Songs of Summer 3 | The Shepherd & The Sheep

These are the buzz, kissable dandelion fuzz. I'll be doing whatever snow does. Today, we're in probably the most well-known Psalm of the Bible: Psalm 23, the Great Shepherd Psalm. Open with us to the Scriptures and see how God, the Good Shepherd, tends for, provides for, and protects His sheep.

Everybody loves good music, of course, but everybody has a different opinion about what good music is. You have a certain view of what good music is, and your kids probably differ with you on that opinion. Here at Cross Connection, we are currently going through some of the Psalms in the Old Testament. If you have your Bible, you can open it to about the middle, where you'll find the big book of Psalms. If you don't have a Bible, raise your hand, and one of our ushers will gladly bring you one.

The Psalms are songs, and this summer, we're taking some time to look at some of the top ten hits, if you will, of the Psalms. We've already looked at Psalm 1, and last week we considered Psalm 19. As I've been reading through these and studying for the teaching, I thought about how you can't really go through the Psalms in ten weeks. However, if you look at some of the best, you can't go through the best without Psalm 1, Psalm 19, and then the passage we're looking at today. I don't think you can go through the Psalms without considering Psalm 23.

So, open to Psalm 23. Even people who don't read the Bible, some who have never even opened a Bible, have heard some portion of Psalm 23 because it is found in pop culture constantly—in music, TV shows, and movies. You'll hear references to it and read about it in news articles. Psalm 23 is probably one of the most well-known Psalms.

Would you stand with me as we read through these six verses? Psalm 23, verse 1, a Psalm of King David: "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me..."

Beside still waters, He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me. Your rod and staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Father, what a good word. I pray that these words, written 3,000 years ago, which had application then and still today in the 21st century, hold important truth and relevance. Would You take these words and write them in our hearts, that we would recall them to our minds when we walk through trial and difficulty, as every single one of us will? God, would You use Your word to be a comfort?

It's certain that as we stand here this morning, there are some right now who are in the midst of a valley, and some who have just come out of that. So, God, would You encourage and strengthen Your church? Speak to us through Your word and by Your Spirit, that when we go from here later on this morning, in some small way, maybe even a big way, our lives will have been touched and transformed by Your word and by Your Spirit. We ask this in the mighty and precious name of Jesus, I pray. And all those that agreed said, "Amen."

You can be seated. The English word "pastor" originated from the Latin "pastoral." That word, "pastorem," means to lead into pasture, to cause to graze, to cause to eat. So, when we read the opening words of Psalm 23, "The Lord is my shepherd," we could read it as "The Lord is my pastor." Of course, in our culture, it has been the case for a...

For a very long time, those who are involved in the ministry and are assigned the title of clergy are often given the title of pastor. However, I think it is exceedingly important that, though we call people—whether it be me, Pastor Mark, or Pastor Jason—pastor, we acknowledge and recognize that, first and foremost, the Lord is our pastor. He needs to be the one who is ultimately our pastor. He is my pastor.

Though the card here at the church says Lead Pastor Myles DeBenedictis, he is the lead pastor of our church, and we look to him to fulfill all the responsibilities outlined in this passage. Psalm 23 begins with the opening words, "A Psalm of David." David, the author of some seventy-five Psalms, is considered by many to have written his greatest work here. King David lived three thousand years ago and began his life as a pastor; he started as a shepherd.

The concept of shepherding was not merely an intellectual idea for King David; it was something he understood experientially. He had God's call and anointing to be king. Had that call and anointing never come to him at a young age, shepherding would have been his life and livelihood throughout his days.

It is believed by many, including myself, that this Psalm was likely written later in David's life. According to some of the internal elements present in the text, it seems he is writing this as time has passed. He would sit back and reflect upon his life, thinking about his early days as a shepherd tending to the flock of his father, Jesse. As the youngest of his seven older brothers, he lived in the town of Bethlehem, just outside the area called Jerusalem. Even to this day, there is the city of Bethlehem, which was once a much smaller village. David would roam throughout those hills.

In Judea, David would lead the flocks of his father and take care of them. After being a shepherd over his father's sheep, he became a soldier in the military of Israel under the leadership of King Saul. He progressed greatly; God used him in a magnificent way to slay giants and to destroy their enemies. He grew in stature and title, eventually becoming a general. Ultimately, it became clear that God's anointing and call were upon him to be king. However, the king on the throne did not like that and, for many years, pursued him, seeking to kill him.

