In The Presence Of The Lord - Sermon Ii: No Fear Series

IN THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD - SERMON II: NO FEAR

The second jewel of truth is that, in the House of the Lord – in the eternal presence of the Lord God – there is NO FEAR. The second verse of the Psalm says this: “He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads be beside still waters.”

It was a good experience for a sheep to be led by a good shepherd. As you listened to the second verse, did you sense the contentment and peace that the sheep enjoyed in the presence of the good shepherd? (Reread v. 2)

Remember what Jesus said about himself? “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd cares for his sheep.”

In the presence of the good shepherd, we like sheep can say with assurance: “There is no fear in the house of the Lord.”

The phrase “to lie down” is very significant. According to an Old Testament professor, J. Wash Watts, the Hebrew language uses a different word to describe the lying down of an animal from that which it uses to describe the lying down of a human being. Because of its four legs, the animal cannot lie down quickly or get up quickly. So, an animal does not lie down when it is afraid! If the shepherd was present, the sheep lay down.

Lying down “in green pastures” is also significant. For a sheep to lie down in pastures that are green reflected a very high degree of satisfaction on the part of the sheep - mainly because it indicates that the sheep’s need for food and water has already been met; else the sheep would not lie down in a green pasture.

Once the sheep has been fed, it’s ready for some rest; it’s nap time; it’s time to stop grazing and go to sleep; the sheep needs some “time out” in a quiet place. And you know what? We do too. We need our quiet times.

Yet, for a sheep “to lie down” means more than having had its needs met. Even when the physical appetite is satisfied, the sheep would not lie down if there was the fear of an attack by either a lion or another wild beast.

Only the assurance which the presence of the shepherd gives can make a sheep lie down. In like manner, we as God’s children can lie down at night and go to sleep due to our awareness of the Father’s presence along with His promise that He will never leave us nor forsake us.

Remember that little bedtime prayer we prayed as children?

“Now I lay me down to sleep,

I pray thee Lord my soul to keep;

If I should die before I wake,

I pray thee Lord my soul to take.”

I read a touching story about a father and son whose wife and mother died at an early age. The little boy was only six years old. The first night after his mother’s death, the six-year-old son wanted to sleep in the same bed with his dad; so, he and his dad said their prayers, turned out the light, and went to bed.

As they lay still in the darkness, the little boy asked, “Dad, are you there?” The dad replied, “Yes, son, I am here” - and he reached over and touched his son to reassure him.

A few minutes passed, and the son asked, “Dad, is your face turned toward me?” His dad replied, “Yes, son, my face is turned toward you.” Said the little boy, “Good, because if your face is turned toward me, I think I can go to sleep.”

There’s a lesson in that story for each one of us:

Our heavenly Father’s face is always turned toward you and me!

Therefore, there’s no reason to be afraid. “The still waters” in the 23rd Psalm reflect this same sense of peace, as was the case with the father and son; whether awake or asleep, we live in the presence of our shepherd.

Literally, “the still waters” means “the waters at rest.” Out in the wilderness, where David often led his sheep, the mountains are rough and rugged. It is also a very dry land.

During seven or eight months of the dry season there is no rain at all as a general rule. The total rainfall for the year may be no more than eight to ten inches. Springs of water, therefore, are few and far between. A shepherd may have to lead his sheep a long way to find water.

Even then, if the water is tumbling over the rocks, the sheep cannot get to it. The sheep does not have hands to make a cup like a shepherd boy. The sheep does not have a tongue that can lap water like that of a dog.