The Lord Is My Shepherd

4-21-24

Hoonah-Hadley

Psalm 23

Call to Worship Acts 4:5-12

Daily Verse Psalm 23:1

Psalm 23:1 “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” Perhaps the best known and most loved literature of all time, this Psalm is first and foremost, personal.  Its popularity may arise from this very fact, that if you abide in Him and He in you, you too can announce: “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” Ownership does have its privileges. Once you can claim the Lord is your shepherd, then and only then can you add with assurance the consequence, “I shall not want.” The two go hand in hand. Psalm 34:10 “…those who trust in the Lord will lack no good thing.” This Psalm was written by King David.  The psalms were penned from about 1400 B.C-430 B.C., but remember, God’s word is living and active, today this verse is about Jesus and you. The “shepherd” here is reference to Jesus Christ of Nazareth, and the “I” are His chosen, those elected, predestined, called.  King David was once a shepherd of sheep, and so it is, he shares with us the nature of that labor. When we consider who Christ is, what He has done on our behalf, our genetic disposition and fallen nature, there is little argument that “shepherd” and “sheep” are the most fitting and appropriate word pictures. John 10:14 “I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.” 2 things here we can be certain of, Jesus is “good” and He “knows” those that are His.  1 Peter 2:25 “For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.” Our prayer today, is to know Him.

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There is power in His name, power in His blood, and power in His word. When we speak a thing, we give it authority over our lives. There is simply nothing else we can speak into our lives “that we shall not want”, than, “The Lord is my shepherd.” King David speaks with a confidence, a boldness, a matter-of-factness. 2 Corinthians 3:12 “Therefore since we have such hope, we use great boldness of speech…” Acts 4:29 “…and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.” King David begins this Psalm with the name that is above all other names, the name that is wonderful, with the One who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we could ask or imagine. (Eph. 3:20) As we reflect back on the most recent sermon titles there is an ongoing theme, in one word, “Jesus”.  As it was with the recent solar eclipse, so it is with Jesus. As the moon on a rare occasion blocked the suns radiance for a little over 3 minutes, dropping the temperature10-15 degrees, sending creation into a temporary tailspin, so it was with Calvary when the skies were darkened. The Light of the World will not be denied any more than the sun, the moon, the lesser, gives way to the sun, the greater, as the victory is wrought on yonder hill.  Psalm 23:4 “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.” Simon and Garfunkel open their famous song with this line, “Hello darkness my old friend, I’ve come to talk with you again.” King David reminds us that life affords us valley’s wherein we will see the shadow of death, but like the moon casting its shadow over the sun, does not remain there but passes.

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So shall it be with the valley of the shadow of death, we do not sit there, we do not stay there, but the Lord in His great mercy takes us by the right hand and walks us through it, herein we fear no evil but find comfort there.  As we etch this Psalm on the tablets of our hearts, the sign said, “The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls, and tenement halls.” When darkness thought it had its way, the veil was ripped in two, the stone rolled away and the glory of the Lord burst forth in awesome splendor breaking the silence with boldness, “The Lord Is My Shepherd!” Whenever that shadow is cast upon your life, go to the psalmist and pick your favorite.  139 will carry you along. Verse 9 and 10 “If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me.”  Even now in the reading of it I am comforted. Verse 13, 17 “For You formed my inward parts…How precious are Your thoughts to me, O God!” Our Lord searches us, knows us, is acquainted with all our ways, knows our words before we speak them, our thoughts from afar, breathed life into our lungs. Should we reflect back on our lives, we could not help but share the words of Cece Winans with her wonderful praise “The Goodness of God.” For He is our Father, our friend, our Savior, rock, redeemer, fortress, strong tower, He is our Shepherd. Psalm 91:1 “Those who dwell in the shelter of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” He is our dwelling place, a very present help in trouble. He knows the number of our days, they were “fashioned for us when as yet there were none of them.” Because of His mercy we are not consumed. He is our shield, our rear guard, He is near to all who call upon Him. Hears our cry, preserves all who love Him.

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Sheep are prone to wander. We will not recognize God as our shepherd unless we see that we have the nature of sheep. Understanding our wayward nature, recognizing God’s voice, believing Him to be our shepherd, “I lack nothing.”  We are a needy lot. Unbelieve says, “I shall want.”  John 15:5 “…apart from Me you can do nothing.” We tend to come to God with our needs, our feelings. Matthew 6:8 “…for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.” Don’t tell Him how you feel, tell Him what you know, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” Belief says, “I shall not want.” We should know that God is with us, His word tells us He is. We have to trust our feelings will catch up with what we know. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 “…and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price.” The Lord knows what we have need of, that’s why He invites us to Calvary, the empty tomb and beyond. At 8 yrs. old I found myself near the White River in the Flat Tops Wilderness in northwestern Colorado. At that age, most things are new, and I was in a constant state of awesome wonder at creation long before I knew the Creator. Wandering away from camp I came across a flock of sheep being led up the mountain when I witnessed their shepherd on horseback calling one of the dogs. The dog came up to the horse, sat down, looked at the shepherd, listened, then took off. Not long after he came back with one lost sheep. God wants not one to be lost. (2 Peter 3:9, John 6:39) Our Lord is the “Good Shepherd”, He knows His sheep, our disposition for being lost, wandering and wanting. Lost? Return to the shepherd and overseer of your soul. He leads us beside still waters, He restores our souls, prepares a table before us, surely goodness and mercy shall follow us, and we will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. 

Amen.