Upon the death of Saul, it was David who rose to the throne as king over Israel. Many years later in his life, we don't know at what stage, but likely much of his life had progressed. I imagine that at some point, as David woke up early in the morning—maybe in the spring—he was still living not very far from where he grew up and not very far from where he used to tend the sheep of his father. Perhaps it was the cool morning air of spring that reminded him of being a shepherd.

As he looked back at his life, he reflected on the way he had been led, provided for, protected, and cared for by the Lord God. He said, "The Lord is my shepherd." Notice the way he opens this statement: "The Lord." In your Bibles, it is written with capital L, capital O, capital R, capital D, indicating that this word is the word Jehovah in Hebrew, the original language, the name of God applied to God.

When we read David's words, it is important to note that he refers to God as Lord in a very familial, close relationship sense. Point number one on your outline: David knew God personally. He knew of God not just as God, not just as the creator of the heavens, which declare the glory of God, and the earth, which shows forth His handiwork, as Psalm 19 states. He did not only know God as some distant being at the edge of the universe who created everything; he knew God personally and relationally. In acknowledging that relational sense, David had a deep connection with God.

Knowledge of God should cause us to at least ask the question: Do I know God personally? Do you know God personally, or is God just a creator to you? There are many people who acknowledge God, who recognize His existence, and who understand that He has made the things that are and that exist. Some people refer to Him as "the man upstairs," and that is the extent of their knowledge. Others visualize God in their minds as some old grandpa with long gray hair, a kind of cantankerous old fellow who is always telling you to get off his lawn.

However, that is not how David refers to God. David speaks of God in a very close relational sense. It is one thing to know of God; it is another to know about God. Many people know lots of things about God, but the question remains: Do you know God? This has been a typical way that evangelical Christians refer to their faith when talking with others. You might hear someone say, "Well, I don't really like religion," and then an evangelical Christian might respond, "Well, I don't really like religion either. I don't have religion; I have a relationship."

What this expresses is that through the work that Jesus, God incarnate, came to earth to do—dying on the cross for our sins and rising from the dead in power and victory over sin and death—He has made it possible for you and for me to have a restored relationship with the God who made us. In fact, in the book of Ephesians and in other places, this relationship is described as a father-son or father-daughter relationship. We are the children of God, and David had that kind of relationship. He is referred to in the Scriptures as a man after God's own heart, even a friend of God.

You have to ask yourself: Do you know God personally in that way? Not only did David know God personally in the way that he referred to Him by name as Jehovah, but he also recognized that the Lord, this Jehovah, is my shepherd.

Notice that the data did not write, "The Lord is a shepherd," although that would be true. It is important to acknowledge that God, who created all things, is also the sustainer of those things. He is the tender of those things; He who created these things provides for, protects, and cares for the things that He has made, even down to the smallest details. Jesus and the Gospel say your Father cares for even the birds of the air. Therefore, we can acknowledge that God is a shepherd, one who tends to and cares for His creation.

However, David didn't write, "The Lord is a shepherd," although that would be true. He didn't even write, "The Lord is the shepherd." Again, that would be true; not only is He one who tends to and cares for, but He is the exemplary picture of a shepherd. Yet, David didn't write, "He is a shepherd" or "the shepherd." He didn't even write, "The Lord is our shepherd," which would also be true for anyone who knows God, Jehovah, as Lord.

David personalizes it. He says, "The Lord is my shepherd." As he considered, at some later point in his life, all that he had experienced—being a shepherd, being a soldier, being a general, and running for his life, even though he was anointed as king—he could see God's provision, protection, and care. This reflection brought him to the place of acknowledging and remembering his upbringing as a shepherd. He says, "The Lord is my shepherd." He has taken care of me in that way; He has provided for and protected me along the way.

The second point on your outline is "The Lord, your shepherd." It is one thing to acknowledge that He is a provider and protector or the provider and protector; it is another thing to know Him as your provider and protector. David had experienced that protection, provision, and care in his life to the point where he could say, "The Lord is my shepherd." Have you experienced this? I would actually ask, have you acknowledged God's care in your life?

Protection, provision, and care for you. Whether or not you think He has protected you, cared for you, or provided for you, He has. Have you acknowledged today that He is the one who has provided for you everything that you have? He has protected you, even in times when you didn't realize you needed protection, and cared for you during those moments when you were unaware or just not willing to acknowledge His care.

