The Lord Is MY Shepherd
"The LORD is my shepherd..." — Psalm 23:1
Two Boys, One Shepherd
I wanted to share two stories of faith with you. Though they occurred worlds apart, they bear striking similarities. They tell the story of two unnamed boys who wholeheartedly trusted in the risen Savior when they died. Today, they share the same inheritance as they dwell together in glory, forever enjoying the light of His face.
My prayer is that these accounts will both encourage you and stir your soul to examine yourself to see whether you are in the faith (2 Cor. 13:5).
The Boy Who Held His Ring Finger
There once was a boy who was dying of cancer. His mother remained faithfully by his side each day, tending to his needs and seeking to comfort him. She often recited Psalm 23 with him and showed him a simple illustration to impress its words upon his heart.
She demonstrated how to recite the first verse of the psalm using the fingers of his hand. Beginning with his thumb, they counted together:
The... Lord... is... MY... Shepherd.
As they reached the word "MY," it fell upon his ring finger.
His mother explained what a beautiful picture of salvation this was and how personal it is. The ring finger symbolizes the sacred covenant of marriage—a bond between husband and wife that only death can sever.
In the same way, Christ established an everlasting covenant when He came down from heaven to rescue His bride from eternal separation. He sealed His promise with His own blood, offering Himself upon the cross.
The boy found rest in that truth. The realization of Christ's covenant love brought peace to his heart, and when he died, he was clutching his ring finger.
"The LORD is MY Shepherd."
The Welsh Shepherd Boy
There is another account of a young Welsh shepherd boy who encountered a traveling minister.
During the early nineteenth century, young shepherds in rural Wales and Scotland lived lives marked by harsh labor and extreme isolation. Working long hours on remote hillsides from a young age, many never received a formal education and were unable to read or write. To overcome widespread illiteracy, traveling preachers often adapted their methods when teaching these young workers scattered across the rugged countryside.
One day, a minister met such a boy and taught him the very same five-finger method that had been shared with the boy dying of cancer.
This young shepherd had never read a single line of Holy Scripture, yet he was awakened by the True Shepherd.
The... Lord... is... MY... Shepherd.
A faithful brother in Christ once told me,
"You don't have to go to college to look."
The Apostle Paul reminds us:
"God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong."
— 1 Corinthians 1:27
Earlier in the same chapter, we also read:
"For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."
— 1 Corinthians 1:18
This simple illustration was anything but foolishness to that young shepherd—it was everything.
By faith, he beheld his Savior upon the cross praying,
"Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."
— Luke 23:34
He possessed childlike faith in the One who died for him, and that was enough.
The story goes on to tell us that the following winter a terrible blizzard struck his village. The boy was reported missing and was eventually found frozen to death in the pasture while attempting to save his sheep.
When the search party discovered him, they found him frozen solid, still clutching his ring finger.
The Question
My question to you today is this:
Are you trusting in the True Shepherd?
Are you clinging to the old rugged cross?
Are you resting in your own good works and achievements?
Or have you, along with the Apostle Paul, counted everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus your Lord? (Phil. 3:8)
This world is full of vanity and deception that will leave you spiritually bankrupt before the throne of God.
If you are not trusting in Christ alone for your salvation, you will be cast into the eternal lake of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth forever.
But there is good news.
Come to Christ today, just as these two young boys did, and you will be rich.
Come and discover the Pearl of Great Price (Matt. 13:45–46).
Come and meet the Savior of whom the Samaritan woman testified:
"Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did."
— John 4:29
An Invitation from the Lord
"Come, everyone who thirsts,
come to the waters;
and he who has no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without price."
— Isaiah 55:1
Friend, if the Lord is not yet your Shepherd, come to Him today. His invitation is free, His promises are sure, and all who come to Him in faith will never be cast out.
