Scriptures: Psalm 23:5, Isaiah 55:7, Ephesians 3:20, 1 Peter 1:8

Do you ever feel surrounded by enemies? In Psalm 23, David talks about the Shepherd and his sheep. But in verse 5 he talks about a third character--enemies. If you ever feel like you are all alone, that the world is against you and you can't count on anybody, Psalm 23 has a word for you. Enemies and negative surroundings can make us feel empty. As David wrote this part of the Psalm, it's as if he's saying, "It's just me, myself and God." He saw no friends. All he saw were his enemies. Though we don't know what caused David to write this part of the song, we do know that the Lord shared with him through this part of the song, three wonderful truths that can give all of God's sheep great joy concerning their shepherd.

"It is easy to eat when you're surrounded by friends and people who love you. But it's another thing when you can eat in peace surrounded by foes and people who hate you. But you can do it if you know the shepherd is protecting you and watching over you, and that no harm can come to you as long as He is near. One of the greatest lessons I’ve ever learned about the Christian life is this: peace is not the absence of problems; peace is the presence of Jesus." --Dr. Merritt

Keywords: peace, enemies, fear, emptiness, alone, isolation, twenty-third, Psalm, David, King, sheep, Boris Becker, Cherokee Indians, Steve Brown, noseflies, relief, Luther Bridgers, Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, Pastor Jack Hinton, leper colony, Tobago, Count Your Many Blessings, snakes, adders, poison, wolves, bears, feed, safety, safe