Home Church Devotion
Hello Church Family!
While I wish that we could be meeting together on campus at Lakewood this morning, the weather had different plans. You have heard it said many times that the purpose of Lakewood is to spread the redemptive love of Jesus Christ to our community and to our world and that we do this by being a family that loves, learns, and serves together. While we cannot be physically together today, we wanted to make this resource available to you all so that we can still dive into scripture and learn together.
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Very often the circumstances of life do not follow our plans, but one of the joys that we have in Christ, is that we are no longer the ones that lead our lives. We have a savior and a Lord, who takes us on his pathways, for his purpose, which is for our great benefit and his eternal glory. As we worship and study in our homes today, we offer a devotional walkthrough of one of the most well known psalms. It is our prayer that these words will hit in a new and different way; That these words would encourage, uplift, challenge, and commission you as you follow in the footsteps of your shepherd.
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I'm looking forward to seeing you all next Sunday, be blessed by the deep well of his word today.
Psalm 23
​The 23rd Psalm almost perfectly captures the reality of the provision and guidance of the Lord. In its verses, David likens the Lord to a shepherd guiding his flock. While this may be one of if not the most recognizable chapters in the Bible, I encourage you to do your best to read these words as if you had never seen them before. Image stepping into a journey with the Lord as your guide and provider so that you may get a taste of the life he has planned for you. Let's begin by reading the text in its entirety:
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The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
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 for his name's sake.
Even 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.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.”
The job of the shepherd was to lead and provide for the needs of his flock. Because predators abound and sheep tend to get themselves into precarious situations, a shepherd’s job required constant vigilance. When we take the position as shepherd of our lives, we assume responsibility for our direction, we become the providers for our way of life, and we trust our own efforts to protect our interests, provide for our needs and correct our faults. David begins this psalm with the bold statement: “The LORD is my shepherd.” This is an acknowledgement that David is not enough; that when it comes to the role of shepherd of his life, the only one who rightly deserves this title is the Lord because he is the only one who is qualified to lead. Left to your own devices, you will follow paths and desires, possibly with the greatest intentions, that ultimately lead to your detriment. You will begin to believe things, both good and bad, that will falsely shape your identity until you ultimately lose sight of who you truly are. You need a shepherd who can see the bigger picture, who knows you and your desires, yet leads you to your greatest needs.
It is a terrifying thing to surrender the lordship of your life, but don’t miss the second part of this verse: “I shall not want.” David’s proclamation that the Lord is his shepherd carries with it a promise of incredible freedom. When the Lord is your shepherd, you will want for nothing. In surrendering to the Lordship of God, you are freed from the weight of having to be the sole provider for your life. Because the Lord is your shepherd, you can trust that, in his goodness, he will lead you well and provide for your needs. Pride says that we must ensure for ourselves provision, significance and purpose, but the Lord says, “I am your shepherd. I will lead you and provide for you a significance and purpose that is far beyond the scope of your life.” The Lord is your shepherd, you will not be in want. The following verses describe what it means to have your wants and needs provided for.
“He makes me lie down in green pastures.”
When this verse is applied to sheep, it is not so much that the shepherd forces the sheep to lie down in green pastures, it is that he makes is possible for the sheep to lie down. Sheep will not lie down unless they are completely free from fear, tension, aggravations and hunger. If these needs are not met, the sheep will remain standing. The shepherd is responsible for removing those obstacles, but even if he does this, the sheep will still not rest unless they are sure that the shepherd is with them, guarding them while they sleep. The sheep must have a confidence that they are complete cared for and safe. This is not simply the absence of fear, it is also the presence of the shepherd that makes it possible for the sheep to rest. As a sheep in the flock of the Lord, you have a shepherd that does not tire or fail in his duties. In the gospel of John, Jesus says, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” (John 10:11) In John’s epistle he says, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.” (1 John 4:18a) You are deeply loved by Jesus who laid down his life for you. He is a good shepherd and in him all our fears are cast away; not because we love him perfectly, but because we are perfectly loved by him. We can rest without fear or anxiety because we have a shepherd in whom we can trust to meet our needs and protect us. In Jesus we are safe.
“He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul.”
Sheep do not need to drink often, but when they drink, they drink a lot. A sheep can drink up to 9 liters of water in one sitting, but when sheep are being herded down a mountain path, they can become distracted or impatient and instead of waiting for clean water, they will instead begin to drink from the puddles that are on the road. When you think about this mountain path that the sheep are taking, understand that other flocks would have taken the same path, and that the 9 liters of water must go somewhere, you can get a fairly good idea as to quality and content of the “water” in these puddles.
The shepherd knows where he is leading us: to a place where the water is cool, clean, and safe. He says as much in the gospel of John: “Whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 4:14) When discontentment causes us to take our eyes off the Shepherd, we, like Peter when Jesus called him out of the boat to walk on the water, will see the size of the waves and the adversaries that surround us, and our allegiance will be shifted to our fears as we look for anything to fulfill and save us. The author of Hebrews tells us, “Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith. (Hebrews 12:1b-2a) There are many puddles along the path that promise to quench our desires, but they are filled with nothing more than rancid water with parasites that want only to destroy our souls from the inside out. The Shepherd is leading us to something better that can actually deliver what it promises: a spring of water that restores the soul and wells up to eternal life. When you face discouragement and discontentment, fix your eyes on Jesus and know that, when we wait on him and follow his lead, we will arrive at a spring of such sustenance that the hardships of the journey will be forgotten and laughably insignificant in comparison.
