our need for God. Our weakness and inadequacies.

12 But who can discern their own errors?
Forgive my hidden faults.
Psalm 19:1-2 NIV

David concludes Psalm 19 by praying for his words and thoughts to be acceptable in the sight of God.

May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart
be pleasing in your sight,
Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.
Psalm 19:14 NIV

May you live deeply into your calling today, shepherd leader, as you mediate on the words of this psalm and God's promises.

As we finish Psalm 18 we'll read from verses 46 through 50. David praises and thanks God for His faithfulness.

"You give great victories to your king;
you show unfailing love to your anointed,
to David and all his descendants forever."
Psalm 18:50 NLT

The beauty of this Psalm is encapsulated in these final five verses, shepherd leader. God delivers us when we call on Him. He rewards us as we obey Him. And, God equips us when we submit to Him. So, may we, as shepherd leaders, worship Him because we find Him true and faithful.

Continuing in this third part of Psalm 18 we'll read from verses 28 to 45. We see David illustrate how God equips us when we submit to Him.

"God’s way is perfect.
All the Lord’s promises prove true.
He is a shield for all who look to him for protection.
For who is God except the Lord?
Who but our God is a solid rock?
God arms me with strength,
and he makes my way perfect.
He makes me as surefooted as a deer,
enabling me to stand on mountain heights."
Psalm 18:28-45 NLT

We have been given the responsibility to shepherd as believers. It's important to do so with compassion and in a godly way. As shepherd leaders, let us remember God is in control and we can lean upon Him each day as we live into our calling.

Psalm 18 is a beautiful psalm of praise and victory after the Lord made David king over all of Israel. You can look at this story in Second Samuel 22.

Continuing in this second part of Psalm 18 we'll read from verses 19 to 27. We'll see how God rewarded David when he obeyed Him.

"To the faithful you show yourself faithful;
to those with integrity you show integrity.
To the pure you show yourself pure,
but to the crooked you show yourself shrewd.
You rescue the humble,
but you humiliate the proud."
Psalm 18:19-27 NLT

Shepherd leader, may we live deeply into our calling as we seek to be faithful and to have a shepherd's heart before the Father.

Psalm 18 is a beautiful psalm of praise and victory after the Lord made David king over all of Israel. You can look at this story in Second Samuel 22. We'll divide this 50 verse psalm into four parts beginning with verses 1 to 18 which speaks about God's delivery when we call on Him.

"I love you, Lord;
you are my strength.
The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior;
my God is my rock, in whom I find protection.
He is my shield, the power that saves me,
and my place of safety.
I called on the Lord, who is worthy of praise,
and he saved me from my enemies."
Psalm 18:1-3 NLT

Shepherd leader, like David, may you feel the same intimate love for the Father as you live into your calling.

Psalm 17 is a prayer of David

In this prayer David asks God for vindication, protection, and then declares his salvation.

"By the power of your hand, O Lord,
destroy those who look to this world for their reward.
But satisfy the hunger of your treasured ones.
May their children have plenty,
leaving an inheritance for their descendants."
Psalm 17:14 NLT

Like David does in his prayer, may we as shepherd leaders declare, decide, and determine who God is in our lives and how we will live.

Psalm 16 is King David's deeply personal and precious song engraved in gold.

"Because you are close to me and always available,
my confidence will never be shaken,
for I experience your wrap-around presence every moment.
My heart and soul explode with joy—full of glory!
Even my body will rest confident and secure.
For you will not abandon me to the realm of death,
nor will you allow your Holy One to experience corruption.
For you bring me a continual revelation of resurrection life,
the path to the bliss that brings me face-to-face with you."
Psalm 16:8-11 The Passion Translation

David describes throughout this Psalm his own personal relationship with our perfect Good Shepherd...His provision, His protection, and His presence.

Have you personalized our God or have you placed Him too far for you to reach? May we reflect on David's experience and as shepherd leaders diligently seek the Good Shepherd as our personal Lord and Savior.

"Who may worship in your sanctuary, Lord?
Who may enter your presence on your holy hill?"
Psalm 15:1 NLT

Psalm 15 describes how we should live; it is not a prescription about how to be saved and have eternal security. It is simply a description how we should live as shepherd leaders when we accept and follow Jesus Christ as our Savior.

Jesus came to this world and lived a perfect and sinless life, and then He died an agonizing death--keeping the ultimate promise for all of us. He is the Good Shepherd, the Perfect Shepherd, the Chief Shepherd so, in our humanness, we can shepherd with His help.

We have all sinned. Sin is universal, but grace is also universal if we choose to accept it. All that's required is this beautiful trusting faith in Jesus Christ.

"The Lord looks down from heaven
on the entire human race;
he looks to see if anyone is truly wise,
if anyone seeks God."
Psalm 14:2 (The New Living Translation)

If you know someone today, dear shepherd leader, who doesn't believe and trust in Jesus or mocks you because you do, pray for them today. Write their name down and keep their name in front of you so you can pray for them consistently. Let's see what the Good Shepherd will do in their hearts, and in ours, as we pray for them and their salvation.

This small, but powerful psalm of David shares his prayer for help, but also his ultimate trust in the Good Shepherd.

"But I trust in your unfailing love.
I will rejoice because you have rescued me.
I will sing to the Lord
because he is good to me."
Psalm 13:5-6 (The New Living Translation)

When there are difficult moments in our lives as shepherd leaders that no matter what is happening we can say, "I WILL TRUST in my Father's unfailing love." Sometimes our feelings about a situation can lie to us, but if we ground ourselves in the truth of who the Good Shepherd is and what He has done and will do, we can rejoice in Him.