Sharily Crawley Funeral 2

Psalm 13 NASB95

For the choir director. A Psalm of David. How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me? How long shall I take counsel in my soul, Having sorrow in my heart all the day? How long will my enemy be exalted over me? Consider and answer me, O Lord my God; Enlighten my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death, And my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,” And my adversaries will rejoice when I am shaken. But I have trusted in Your lovingkindness; My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, Because He has dealt bountifully with me.

Ps. 13:1

It’s OK to seek out God in the midst of tragedy loss and hardship. In fact notice that David 4 times asks how long. He is in great pain and anguish. He feels as if God has forgotten Him. He feels for some reason that God is not giving him the help he desperately needs. He is begging for God to bless him and show his care.

Psalm 13:2 “How long shall I take counsel in my soul, Having sorrow in my heart all the day? How long will my enemy be exalted over me?”

David realizes that his own counsel is lacking and only causing sorrow so He needs God’s presence, His blessing, His comfort, His strength

Psalm 13:3 “Consider and answer me, O Lord my God; Enlighten my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death,”

Perhaps the problem is that God has not given proper consideration to David’s plight. Yet David knows in his heart that God is fully aware of what is happening to him. Therefore, it is agonizing to him because God has not answered him. The man of faith must always learn to trust in the ways of God and know that God will ultimately do the right thing for His children.

Psalm 13:5 “But I have trusted in Your lovingkindness; My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation.”

His request is based on God’s love - the covenant love that promises Gods blessing to those who were righteous. So he chooses to continue to try and walk righteously and is confident in Gods salvation. However great the pressure on David, it is still his choice to trust in God. He is exercising his trust in God and His covenant. He firmly believes that God is still in control.

Psalm 13:6 “I will sing to the Lord, Because He has dealt bountifully with me.”

David is not singing right now, yet he is so confident that God will save him that he knows he will again be singing soon. When David uses the past tense in saying God has dealt bountifully with him, he is revealing the basis for his confidence past events. David has been in trouble before and God always delivered him. Yet, God did even more than that. He dealt bountifully with David, indicating the completeness and abundance of God’s salvation - even exceeding what David had asked for (cf. Eph 3:20).

What do godly people do when the torrents of fear and defeat sweep over their souls like the tide of the ocean? What can we do when we do not know what to do? we pray, bring our fears and frustrations to God’s throne; we can trust God to do what He deems best about our plight; we can sing in thanksgiving for His blessings, both great and small.

This Psalm speaks to the storm tossed soul, to the spirit ravaged by the forces of darkness, and to a heart that longs for hope. The fact that a believer in God is passing through a seemingly endless trail does not mean that God does not care. The reason a specific trial is not removed is hidden in the wisdom of God and may not be known until ,in eternity, God vindicates every righteous sufferer.

Those of us who trust in God should not be shaken in our faith, however severe and troubling their circumstances may become. We will bring our battered lives and stormy situations before Him; We will trust Him to handle them as He sees best, and then we will go on our way singing of God’s gifts of love and grace which he has showered upon us

Psalm 23 NASB95

A Psalm of David. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I 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 have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows. Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

MY Shepherd - of all the descriptions of God, shepherd is often repeated. We see him portrayed as a shepherd many times in the Psalms, Isaiah, Ezekiel and

Jeremiah. In John 10 Jesus is portrayed as the Good Shepherd and God is called the Great Shepherd in 1 Pet 2:25 and the Guardian of our souls. MY Shepherd - of all the descriptions of God, shepherd is often repeated. We see him portrayed as a shepherd many times in the Psalms, Isaiah, Ezekiel and Jeremiah. In John 10 Jesus is portrayed as the Good Shepherd and God is called the Great Shepherd in 1 Pet 2:25 and the Guardian of our souls.

I believe the first line is the theme of the entire Psalm - I shall not want

I shall not want for sustenance, refreshment, direction, companionship, protection, acceptance, or want for anything in this life or the life to come. Because I am walking with God my Shepherd

Psalm 23:2 “He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters.”

This is a picture of God’s care and concern. He will lead to a place of comfort and rest because he loves you and wants to take care of you. He will give you what you need to go on. He will bring peace, comfort and rest to your soul.

Psalm 23:3 “He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.”

sheep often get lost and they need to be brought back. Certainly David had times in his own life where he wandered away but God brought Him back. If you let Him he will lead you on the right path ( Notice he didn’t say easy path)

Psalm 23:4 “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death (valley of deep darkness), I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.”

Deep darkness - it is a way of describing a path that is filled with all sorts of terrors and dangers. Only the Lord can lead us safely thru the valley of the shadow of death. You see God’s presence overcomes the worst of ideas from fears and anxieties, to sorrow and pain, to what is evil and harmful. God is with you. He is carrying you thru the valley

Thy rod & thy staff - the rod God comes to your defense. He is there to protect you. The staff was for direction and discipline. sometimes we get out line and need to be put back in place sometimes we get stuck and need be pulled out of whatever we find ourselves in. We have a shepherd this armed and ready to use the implements for our benefit. so we find comfort that he will guide us and protect us.

Psalm 23:5 “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows.”

He is talking about security in the midst of trouble. He anoints the sheep to protect them from the things that would make them sick. It can also mean that he anointed us as his own he is our shepherd but we are his sheep. Blessing in abundance do and will come.

Psalm 23:6 “Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

Two concepts are going to belong to those of God.

I. Goodness carries the idea of good things - such as material blessings and prosperity.

II. Lovingkindness which is a key word in the Psalms - 93 times it is used - mercy in other places. This has to do with the relationship with God; that His love is being shed in abundance upon the person.

These two things “Will surely follow...life.”

He does not have to worry about being shepherdless one day.

“I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

It’s imperative that in order to not want - We must come to God, walk with God, partake of Gods bounties. Only then will we find contentment in God.

Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines on the Old Testament Psalms 22, 23, and 24

Each of the OT names for God is seen in this psalm: Jehovah-Jireh, “The Lord will provide” (