Have you yet acknowledged, recognized, and accepted Him as your Shepherd? Or are you still without a Shepherd, scattered and wayward? If you're a wayward sheep today, I recognize that there may be some here brought by a friend, a co-worker, a neighbor, or a family member. There may be some here today who have not yet acknowledged that God is your Shepherd, and you might still be scattered on the hillside.

I want to speak to that person if you're here, and I hope that you are. I want you to know that you should want God to be your Shepherd. You should want Him to be your Shepherd. Why? For the answer to that, would you turn in the New Testament to the right of the Psalms, to the book of John, the Gospel of John? You'll pass a whole bunch of books with names that are hard to say. Then you'll pass a big book called Matthew, another one called Mark, and another one called Luke. Then you will find John.

In John chapter 10, at verse 11, most of your Bibles have the words in red because they are the words that Jesus Himself said. John chapter 10, verse 11: Jesus said, "I am the good Shepherd."

Before we go any further, I want to stop there because there are a lot of things that people say about Jesus. For the last 2,000 years, there have been plenty of things that people have said. In our day, you will hear people say all kinds of things. Some of those things are true, some are exaggerations, and some are outright wrong. But there are a lot of people saying a lot of things about Jesus, and I think it's important sometimes to recognize what did Jesus say about Himself.

Jesus says, "I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd gives His life for the sheep. But a hireling, he who is not the Shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf, sees danger coming, and leaves the sheep and flees. The wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. The hireling flees because he is a hireling, and he does not care about the sheep. I am the Good Shepherd, and I know My sheep, and I am known by My own. As the Father knows Me, even so, I know the Father, and I lay down My life for the sheep.

Another sheep I have which are not of this fold, them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice, and there will be one flock and one Shepherd. You should want the Lord to be your Shepherd. If He is not your Shepherd yet, you should want Him to be your Shepherd because, number one, He is the Good Shepherd. He is not a hireling. Number two, He is not just a contracted worker to come in and oversee or manage the affairs of the flock of another. He is the possessor; He is the owner of the flock. They are His sheep, and He is not a hireling.

This is expressed in the fact that the hireling, when danger comes, is going to look out for himself and is going to flee. But not the Shepherd. The Good Shepherd will give His life and care for the sheep. You should want the Lord to be your Shepherd because He is the Good Shepherd who cares for and gives His life for the sheep, and He does not flee when danger comes.

Jesus is that Good Shepherd. In the Gospel of Matthew, as Jesus was going about doing the work of the ministry, teaching and preaching the Gospel, casting out demons, and healing the sick, most of that ministry took place in a very small area around a lake, the Sea of Galilee, there in northern Israel. At one point in Matthew chapter 9, it is recorded that multitudes were following Jesus as He was going about doing His ministry. It says in Matthew chapter 9, I believe about verse 26, that He looked upon and beheld the multitudes, and He was moved with compassion, for they were like sheep scattered without a shepherd.

Shepherd, he was moved with compassion. You should want to move from that place of being scattered and alone, without a shepherd, to come under the care of the Good Shepherd. The question is, how do you become a part of His fold?

Well, again, in John 10, look at what Jesus said in verse 16: "And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring." He is going to bring them in. How? They will hear His voice, and there will be one flock and one Shepherd.

Skip down to verse 27: "My sheep hear My voice, I know them, and they follow Me." How do you become a part of this fold? You no longer need to be a wild sheep, wandering and scattered, open to being the prey of a wolf, a lion, or a bear, or whatever it may be. How do you come to be under the protection, care, and provision of the Good Shepherd? My sheep hear My voice, and they follow Me.

Listen, the Lord is speaking. He is calling you to come under His provision and care. All you have to do is respond and acknowledge Him as the Shepherd.

Look at what King David also wrote. You can turn back there if you'd like; it's in the Psalms. Again, Psalm 95. The Apostle Paul tells us in the New Testament that this was written by King David. Psalm 95, verse 6: "Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord our Maker, for He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand."

We are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand. Notice what he says: "Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your heart as in the rebellion, as in the day of trial in the wilderness." If you hear His voice calling to you, do not harden your heart. Instead, hear His voice and respond. Acknowledge Him as the Shepherd, because He is the Good Shepherd.

He is not a hireling; he cares for and gives his life for the protection and provision of the sheep. This is so true that David, again back to Psalm 23, writes, "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want."

