Here’s the outline I developed.  Verse 1 emphasizes the provision of God, verse 2 the plan of God, verse 3 the purpose of God, verse 4 the presence of God, verse 5, the preparation of God and verse 6, the promise of God.  Remember, God is portrayed as the Shepherd.  Verse 1 says, “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not be in want.”  

I remember hearing the story of a little girl who was standing up in church to quote this psalm.  She started out this way: “The Lord is my Shepherd, HE is all I want.”  Everybody smiled, but in reality she had a point.  When you have the Lord as your personal Shepherd – the One who cares for and watches over you – you have all you need.  This is an important truth to take hold of by faith.  Is the Lord your Shepherd? 

If He is, He promises to be all you need, and will provide what you need.  Do you ever feel you’ve been forced into a time of retreat or rest?  We’ll address this in our next visit by looking at what the Psalmist says in verse 2: “The Lord makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside still waters.”  He has a plan for your life.  If you don’t choose to follow it He just might make you experience some things to help you, like a time of retreat or rest.  Yes, the Good Shepherd cares for you.