Throughout the Psalms there are times David is said to be referencing Christ in prophetic thought. Although Psalm 23 is not one of those passages usually mentioned, a closer look at the first three verses of this psalm has given me a fresh perspective.

Last week (see Monday’s Musing - March 15), I shared how Psalm 23 is about The Lord as summarized in the first verse. This week I want to place some of David’s statements alongside those of Jesus. David begins this psalm with “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want (lack).” Jesus says, “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep” John 10:11. He sacrifices ALL to provide for His sheep.

 In the book, Living Without Lack: Living in the Fullness of Psalm 23, I learned the only time sheep lie down in green pastures or pass by still waters is if they are not hungry or thirsty. What David is saying when he states “He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters…” is, “I don’t hunger, and I don’t thirst.”

 Compare this with Jesus’ statement in John 6:35, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.”

 Then David continues with “He restores my soul.” However, it’s important to note that the word for soul here is also the same word for life, as used in Ruth 4:15, “He (The Lord) shall be known to you a restorer of life...” In John 10:10, Jesus tells us, “...I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly.”

 David finishes this paragraph with a phrase we often skip over quickly, “He guides me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.” What’s interesting to learn is that the Hebrew word for righteousness in this verse is also the same word for just or justice and equity. And in Matthew’s passage when Jesus tells the multitudes to “Seek first His (God’s) kingdom and His righteousness...,” the Greek word for righteousness also means equity. Equity means fairness, justness and justice. David’s last four words of this sentence, “for His name’s sake,” actually tie together these thoughts about God guiding us along righteous-just-equitable paths. So, don’t miss this. God will only guide us in ways that are consistent with who He is.

 As Jesus told His followers, “God is light and in Him there is no darkness at all.”

 If I were to restate the first three verses of this psalm in my own words, according to my knowledge of Christ, I think I would say it this way:

 Jesus is my shepherd, and in Him, I have everything I need. I don’t hunger or thirst for anything. Through Him, I have gained an abundant life. And with Him, I am learning to live and love like Him.

Years ago, as we were launching NorthStar Women’s Network, I felt overwhelmed and under equipped. Someone suggested I start praying on my armor each day. So, I did. And as time went on, I encouraged others to do likewise.

But now, 17 years later, I am done with that. I'm not advising women to pray on their armor anymore. Why is that? Because recently while rereading Ephesians 6, I was convicted by the Spirit that I had been advising women incorrectly. I realized there isn’t anywhere in Paul’s letter where he says we need to pray on our armor for daily protection. Instead, Paul advises us to “put on the full armor of God.” It’s God’s armor we are praying on, not ours. What a difference changing one word makes. It’s huge.

Our armor – our thoughts, our truth, our faith – has no power against the enemy. If it did, Adam and Eve would have remained in the garden. Everything we do, we do through the One who gives us strength. His strength. His power. His armor.

But in the end, does it really matter what we call it? Yes, it does. Because when we call it what it is, it reframes our perspective and gives us greater insight into Paul’s instructions.

Beginning with the understanding that the Holy Spirit is actually dwelling within us (given to us at the time of our profession of belief in Jesus Christ), we can see why Paul is telling us to be strong in the Lord and the strength of His might. If the Holy Spirit is indwelling, and He is, and if Christ is manifested through the Spirit and abides within us, which He does, then praying on God’s armor has little to do with us, but everything to do with Jesus. It is always about Jesus.

With that in mind, when we are praying on God’s armor, we pray on:

His Truth – It’s the truth according to what Christ lives and teaches, understanding things from His vantage point as He dwells within. The enemy wants to make us think truth is relative, believing all kinds of lies about ourselves and others, but Jesus has said He is Truth. Truth is not relative as the world states, Jesus is the plumb line. The belt of the armor is meant to hold in proper place those things that could easily trip us up. So it is with Truth.

His Righteousness - We have been made righteous—restored to a right relationship with God the Father through Christ the Son. Once Jesus begins to indwell our life, God no longer sees our sin. Our sins have been replaced by Christ’s righteousness. However, the enemy would like us to think otherwise, to believe we are still sinners deep in sin who can’t measure up in God’s presence. That’s why the Breastplate of Righteousness is so important— to protect our hearts from feeling unworthy or shame from the enemy’s constant attempts at condemnation.

His Peace - We often think this piece of the armor is all about the shoes of peace, but Paul says it’s actually the preparation of the shoes of peace. So how do we prepare to walk in peace? We do it the same way Jesus does as He lives and dwells within. The same way He did it when He walked the earth, by abiding in the Father’s presence. And the peace that protects is not our peace, but the actual peace of Jesus. Jesus told us, “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, do I give to you.” We can move forward without fear, resting in His peace.

His Faith - It would be great to think our faith is strong enough to stop the “fiery darts of temptation” aimed at us by Satan, but it isn’t. If it were, Adam and Eve would not have failed in the garden, but the saving faith that can protect us from ALL of Satan’s lies is the faith of Jesus. In a more accurate translation of Galatians 2:20, Paul tells us “The life we now live in the flesh, we live by the faith of the Son of God,” instead of faith in the Son of God. Somewhere over the years the word was changed from “of” to “in.” I am not sure why as it totally distorts the meaning. When we are clear about the fact the Holy Spirit indwells us and Christ is manifested through the Spirit, it’s easy to understand the Shield of Faith is about submitting to Christ’s faith as He dwells within.

His Salvation - Jesus came, died and rose again as the Savior of the world, to deliver us from the consequences of sin. He set us free from the penalty of sin; we are forgiven. He set us free from the power of sin; we are restored to a relationship with God the Father. And He set us free from the presence of sin; we are cleansed through the presence of His Spirit who dwells within. Our sins are forgiven and our guilt is removed. In the Greek, the word for salvation also means deliverer. As we pray on the Helmet of Salvation, the helmet of our deliverer, let us guard our thoughts and guide them with the knowledge and truth of His salvation.

His Sword - I love the translation of this in The Amplified version, “The sword the Spirit wields, which is the Word of God.” The Spirit doesn’t speak on His own initiative, as Jesus tells us in John 16. But He discloses to us what is spoken to Him by God the Father and Christ the Son, so we can thwart the enemy’s attempt the same way Jesus did in the wilderness, by repeating God’s truth, “The Scriptures say....” The Sword is the only offensive piece of the armor; let’s remember to draw it often to stop Satan’s attacks and destroy his plans.

If you don’t already do so, I want to encourage you to pray on God’s armor every day, for yourself, for your family and even for your brothers and sisters in Christ. Over the past 17 years, as I prayed for “the power of God’s armor” to be upon those on my list, I have seen lives changed. “Therefore, take up the full armor of God that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm” Ephesians 6:13 (emphasis added).

Many blessings,
Katie