Now, that is a word of promise that sounds really good, doesn't it? "I shall not want." But in reading that, you kind of have to wonder what exactly it means that "I shall not want." Does it mean that I will lack absolutely nothing and that everything I want and desire will be mine?

Now, understand that there are people who teach this verse in that way. There are those who will say, using this passage and others from the Scriptures, that if you're a follower of the Good Shepherd, if you're a Christian, you will lack nothing. Everything that you want will be yours, and all you have to do is name it and lay hold of it by claiming it as yours.

The teachers who promote this idea, and there are many, especially in our country, have some problems and difficulties. First, they have a practical problem. If it is true, as they assert, that Christians—those who are under the Good Shepherd—will have everything that they want and desire, then why is that practically not the case for the overwhelming majority of Christians?

So, they have a practical problem. Of course, when you present that practical question, they often evade or qualify their answer. They might say, "Well, this promise is for the true Christian," or "This promise is for the Spirit-filled Christian," or "This promise is true for the one without sin."

As I said, the person who teaches this has a practical problem, but they also have a biblical problem. The biblical problem is actually found right in the verses of Psalm 23. David says, "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want."

Just a few verses later, he says, "As I walk through the valley of the shadow of death." I don't know about you, but I don't desire the valley of the shadow of death, and I don't think David ever desired it either. In the very next verse, he talks about enemies. I don't desire death, valleys, suffering, sorrow, or enemies.

So, if it is true that those under the care of the Good Shepherd will always have everything they desire, then why are there valleys, and why are there enemies in the very same text? It must not mean that you will have everything you desire. For some of you, that might be disappointing, but what does it mean if it doesn't mean that?

I think that another translation, the New Living Translation, is helpful because it translates this way: "The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need." The sheep in the fold of the Lord have all that he or she needs. In other words, the sheep in the fold of the Lord is not wanting.

Again, to use a word that is not often used in our day and age but is common in older English, the sheep in the fold of the Lord is not wanting. "Wanting" means to be wandering and looking for satisfaction elsewhere. The sheep in the fold of the Lord is satisfied; they have all that they need. They are not looking for other pastures or following another shepherd because they have found a shepherd who takes care of their needs.

As Psalm 34, another psalm of David, verses nine and ten say, "There is no want to those who fear him. Those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing." Psalm 34:10 states that those who seek the Lord, who follow the Shepherd, shall not lack any good thing. Again, Psalm 84:11 says, "No good thing will he withhold from those who walk uprightly." Psalm 85:12 states, "The Lord will give what is good."

Now, this brings us to a very important point that we need to consider.

I acknowledge there are some things that you pray for, and I pray for, that are not good. How many of you will be honest enough to admit this morning that you've prayed for some things in the past that you later recognized were not good? In this, we need to recognize that the Good Shepherd discerns for us what would not be good for us. There are times when we pray for things that God should say no to, and if you knew what God knows, you'd say no to those things or you wouldn't even ask.

Now, I'm not a fan of a certain kind of music, but there is a song that says, "Thank God for unanswered prayers." Those prayers where He says no—there are times years later when you look back and think, "Thank God you didn't say yes to that." I have had a number of those experiences in my past. God knows what is good; no good thing will He withhold. He will give what is good.

So, you can know that if you're praying for something today and God has not answered that prayer or has not given it to you, it may be that God is saying it is not good for you, or it is not good for you right now. In such cases, He says to wait.

Jesus said in Matthew chapter 6, verse 33, "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you." I would say that oftentimes our prayers are seeking first the things and not the kingdom of God. In seeking first the things, God says, "No, that won't be for you right now." So, seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things—in the context of Matthew 6, it's the things that you have need of—will be added to you.

We know, as we studied several weeks ago here at Cross Connection, in Philippians chapter 4, verse 19, "And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus." The sheep in the fold of the Lord will lack nothing of need because the Good Shepherd, as stated in Psalm 23, verse 2, "He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside still waters; He restores my soul; He leads me in paths of righteousness."

Ending words for His name's sake. Just reach over and underline those four words in your neighbor's Bible: "for His name's sake." It's really easy for us to miss those words. For His name's sake, He is doing what He is doing for His glory, for His fame, so that His people, the sheep of His fold, would have their needs taken care of and be satisfied, not wandering and looking for other pastures or following other shepherds. For His glory, for His name's sake, He makes me lie down, He leads me, He restores me, and He leads me in paths of righteousness.

