Part 15: If The Lord Is My Shepherd... Series

Great Prayers of the Old Testament

Part 15: If the Lord Is My Shepherd...

Psalm 23:1-6

Sermon by Rick Crandall

(Prepared January 4, 2025)

BACKGROUND:

*Anyone who has read a good portion of God's Word knows that there are a lot of prayers provided for us in the Bible. The Dake Annotated Reference Bible lists 222 prayers in total. 176 of these prayers are listed in the Old Testament, but 72 of them are found in one book, and that is the Book of Psalms. Today we will study one of the most famous prayers of all. It is found in the 23rd Psalm, so let's begin by reading the Scripture, thinking about what happens when the LORD is my shepherd. (1)

MESSAGE:

*Millions of people going through grief have found great comfort here in the 23rd. Psalm. And Christians, I am one of those people. It happened when my mother passed away 30 years ago. It was the summer of 1994, and God was merciful to us in a lot of ways. My Mom was only sick for a short while. After having some trouble swallowing, she went to the cancer doctor in mid-June. Mom was diagnosed with cancer on July 1st, and went to Emory in Atlanta for surgery on July 18th. What was supposed to be a 4 or 5-hour surgery turned into a 13-hour marathon, and my mom basically never woke up again.

*After 2 weeks in the ICU at Emory, she passed away in her sleep on Aug. 1st. One of the great blessings of that summer was the way we were treated by the people over at Emmanuel Baptist Church. They were so gracious to let me spend as much time as possible with my mom. I would drive over on Monday, and come back on Friday to be able to preach on Sunday. One couple even gave me plane tickets to save me from driving that long way. Altogether, I was in Georgia 5 weeks that summer.

*On the Friday before my mother died, I was about to drive back here. And somehow I knew that I would never see my mother again in this world. I went in to pray with her one last time, and basically I prayed the words of this Psalm: "LORD, we know that You are our Shepherd; We shall not want. . ."

*Up to that point there had been no response whatsoever from my mom since her surgery. But when I finished that prayer, God gave her the grace to smile at me and squeeze my hand. I am sure that was a miracle from God. And 3 days later, my mother passed away peacefully in her sleep.

*What a Scripture, what a Savior, what a Shepherd! "The Lord is my Shepherd." Can you honestly say that today? If not, please let God's Word and His Holy Spirit persuade you to receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior today. This is the greatest thing that can ever happen to you. Millions of people going through hard times have found God's comfort here, because the Lord was their Shepherd.

*And Christian's, Jesus is our Shepherd too! -- But what kind of a Shepherd is He? In a way, it's hard for us to understand because there aren't a lot of shepherds living around here. But author Philip Keller can help us. Philip grew up in East Africa, around shepherds very much like those in King David's day. Then Phillip spent 8 years as a sheep rancher. And HE WROTE ABOUT IT IN HIS BOOK, A SHEPHERD LOOKS AT THE 23RD PSALM."

*Pastor Alan Smith gives this insight from Philip's book: "One of the best things about a good shepherd is this: He loves his sheep. For him there is no greater reward, no deeper satisfaction, than seeing his sheep contented, well fed, safe, and flourishing in his care. That's what a good shepherd's life is all about. And he gives everything he's got to the task. From early dawn till late at night the good shepherd is alert to the welfare of his flock. Throughout the day he looks over his sheep to make sure everything is all right. Even at night, he sleeps with 'one eye open,' ready to get up and protect his sheep at the first sign of trouble." That's the kind of shepherd you can have in Jesus Christ! And what a great Shepherd He is! (2)

1. FIRST: IF THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD, HE PROVIDES FOR ME.

[1] JESUS PROVIDES FOR ALL OF OUR NEEDS, BUT OUR GREATEST NEED OF ALL IS AN EVERLASTING RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD.

*We see this relationship in vs. 1 where David said, "The Lord is MY Shepherd." This means I belong to Him, and He belongs to me. The Lord and David had a personal relationship. David didn't just know some things about the Lord. He knew the Lord in a personal way. And that's what Jesus Christ wants for all of us today. By turning to Jesus and trusting in Him, by receiving Him as our Lord and Savior, we are born again spiritually with an everlasting relationship in the Family of God. And there will be a family resemblance.