Psalm 23:1
"The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want."
Throughout the Scriptures, God refers to Christians as sheep. That means that if we are sheep, then we need a shepherd. The Scriptures make it very plain that God becomes one's shepherd when a person gets saved. Though God is your shepherd, that does not mean that you automatically get all the benefits of being His sheep. Those benefits only come from yielding to your Shepherd. Psalm 23 shows us several benefits of yielding to your Shepherd.
First, yielding to your Shepherd causes you not to lack anything you need. The verse above says that because the LORD is "my shepherd; I shall not want." Notice, it does not say that the Shepherd makes you wealthy, but it does say that your needs will be met. As long as you yield to the LORD, you will find that He will make sure every need you have will be met. That is what God says in Philippians 4:19, "But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus." If your needs are not met, then that is simply revealing that you are not yielding to your Shepherd.
Second, yielding to your Shepherd will give you direction in life. Verse 2 says, "He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters." God promises the Christian that as long as they yield to Him that He will lead them wherever they need to go. If you lack direction, it is because you are not yielding to the LORD.
Third, yielding to your Shepherd will help you to know what is right. Verse 3 says, "...he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake." Many people struggle with knowing what is the right thing to do. If you will simply yield to the LORD, you will find that knowing what is the right thing to do in every situation will be easy to see. God most certainly will show you the right thing to do in life if you surrender to His guiding voice.
Fourth, yielding to your Shepherd will give you comfort in times of heartache. Christian, one of the greatest things about yielding to the LORD is that when heartache comes, He will give you the comfort you need. Heartache is going to come in life, but if you are going to get the comfort you need you must yield to the LORD.
Fifth, yielding to your Shepherd will keep you safe from the enemy. Verse 5 says, "Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies..." Notice, it does not say you won't have enemies, but that you will be safe in the "presence of mine enemies." You will face battles in life, but you can be safe in those battles as long as you yield to the LORD.
Yielding to your Shepherd has its benefits. If you want the goodness and mercy of the LORD to follow you all your days, then you would be wise to start every day yielding to Him. Though the world may scream to do your own thing, it is safest and most beneficial for you to simply yield to your Shepherd so that you can receive the benefits of His presence.