Times of darkness are certainly part of our journey in this life. But thank the Lord,

he never leaves us to face the darkness alone. One of the great blessings of the 23rd Psalm

is the promise of the shepherd's presence. Thou art with me.

Let's join Scott Pauley now as he continues this series, The Shepherd of the Shadows.

If you want a rich study for your own soul, study the names of God in Scripture, you will find that every name is a revelation of yet another aspect and perfection of our Lord's character.

Recently, as we have been studying our way through Psalm 23, Psalm of David,

the Psalm of the Shepherd and the Sheep, I've been reminded of something,

and it is this, that the Lord's name is always connected to something about his nature.

For example, if you look at Psalm 23, it doesn't begin

by saying God is my shepherd. It says, the Lord is my shepherd. And if you look careful in your

Bible, Lord is in all capital letters, capital L, capital O, capital R, capital D. Why is that? Because this was the designation

for the name that was most reverenced among the Jewish people. This was the name for Jehovah God,

Yahweh. It was the covenant name. It was the name that was so sacred to the Jewish people.

The name that God had revealed himself to Abraham as the great I am. They would not even speak

it aloud. They would substitute another one of the names for God when they came to the public

reading of scripture. The scribes would take a bath and get a new pen just to write it they so reverence

this name because every time they saw this name the Lord it was a revelation of the God who is

always the same who is the self-existent self--sufficient, eternal one. He's the covenant God.

He's the one who makes promises and always fulfills everything that he foretells. He's the

God of truth. Psalm 23 begins and ends with the Lord. The Lord is my shepherd, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

And Psalm 23 is all about helping us know the Lord better.

The Lord is our shepherd.

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