Point number three hundred in the outline: God lovingly cares for His own. All humanity abides under what is referred to by theologians as the common grace of God. They have sunshine and rain for their crops. All of humanity abides under the common grace of God, but those who are in the fold of the Lord, having heard His voice and acknowledged His pastoring and shepherding over them, He lovingly cares for His own.

Then David says in verse four, "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me. Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me." Now, first, I don't know about you, but I'm a little stumbled by the word "yea" because I just don't use that word in my common vernacular. I don't know that too many of you throughout your day say "yea" as you walk. We just don't use that language, but that's the word in the New King James and the King James versions.

So, "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death." I don't even know what "yea" means. Other translations are helpful; another translation renders it "even though." There are a couple of English translations that say "even when I walk through the valley of the shadow of death," and I like that translation. "Even when." We know practically that just as we won't always have everything we desire, we also know that in a fallen world, we will go through valleys. You will experience difficulty and trial, and even when you do, remember that God is with you.

When I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. In a group of people this large, there are individuals experiencing the leading of the Lord, the green pastures, and beside still waters. They are experiencing the restoring power of the Lord, and they have joy. However, in a group this size, there are more than a few who are silently walking through a valley at this very moment.

Last week, I sat with a brother in our church for a couple of hours. His two adult sons were killed in an accident out on Highway 76 a week ago Friday. He came here last Sunday, and very few people knew that he was going through this tragedy. He is walking through the valley of the shadow of death.

Immediately following the second service, I noticed a couple sitting up front with tears streaming down their faces. I began to talk with them, and they shared that their 33-year-old son died of a heart attack yesterday morning. Nobody would have known when they came in; they had smiles on their faces. But it just so happened that the passage ministered to them, and now there are tears as they walk through the valley of the shadow of death.

Even when you walk through the valley of the shadow of death, the Lord says, "I will fear no evil." David expresses that he will not fear being overcome because it is a shadow of death and not the very substance of death. As I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. Why? For you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

Notice the very clear change and shift in language from verses 1 through 3 to verse 4. In verses 1 through 3, David addresses or speaks of God in the third person: "He makes me," "He leads me," "He restores me." Now, he shifts to the second person: "You are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me." There is a very clear shift that has taken place in this passage.

What has happened? You are with me; your rod, your staff, they comfort me. I would suggest that it is in the valley that the follower of God moves from knowing about God to having a theological understanding that He is the one who leads, guides, protects, provides, and cares for us.

Having a merely intellectual theological understanding of the propositional truth about who God is and what He does is different from experiencing His care, provision, and protection personally. Why does God allow you and me to go through valleys? He does. Why doesn't He just stop it?

How many times have I sat with people who are experiencing great loss, and they ask, "Why didn't God just stop this from happening? Why is He allowing me to go through this?" I remember sitting with a gentleman who lost his two sons last Sunday. I told him, "I can't even imagine what you're going through. I don't even want to begin to imagine what you're going through." But I do know this: you will know the presence of God like you've never known it before.

When I saw him on Tuesday, he came in and sat with me. He said, "God has been with me. He's been with me even in the midst of the valley of the shadow of death." When everything else seems to indicate that God is gone, that God is nowhere, He is there.

Why does God not stop these things? We live in a fallen world, and death and sin are a result of that fall. However, in the valley, God reveals Himself to us as He walks us through it. The Apostle Paul, in Philippians chapter 3, verse 10, said, "That I may know Him." Saul of Tarsus, who ultimately changed his name to Paul the Apostle after his conversion, went from being a Pharisee who knew a lot of theological truths about God to someone who wanted to know God personally.

He expressed a desire to know Him and the power of His resurrection. But here's the thing: you cannot know the power of the resurrection of God without first knowing the fellowship of His sufferings and His death. It is the death that brought the resurrection; it is the suffering that led to the death. You will never comprehend or experience the power of the glorious resurrection of Christ apart from the experience of suffering.

So, God allows us to go through these difficult things to know Him and the power of His resurrection in the midst of the fellowship of His sufferings, as we are being conformed to His death. Notice also in this passage that it is a path through the valley, and the valley is not...

The destination, even when I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, is that God is taking us somewhere. Sometimes, the paths of righteousness that He leads us in are paths that meander through dark valleys. However, it is not the valley that should define our destination; He is taking us through to greener pastures and more still waters.