“He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.”
To get to places of nourishment, sheep must take some precarious ways through narrow mountainous paths in which a false step could lead to a devastating fall. This is the reality of the path we are on. The Matthew’s gospel, Jesus says, “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. (Matthew 7:13-14) The path of righteousness is one with steep drop-offs at its edges. To successfully navigate this life, we need a guide: this is what our Shepherd does. For the sheep to get safely down the path they must pay attention to the shepherd, stepping only where he steps because the shepherd not only knows the way, but he also knows the dangers of the journey. Jesus is our guide, He directs us past pitfalls, He reminds us of our destination, and He encourages us to remain faithful and to place our trust in Him.
For the destination to be reached, the sheep must trust the shepherd. To trust the shepherd is to allow the shepherd to lead. The sheep do not get to pick the path, they follow the shepherd. However, pride tells us that we know the best paths and which dangers to avoid. Pride insists that the control of our journey is best left in our hands. One of the most important questions you need to ask as you contemplate this journey is: do you trust the shepherd? In this psalm, David’s assertion is that the shepherd alone is worthy of our trust; he is the only one qualified to lead us on the path of righteousness. Do you trust the shepherd?
“Even 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.”
Looking at the precarious nature of this journey we may be filled with questions and scenarios of when it would be difficult and seemingly impossible to trust the shepherd, yet David points us to the worst-case scenario to encourage us that we have a shepherd who is indeed prepared for the journey. He says, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death…” To be under the shadow of something means that it is close and looming over us. David says that even if death is so close and looming that its shadow covers us, we do not fear. And his sole reason for this lack of fear is, “because you are with me, your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”
When I think of the rod and the staff of a shepherd, one of the first images that comes to mind is of those cute Precious Moments dolls with their little staffs and sheep, but these were formidable weapons. The rod and the staff of shepherds were used to fight off lions and wolves. These weapons were capable of inflicting great damage, yet David refers to the weapons as a great comfort. Why? Because in the hands of the shepherd, these were used for the safety and benefit of the sheep. We serve a very powerful God: A God who can create life and the world with his breath and words: A God who can bring cities to the ground by his will: A God of terrifying power. But the power of God is a comfort to those who trust in him because we know that this power will be used for us and not against us. So, we can walk even under the constant threat of death without fear because God is with us and he is very capable to protect us from all enemies, even, at times, ourselves.
“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.”
What an incredible image this suggests. Imagine being on a battlefield surrounded on all sides by a seemingly insurmountable enemy force: You see the armies and hear their threats, all of which you are certain, they will be able to carry out. But, in turning to Jesus, you see that he has laid out a picnic for you. Exasperated, you say, “Jesus, don’t you see these armies? We don’t have time to eat, we’re about to be overrun!” Jesus looks to the armies and then back at you and says, “Oh them, they’re nothing, let’s have some lunch.” The Lord’s power and might are such that even if we were to find ourselves surrounded and overwhelmed by enemies, we would still be able find peace at his table. This imagery of a banquet is intentional. One of the common practices when throwing banquets during this time would have been to anoint the guests with fragrant oils; this was done to exhibit the wealth of the host as well as his wish that his guests would share in his gladness. At the banquet table of the Lord not only are we provided for, but we can also experience overwhelming gladness even in the presence of our enemies.
The enemies and struggles that we face in this life are formidable opponents and it doesn’t take us long to recount times when we have experienced failure at their hands. However, when we place our trust in Jesus, the power of our enemies becomes laughable, and we can relinquish our fear in favor of his provision and protection. In Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi he says, “My God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19) Jesus has the resources, power, and willingness to overcome our enemies and bestow on us a peace and gladness in such measure that we will not be able to contain its quantity.
“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.”
With all the promises of direction, protection, and provision in this psalm David concludes with a deep expression of the greater joy that comes from knowing that our relationship with God is everlasting. Our relationship with God is not one that we will only experience in fleeting moments in our lives, it is a constant and continual companionship that pursues us daily. We do not have to wait until we walk through the gates of heaven to have a relationship with God. We can know him now! The battle to overcome pride is beyond us, but this one chapter of scripture gives us a promise that in this battle we do not fight alone. We have a shepherd who takes care of our needs, provides places of protection and rest, restores our souls with living water, who leads us in narrow paths of righteousness for his name’s sake, and eliminates fear while providing spaces for great joy and gladness as he pursues us throughout the days of our lives. This is the journey that we are called to take, but seeing it in these terms, is it not a journey that you also want to take? A journey that, at its end, has us arrive at the eternal kingdom of God, having walked with him every step of the way.
In Matthew 28 Jesus gives a final commission to the church. As he concludes he says, “And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20b) You have a shepherd that will never leave your side. He will protect, guide, and provide for you as you are daily transformed to be more like Him. Pick up your cross, step on to the road, there’s no telling where you will be swept off to.
Thank you for joining together in study and prayer today. Our prayers are for you, please reach out if you have any needs that come up by clicking the link below. Be blessed today, we're looking forward to seeing you all next Sunday as we conclude our ReThink series with the topic, "ReThink - Eternity"