What does it mean that the Lord is your shepherd?

In Psalm 23, the most beloved psalm in the Bible, David calls the Lord “my shepherd.” In this study, Dr. Toby Holt unpacks why this short psalm has comforted God’s people for three thousand years.

To call the Lord “my shepherd” is a bold, personal claim — and it also admits that we are sheep: prone to wander and in need of care. Dr. Holt walks through the psalm’s two pictures: God as the Shepherd who guards, provides, and leads, and God as the gracious Host who anoints our head and fills our cup to overflowing. Jesus took up this very image when He called Himself the Good Shepherd, whose sheep hear His voice. It is the most requested passage at funerals — because its hope reaches all the way to “the house of the LORD forever.”

Questions this study answers:

1. Why is Psalm 23 the most beloved psalm? Because it speaks of God’s personal care in life and in death. Its comfort meets people in their deepest needs.

2. What does it mean to call the Lord “my shepherd”? It is a claim of trust — and an admission that we are sheep who need leading, providing, and protecting.

3. What does it mean to be one of God’s sheep? It means knowing the Shepherd’s voice and following Him. His sheep are kept safe by the One who laid down His life for them.

“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.” — Psalm 23:1 (NKJV)

Speaker: Dr. Toby Holt is the President of New Geneva Theological Seminary, a Reformed seminary in Colorado Springs. He is known for clear, down-to-earth Bible teaching, and his sermons have been downloaded more than 1.9 million times on SermonAudio.

Listen and go deeper: This sermon is part of the Psalms Explained study from New Geneva Theological Seminary. Find more verse-by-verse teaching across the Bible at newgeneva.org. To support this teaching ministry, visit newgeneva.org/give.