1. Well, the most common question I ask, & I hear in the midst of trials is WHY! -- Why this? Now? Me? Why him? WHY LORD?!!?!
• But I’ve noticed that God doesn’t always answer that question.
• He doesn’t always reveal the WHY, or explain the details.
• He simply calls us to trust… cling… hold on to Him.
2. AND Even though we don’t like them, we know that our Heavenly Father uses trials & testings to produce good things in our lives. (Perseverance, Character, Hope, Love)
• There is no way around them, no way to avoid them.
• Trials come to us all. Some last longer than others.
• Some are easier than others. Some are heavy.
• It seems like all we can do is just sigh when that word is used.
I’VE LEARNED, and I’M LEARNING that WHY isn’t the right Q to ask.
• Instead of ASKING WHY, we can ask the Father WHAT?
• What do You want me to learn about You through this Lord?
• What changes are you bringing about in my life Jesus?
• What people are you wanting me to reach through this?
You see, every single circumstance that comes to us is first sifted through the hand of the One who loves us.
• They are Father filtered before we ever see them.
SO THEN as time passes, the question changes from WHY to:
• What changes do you want to develop in me through this Lord?
• What weakness are you showing me?
• What areas of maturity are you growing in me?
NOW TODAY, I want to answer another question that pops up in the midst of trials; one that comes up time and time again.
• As a matter of fact, it’s a question that the enemy of our souls will often use against us to cause us to point the finger at God.
• WHO IS MY GOD & MY SHEPHERD?
YOU KNOW: When things go out of whack… we have a book.
• As believers we have a book. This book gives us reasonable and logical answers & conclusions to the things in our lives.
• He has revealed Himself to us and has used ordinary men with very ordinary lives with very ordinary circumstances.
David… the young shepherd boy… propelled to into the throne by God himself, sat down one day to pen this powerful psalm.
• Just 6 verses, 117 words – yet full of timeless truths.
• I often turn to Psalm 23, not just by memory, but in my Bible to walk me through the situations that come my way…
When did David right this Psalm? Many different theories.
#1 – Some say David wrote this psalm while on the run, in a rock refuge, sitting there meditating on His safe Shepherd.
#2 – Some say it was after the rebellion of his son Absalom, while he was wandering through a dusty desert place in his life.
#3 - Others suggest he wrote it while walking through the valley of Elah where He slayed Goliath, thinking back on God’s faithfulness.
I think personally, it was one of the first 2… why?
• Because God has meant so much to me at my moment of need!
• The times with my Father that are so powerful, so precious, are those times when I really needed Him the most.
• We’re not alone in the trials of life. ABBA FATHER… is there.
1. (v1) The Lord is My Shepherd, I shall not want.
a. It’s the LORD that’s my shepherd.
b. This is the Hebrew word YAHWEH, Jehovah.
c. The very essence of who God is.
NOTE: My name is Ed, or Edward for some.
• I’m a husband, a pastor, a friend. Those all describe what I do in my life, but my name describes my very essence. Who I am.
• There are many names that describe who God is, and what God is like throughout the Bible.
• Even in the Hebrew culture when you were given a name, it usually wasn’t at birth, but a few years later to find out what kind of kid you were, what your personality was.
When it came down to it, David says, My Shepherd is Yahweh! - That’s his heart… when I think of God, He’s my shepherd.
• You know what that makes you and me? Yes. SHEEP!
That’s funny… sheep. At least we should laugh…
• Sheep aren’t the smartest animals on the farm you know.
• Sheep tend to follow each other around, even over cliffs.
• And I think of all the dumb decisions I’ve made over the years because I was following the crowd & not the Lord. SHEEP…
I’m sure you’ve never heard of a sheep trainer have you? Nope.
• Sheep are basically untrainable and limited in their abilities.
• Sheep are defenseless… they have no claws, no fangs, they can’t bite their enemies to death.
• Sheep are easily spooked and even easily overcome, by animals as small as a squirrel.
• We hear of the Chicago Bears, the Denver Broncos, but never the St. Louis Lambs (although sometimes they are called that!)
• It’s not LIONS, TIGERS, & SHEEP oh my is it?
• Sheep get dirty and stay that way. They have no means to clean themselves up nor do they really care.
• It’s not really a great compliment… but that’s the point.
God wants to make a point to us: we are strong, we are smart, we are safe, we are secure… when we let Him be our shepherd.
David could have picked all sorts of different analogies…
• The Lord is my commander in chief, I am his warrior.
• The Lord is my king, and I am his ambassador.
• The Lord is my lawyer, and I am his client
• BUT David chose to lay down his life and say, the Lord is my shepherd and I am his sheep.
I SHALL NOT WANT… because He’s in TOTAL CONTROL.
• I can live a life of contentment & peace, because I know the Lord is the source of my provision.
• He takes care of all my needs.
