Prayer Revival: Psalms 23

Summer In Psalms: All That I Need

Passage: Psalms 23:1-6 (CSB)

1 The Lord is my shepherd; I have what I need. 2 He lets me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside quiet waters. 3 He renews my life; he leads me along the right paths for his name’s sake.

4 Even when I go through the darkest valley, I fear no danger, for you are with me; your rod and your staff—they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

6 Only goodness and faithful love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord as long as I live.

Pray:

Background: The writer of this Psalm is David. He was the king of the nation of Israel, but he was also a shepherd. David’s not writing from the perspective of a shepherd to sheep, he's writing from the perspective of the sheep to the shepherd.

Story: Boomer, Dale, and Iris Ran Away

1. Sheep without a shepherd:

   1. Isolated - They easily wander off and get lost
   2. Hungry - They can’t find food themselves
   3. Helpless - They are defenseless animals
   4. Afraid - Hate the rain and fearful in storms

   5. Sheep with a shepherd

   6. Companionship - Never far from the fold

   7. Nourishment - Gives food, shelter, and comfort
   8. Protection - Will fight for the flock
   9. Guidance - Leads the way home
   10. Question: Can we all agree that sheep are better with a shepherd? The same is true in our lives.

Main Points: As a sheep, let me tell you about MY Shepherd...

1. My Good Shepherd Provides

   1. 1 The Lord is my shepherd; I have what I need. 2 He lets me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside quiet waters. 3 He renews my life; he leads me along the right paths for his name’s sake.

   2. I have All that I need:

      1. “I have what I need” speaks of a life totally content and satisfied. Recognizing that all provision comes from God alone, our Good Shepherd. (Matt 6:33)

         1. “And my God will supply all your needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” - Philippians 4:19 2. “He lets me lie down”

         2. Phillip Keller, a shepherd who wrote about this psalm, says a sheep will not lie down until it feels fed and safe. Sheep are afraid of rushing water and prefer still water. I love the intentionality David writes in to the Psalms, God provides your needs specifically. 3. He knows better what you need than you do! 4. Illust: Conference Resources

         3. What if God only gave you what you could handle, not what you think you need?

         4. Better yet, what if God gave you what was best for “His name’s sake” and not your name’s sake?
         5. Shouldn’t that call us to trust more, pray for greater capacity, and seek fulfillment in Him alone!
            3. Giver of Rest:

      2. When you seek fulfillment and satisfaction from anything or anyone other than Christ you will never find rest and peace.

      3. Seeking fulfillment in your career, relationships, status, or hobbies will always leave you chasing after the wind. Even after you achieve the very thing you’ve worked too hard to attain, you are still left wanting more, needing more, craving MORE… This is why I hear too often “I’m tired”, “why do I do this to myself”, “I’m not the person I want to be right now.”.
      4. Seeking fulfillment in anything but Christ will only leave us frustrated and exhausted.

      5. Illust: “Green Pastures” doesn’t always feel like it describes your life right? Maybe a warzone or a scene from Maze Runner… but probably not green pastures.

         1. Write this down: Don’t chase after green pastures, follow God and allow Him to lead you to green pastures.
            4. Where He leads, I will follow:

      6. The word “lead” is better translated “gently leads”. You can’t drive sheep like you do cattle, they must be led. The sheep hear the shepherd’s voice and follow, just as we hear God’s voice in His Word and obey Him.

      7. Question: Are you following His lead, or have you wandered far from God? Or maybe you're here today wondering if you can trust His leadership?

         1. Let me tell you today on the authority of God's word and the account of my life, that He is a never failing, always loving, and fully trustworthy Shepherd.
         2. You can not only trust him to lead you on the right path, but you can trust Him in every circumstance and in every season! He never fails and He never will! 3. My Good Shepherd leads me gently to still waters, leads me gently on the paths for his name’s sake. 4. Question: How many of you here today know that we serve a God that doesn’t just point in the right direction and wish you the best, but He leads me in the path and is ALWAYS by your side! He’s my Good Shepherd!
         3. My Good Shepherd Protects
            1. 4 Even when I go through the darkest valley, I fear no danger, for you are with me; your rod and your staff—they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
            2. There is a shift in verse 4. He goes from talking about the Shepherd, to talking to the Shepherd. This verse sets the scene for the whole passage.
            3. Transparency:

      8. I love that he acknowledges that everything is not ok! He’s in death valley and he’s surrounded by his enemies! But I also love that in his vulnerability, he declares the goodness of God.

      9. Example: It’s ok to say “I’ve had a lot of fear and anxiety this week” It’s having the courage to say “I’m not ok.” And that’s ok! David says “I’m in death valley right now!” “I’m surrounded by my enemies.” Yet through it all he remained steadfast in His understanding of his Good Shepherd.
         4. John 10:9-15
      10. I am the gate. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will come in and go out and find pasture. 10 A thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance. 11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand, since he is not the shepherd and doesn’t own the sheep, leaves them and runs away when he sees a wolf coming. The wolf then snatches and scatters them. 13 This happens because he is a hired hand and doesn’t care about the sheep. 14 “I am the good shepherd. I know my own, and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me, and I know the Father. I lay down my life for the sheep.
      11. The Rod That Comforts
          1. Direction - leading the way

2. “A person’s heart plans his way, but the Lord determines his steps.” - Proverbs 16:9

3. Correction - rescuing from greater danger

4. “No discipline seems enjoyable at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” - Hebrews 12:11

5. Protection - finding the lost & fighting the enemies

6. “What man among you, who has a hundred sheep and loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open field and go after the lost one until he finds it?” - Luke 15:4

7. My Good Shepherd Sustains

   1. 6 Only goodness and faithful love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord as long as I live.
   2. Some think David wrote this psalm later in his life during the rebellion of Absalom. David is looking back over the course of his life and is praising God for His goodness and faithful love.
   3. Often times we neglect to trust God in the present because we fail to reflect on His provision and protection over us in the past.

Walking Points:

1. Enter The Gate

   1. “Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.” - John 14:6

   2. Stay Close To The Fold

   3. You are most vulnerable when you are alone and isolated.

      1. Don’t just look for community, build it. Join a crew, start a crew, and work to build the right people around you.
      2. Follow Your Good Shepherd

   4. “Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.” - Matthew 16:24 (CSB)