There are times when He takes us through these experiences, and I would say that the common denominator among believers who have suffered great pain is that they have come into an experience of the presence of God to a greater capacity than they ever thought was possible. If you meet someone who knows the Lord experientially, then you have met someone who has known suffering. The presence of the Lord is often more sweet and more tangible in the oncology infusion lab than it is sometimes experienced in a sanctuary on a Sunday morning.

David goes on in Psalm 23, verse 5. You see again that second person, very relational: "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over." David moves from the metaphor of God being the Shepherd to the metaphor of God being the host, preparing a banquet, a table, a feast. He says, "You prepare a table before me," and who would not want God to prepare an awesome feast and banquet before them? It has the picture of being in their honor: "I've made this for you; I've set it out, spread it for you. There it is for your taking; pull up to the table."

He says, "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies." What does that mean, "in the presence of my enemies"? There are all kinds of thoughts by commentators on what is exactly meant by this phrase. I think it means that the one who has God as their Shepherd and the Lord as their host, though they may be surrounded by enemies, is at absolute peace.

Safety is assured because He is with them, and no good thing will He withhold. His rod and His staff are a comfort because He is the protector in the midst of that. Though you may be surrounded by your enemies, what does it matter if you have Him? There is nothing to fear.

You prepare a table in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil. This was a greeting that hosts would give as they welcomed guests into their home. Jesus alludes to this in the seventh chapter of Luke when He is at the home of Simon the Pharisee. He says to Simon, "When I came, you did not anoint my head with oil." It is just a greeting, being welcomed in as the guest of honor. Here, God, the Creator of all things, is seen as a host welcoming you as the guest of honor.

He says, "My cup runs over." The idea is perfectly pictured in some of your experiences. You go to a diner and get one cup of coffee, but by the end of being there for an hour and a half, you've had 85 cups of coffee because they just keep pouring it. By two o'clock, you're still kind of jittery, wondering what happened. You just had one cup of coffee, but they kept pouring it, not even letting it get past a third. There is more, and that is the picture of the Lord heaping abundance upon you and upon me.

Point number four on your outline: the Good Shepherd leads His sheep into and through dark valleys. That is not the ultimate destination. In the midst of the dark valley, though you are encompassed by many enemies and foes, there is protection from the Lord. David continues in verse 6: "Surely, certainly, absolutely, without a doubt, goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life." Even in the midst of the valley, even when surrounded by enemies, goodness and mercy shall pursue. The word "follow" there means to pursue, to overtake. Goodness and mercy shall pursue me all the days of my life. In this life, you can be sure that if God is your Shepherd, if the Lord is your host, then goodness and mercy, the unfailing...

The love of the Lord shall pursue you all the days of your life. What is this picture? Goodness and mercy pursuing. One commentator writes of this idea of goodness and mercy, suggesting that we are escorted with the Shepherd in front of us and these twin angels behind us. Goodness and mercy are following us.

We were at a pastor's conference a couple of weeks ago, and as we were walking, at one point, Mick Majora was walking in front of me. I had Pastor Jason on one side and Pastor Mark on the other side. I felt like, wow, this is what it's like to have bodyguards. You need bodyguards at a pastor's conference! But I have goodness and mercy following me all the days of my life. So, goodness and mercy are your bodyguards as the Shepherd leads you into this place we are going.

But where is the ultimate destination? At the end of verse 6, it says, "I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." Would you underline, circle, highlight, or star that word "forever"? It's not temporary. The valleys of this life are temporary; the enemy is temporal. The house of the Lord is enduring. Surely, I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Point number five on your outline: The surety of God's blessing remains upon the life and the path of His followers forever. This is the promise to those who have the Lord as their Shepherd, and this is a promise that you and I would do well to memorize and call to mind. There will come a day of dark valleys for every one of us.

Would you stand with me as we close in prayer? Father God, thank you for your word. I pray for those who are undoubtedly in our midst at this moment and are in the...

In the midst of a trial, they are walking through a valley. I pray that you would encourage their heart and mind with the reality of your presence, and that they would come to experience your presence like they never have before.

Not only that, but I pray that they would see the temporal nature of the valley. They should recognize the depth of the valley as just a shadow and not the very substance. Jesus, you took on death, the substance of it.

Lord, help us to be reminded of the fact that we will dwell with you in your house forever. No good thing will you withhold. Help us to trust in your provision, your protection, and your care as the Good Shepherd. We praise you and thank you for all these reasons, in Jesus' name.