3. (2) He makes me lie down.
a. How does he make me lie down? Many different ways.
b. Sometimes it’s by sickness & illness. Just lay down & rest.
c. Other times it’s by command… take some time off.
d. Israel, keep your Sabbath. Christian, rest in Jesus.
e. Still others times it’s by his Presence… rest son, daughter.
NOTE: For a sheep to rest, everything has to be just right.
• There needs to be a peace from predators.
• There needs to be a peace from pests.
• There needs to be a peace from tension with other sheep.
• There needs to be a peace from hunger.
• Everything, just right… then there is rest.
NOTE: It’s important to understand that only the shepherd can provide these things to the flock.
• It’s completely up to our Shepherd to keep us free from the disturbing influences that can wreck our lives.
Q: SO WHEN WAS the last time you just took a rest?
• I’ve found that God gets far more done in me & through me when I’m resting.
• We live in a fast paced-society, taking every moment that comes.
• There is increased tension & demands & deadlines & stress!
• There is this pressure to be more efficient, get more done, create more business, make more money, do more, think more.
• Sometimes, we just forget to rest.
Remember back in the creation account… after 6 days of creation, what did God do? Rest.
• If the universe didn’t fall apart with God’s rest, then things will certainly be ok when you and I rest.
THE LORD COMMANDED Israel to both take a Sabbath day of rest but also a Sabbath year of rest. That sounds good!
• Take a year off. You rest. Let the land rest. And trust me.
• Yet, the children of Israel decided that working was more important than resting & ignored the Sabbath year for 490 years.
• What happened? They had more crops, but were greatly disciplined by the Lord, led off into captivity for 70 years!
• Oh how our bodies need rest.
EVEN our church needs rest… so we took a week this year to seek the Lord through prayer & fasting. No ministry. No activity.
• Just Jesus drawing us closer through prayer… & seeking his face.
The Lord makes me lie down, because I need it.
• I need to stop what I’m doing and rest my weary soul in Him.
NOTICE it’s in GREEN PASTURES & STILL WATERS.
• Green pastures, because there are pastures out there that will not feed and nourish you.
• He makes me lie down in place that are peaceful, comfortable, and nourishing.
• Sheep have a tendency to eat what’s before them even if the grass is dead, diseased, and destructive.
• If they aren’t moved, they will eat down to the rocks & dirt and cause great physical harm to themselves.
• They tend to drink water that before them, even if the stream is filled with insects and deadness.
In our lives, there is NO substitute for knowing and believing the Shepherd is nearby.
• His presence in our lives, faithful & true, dispels the fears, the panic, the terrors of the unknown.
2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJV) 7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
He makes us lie down… because He knows what is best for us.
He leads us beside still waters… cause He knows what is best for us.
APP: The Lord might be saying to you that you need to rest in Him and know Him as your Shepherd…
• That you need to allow Him to make you lie down & lead you.
4. (v3) He restores my soul…
a. Oh, this is so sweet. I love this.
b. Our shepherd restores to us what has been stolen away in our minds and in the deepest emotions of my heart!
c. We suffer through so many disappointments & rejections.
d. We go through so many difficult & damaging times.
e. They take their toll on our very souls!
f. Often these very things lead a person to quit & give up!
g. Yet, when my soul is drained & damaged, the Lord does a great work in my life through His Spirit.
h. He restores my soul & leads me in the paths of righteousness.
THERE ARE RIGHTEOUS WAYS TO HANDLE OUR EMOTIONS.
• FEAR – Proverbs 3:5-6
• ANGER – Ephesians 4:26
• ANXIETIES – Philippians 4.6-7
• VAIN IMAGINATIONS – 2 Corinthians 10.4-5
We have to end here, but we’ll continue next time…
• Guys, know this… receive it… meditate on it.
• You and I, we have a SHEPHERD. He cares for us as his own precious sheep…
• Yes, we can glory in our tribulations. How? But focusing not on the trial or testings, but on the Shepherd who has promised us:
Hebrews 13:5 (NKJV) 5 Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
In 1895, Andrew Murray was in England suffering from a terrible, painful back, the result of an injury he had incurred years before.
One morning while he was eating breakfast in his room, his hostess told him of a woman downstairs who was in great trouble and wanted to know if he had any advice for her.
Murray handed her a paper he had been writing on and said, “Give her this advice I’m writing down for myself. It may be that she’ll find it helpful.” This is what was written and it says it all.
IN TIME OF TROUBLE SAY, First, “He brought me here. It is by His will I am in this strait place, in that I will rest.”
Next, “He will keep me here in His love, and give me grace in this trial to behave as His child.”
Then say, “He will make the trial a blessing, teaching me lessons He intends me to learn, and working in the grace He means to bestow.”
And last, say, “In His good time He can bring me out again. How and when, He knows.”
Therefore, say, “I AM HERE:
1). By God’s appointment,
2). In His keeping,
3). Under His training,
4). For His time.”
