By Rev. Daniel Yaw

Introduction
As I continue my thoughts and meditation on Psalm 23, the second part of verse 3 is that the Shepherd leads us in the path of righteousness.

The past month was a journey that was tough for me.  I take this opportunity to thank all of you for praying for me and my family.  Your support, encouragement, understanding, and love were a sustaining factor.

The Path
The path speaks of a journey.  It is associated with the idea of a course that we must take.  As I was thinking about the past month, two factors emerged in my Christian journey.  Those two things are faith and righteousness.
Being a Shepherd, he leads his flock through good paths. The primary jobs of the shepherd in pasturing his flock were to lead the sheep in the right way, to food and water, and to fend off predators. The shepherd was responsible for the welfare and safety of the sheep.

The Path of Faith
One of those paths was the path of faith – to trust that the Lord is leading us to a good path.  I can almost imagine a talking sheep, walking through the rocky fields as the shepherd leads them – “Why is the path so rocky?  Why is it so hot before we can see any water?  Will there be water ahead?  What about the pastures – I see more sand, dry weeds than green pastures.”

Does that sound familiar to our path today as well?  The challenges placed before us do not seem like a good path.  This is where we hear the good shepherd who leads us on the right path and that is good. 

I must then exercise faith – faith in the Good Shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ.  Our journey will always be a journey of faith.

The Path of Righteousness
The path has also the idea of a “course of conduct”.  With faith, this path will challenge our conduct too.  The shepherd leads us today in the course of righteous conduct.  Like a shepherd guides his sheep along the right way, God effectively leads His people on the correct path by His Word and through the Holy Spirit’s guidance (Psalm 19:7; 119:105; Isaiah 59:21; 63:11–14; Romans 8:14 ). God does all this “for his name’s sake” or, in other words, to bring honor and glory to His name.

For His name’s sake
I can thus put my faith in Him because it is all for His name’s sake.  What that means is that God will guard the honor and glory of his name.  If we put our trust in Him, we will not be disappointed because He guards the honor of His name that He is the Good Shepherd in whom I shall have no lack.

Conclusion
As we journey through this Psalm, my prayer for all of us is that we know our Shepherd, not just know the Psalm.  He leads us in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.