The Dust Bowl

A Series from the Psalms
God is my… Shepherd
 (Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Psalm 23

 [God is many things to many people. In this series, we will be looking at various Psalms that completes the statement “God is my…” Maybe ultimately it answers the question that we all ask at some point in our life, “Who is God to me?”.]

  

The Dust Bowl lasted from 1930 to 1939, almost a whole decade. In the novel titled “The Four Winds” by Kristin Hannah, she describes the day-to-day reality of living through dust storms that killed livestock, wheat crops and people; especially children.

 

The lead character is a single mom surviving with her two children and her in-laws on a dying farm in Texas. When her young son gets so sick that he can hardly breathe, she takes him to a makeshift hospital in the nearby small town. He is diagnosed with Dust Pneumonia. Ultimately, the only way to save him is to leave the Dust Bowl; to leave her home. So, she does.

 

Provide and protect. It sounds like a slogan for the local law enforcement, but it describes the job of every parent. It also describes the job of a shepherd. David knew what it meant to be a shepherd. His description in Psalm 23 provides a word picture of peace and security.

 

¹ The Lord is my shepherd;
    I have all that I need.
² He lets me rest in green meadows;
    he leads me beside peaceful streams.
³     He renews my strength.
He guides me along right paths,
    bringing honor to his name.     NLT

 

Notice how David paints the picture of the Lord as your shepherd. He provides; He lets you rest; He leads you; He renews you; He guides you. Even during the most difficult of times, when you are in “the valley of the shadow of death”, He is your shepherd.

 

Sometimes though, we choose to ignore these promises of our Shepherd. We make decisions that lead to chaos; to catastrophe; to calamity. We turn our back on the Shepherd who is always there waiting for us to turn back to Him.

 

Without Him, life can be like a Dust Bowl, killing everything in its path. With Him, brings life to the fullest, life abundantly. Living in the presence of the Shepherd is like coming home.

 

⁶ Surely your goodness and love will follow me
    all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
    forever.      NIV

 

Copyright 2022 Joseph B Williams