I Will Fear No Evil, For You Are With Me

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Is Psalm 23 Your favorite Psalm?

It’s a favorite among many.

It’s used often at funerals.

And it helps people find comfort and healing

in the midst of troubled times.

But I remember in my younger days

seeking comfort and healing wasn’t a common issue for me

at least, not in the way it is presented in Psalm 23.

Psalms of joy and thanks resonated better with my soul.

But the psalm has grown on me more recently

especially in the hymn The King of Love My Shepherd Is.

I have sung this song in a men’s ensemble at a university

but it felt more like an assignment

rather than a spiritually nourishing moment.

Usually, you can tell when someone has taken a song to their heart.

Their passion overflows into your own heart.

I’d imagine you’ve probably heard me play The King of Love My Shepherd Is

by Taylor Tripodi (Trip-oh- dee)

during the offering.

I don’t plan to do this today

but we will sing this hymn together

at the end of the service.

When I first heard her play this song

I’ve noticed she has made this hymn her own.

Not only has she taken this song to heart

she also modified some of the notes and words to her own style.

Though the hymn has 6 verses,

she has selected 4 of them.

And she added a short bridge before the final verse.

… In a higher key change, she says,

Oh, that He would look my way

Oh, that He would love me.

Taylor recognizes that her sin makes her unworthy--

unworthy to be under God’s care.

But God

in his love

chooses to love her

and care for her

and provide for her

and protect her.

God chooses to care for her

by his grace alone.

Taylor Tripodi (Trip-oh- dee) says on her website,

Music has a way of bringing to light the fears and darkness in our hearts.

It moves us to a place of openness to receive the truth we need to hear

ultimately leading us to the love we were created for.

She also says,

No matter where you’ve been

or what you’ve done

There is always hope

because of His love.

Who is this God

that takes care of broken people?

People who do not do much for adding value to him.

… I mean.

For a number of times

God compares us to sheep

--Sheep of all creatures.

Would you want a football team that says

we are the sheep

so watch out!

Sheep are often characterized as stupid--

animals who often just do their own thing

and many times only find themselves

getting into trouble.

When Christians do their own thing apart from God

what does that do with our relationship with him?

… What does that do with our relationship with others

who are watching what us Christians do?

Does it create faith?

Or does it create disbelief in their hearts?

Nevertheless,

God chooses to care for us

he chooses to love us.

… When you read Psalm 23

do you notice who is doing most of the work?

… It’s God.

… No one in this Psalm

is working their way to be like God.

You have a psalm

about someone who is found so helpless

someone so dependent on God

that they can’t see getting through this world without him.

I don’t know about you

but more and more

I’m learning that people are making decisions that affect me

decisions that I don’t have any control over.

… Some of these decisions help me

and some of them work against me.

Some of these decisions help my neighbor’s wellbeing

some of them work against my neighbor’s well-being.

… But what I do know

is that the Lord is in control,

and that no matter what other people decide

God will care for me along the way.

King David from the Bible

he had all kinds of things was dealing with

throughout his life.

He was known as a “man after God’s own heart.”

Many people know him for his great faith.

They know him from the time when he was just a little shepherd boy

who was determined to take on the giant Goliath

when the Philistines were planning to attack the Israelites.

David said to this Philistine giant,

“You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin,

but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts,

the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.

This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand,

and I will strike you down and cut off your head.” – 1 Samuel 17:45-46 (ESV)