THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD

Let me share a story with you that my Father told us. Many years ago, there was a Man who became so goodly popular because his greeting was: ‘The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want’.
Each time he passes, people will hail, the Lord is my Shepherd, he will answer: I shall not want. This became the daily thing morning and evening among the villagers. He was a fisherman.

He was a happy man who enjoyed his fishing work and appreciated God for being his Shepherd.

His popularity grew that the king 👑 saw him as a threat. The king felt that the man was becoming more known and popular than him. This man has got no royal ring in his finger, nor the crown on his head, never nor sat on the royal throne. He was a village fisherman who has a greeting among the people: the Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.
The village was preparing for the celebration of one of the festivals. The furious king and his cabinet decided to honour the man on the D-day with the ‘Greek offer’. They planned to bring him down to see if the Lord whom he claims is his shepherd will save him.

You have become so popular with your profession as a fisherman. You have contributed so much to the growth and happiness of the people who chorus your greetings morning and night. The king said, "we want to honour you on the Day of the village celebration in the full view of all."
Furthermore, we wish you to do us a Favour. The ring of the king will be given to you to keep, so that on that faithful day, you may present to the king as the custodian of the king’s royal ring and the title will be given to you. The man, while smiling, accepted and said, "The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want."

*_“Fear the Greek even when they bring gifts”._*

Oh good God, he never knew they were seeing him as an enemy. Though he never saw them as enemies.

He kept the King’s ring in the full view of his wife, who shared in his ‘goodly’ popularity. Evening came, and morning came, few weeks to go. The same people came back to the house to greet the family but just to find out if he had gone to the river side for his occupation.
Immediately, they realized his absence. They lured the wife to steal the ring from where the husband kept it for a bogus pay. The woman screamed and shouted in anger. She refused to do their wish against the husband. They insisted with appeal and gifts, and she collected the bogus pay and betrayed the husband, whose Lord is the Shepherd.

*_As a young man in my junior secondary school days, I once asked my Father, how come those who hurt people are those close to them? He said it is because we share most of our secrets with them._*

The man and the wife on the evening that the ring was given to him spent almost the late hours contemplating the honor done them and at the end before lying to sleep decided by the votes of two of them to keep the ring where it has now been stolen by the wife.

The wife never told him the people visited. They continued living as a family. Morning and evening, the villagers chorused the greeting: The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want he would response.
Fours market days to the D-day, envoys from the king’s palace came and reminded him. He was not perturbed at all because he knew where he kept it and that the Lord is his Shepherd. Two days to go, he decided to get prepared for the celebration. He brought out small box 📦 where they kept the ring, it was empty—he shouted, the Lord is my Shepherd; at this the wife ran to the room thinking he was in trouble due to the tune he used.

Yes, there is trouble. The king’s ring is missing. Oh dear, the wife searched vigorously and thoroughly with the husband as if she were not aware of the missing ring. (Dum tufu, dum cho-means:someone that hid my item is helping me to search for it).
Sleep eluded the good man, and his heart shook like the big 🌲 tree being tossed by a strong wind. His mind travelled to places and across eventful memories faster than the rays of light. The hotness that greeted his head gave a dent of burnt on his pillow. His legs shook like a child learning to stand for the first time. The clapping 👏 of his teeth resounds more than the gong of a town cryier. The man became weak and weary.

In all of this, he would always say, the Lord is my shepherd, and I shall not want— though now on a low tune.

If the story ends here, have you got the message?
We said——nooo Papa.
That morning, the village woke up to the day of their festivities, they will see their popular man being honored for his good personality; the king and his cabinet preparing to execute a man who placed his truth in God his shepherd; the wife has now become the enemy of her love—husband. The man woke up and went to do his last 🎣 fishing.

*How does one’s life end just because he is doing the right thing? Sometimes, you may not do anything wrong before people see you as a threat. Most of the time, your gift, talent, resilience, charisma, your age, position, attitude make them angry but you don’t know._* Sometimes, it is even better not to know since the Lord is your Shepherd. Such ignorance gives bliss oooo.
Due to lack of sleep the previous night, his fishing that morning was not successful. He caught just one 🐟 fish. As he walked home, people hailed him as usual, he answered, but his voice was low. They wondered what has happened to their hero who actually does not need any honour, for greater is the honour given by nature through the people.

He couldn’t even sell the fish and wouldn’t allow the wife to prepare the meal either. He had said, "Let me eat my last meal and prepare for the consequences of the missing ring and wrath of my enemies."

He sets to cut the 🐠 fish, slicing it into different pieces. As did that, his knife 🔪 hit something, and the noise was loud, for it sounded koooiiii. He became so much interested, he sliced and sliced and low and behold, he discovered the king’s ring in the belly of the fish. Hahahahahaha. (Am just smiling and crying at this point of the story and ✍️ writing)

*_He wanted to shout the Lor…., he decided to say it in his heart. He stated whistling until he finished eating. He took the ring and placed it inside the inner pocket of his trousers behind the pocket located at his right thigh._*

It was time for the occasion, he went with the beautiful wife. The people were cheering 📣 for the occasion. It was colourful. It was his time to present the king’s ring with procession, since at the end of such procession, he would be honoured.

Immediately, they called his name, the people leapt for joy, they shouted: the Lord is my shepherd, he responded with gusto, I shall not want. Those standing by who knew the evil plot said to one another, look at him who ought to burry his hand in anguish since he would be dying in a few hours.
The Lord is my shepherd. Present the king’s ring and receive your honour. Gbagam gengen. His wife was ashamed of her actions, the palace was ready to descend on him, and the people were cheering.

He dipped his two fingers into the inner pocket, and lo and behold presented the king’s ring, and there was both jubilation and confusion at the same time. What happened? As they wondered, he screamed, "THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD, the people chorused, I SHALL NOT WANT."

Was he honoured by the king that day? That will be another story. (As at the time of the writing of this piece, the king and his cabinet were still in that confusion).

What happened? How? Why? This was their confusion.

*_NOW THIS IS IT: When they took the ring from the wife, they went straight to the river and threw it far far in._* The same God who is our Shepherd, He who sustains the universe and directs the movement of the cosmic powers and controls the elements and creatures of nature commanded a FISH to swallow the ring. That was the ONLY FISH, the man caught on the morning he was to die.
You see that the Lord is my Shepherd, and I shall not want. His life was spared by the same God who is his Shepherd. The integrity of the man’s trust in God gives greater honour to God through the people whom he inspires and inspired to praise God as the SHEPHERD.

If you can remember, as kids growing up, we learnt and crammed Psalm 23:The Lord is my Shepherd and John 3:16: For God so love the World… for on them lied the story of our Salvation in and through Jesus Christ.

As you go out this week/month as a Nigerian, remember the story of the man who trusted in God and got rescued from the grip of powerful men and women who felt they have won with human skills.

God, who is our Shepherd, is always aware. He is with us.

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