The Shepherd’s Got Me, I Ain’t Worried

Introduce myself as Pastor David McCloud of New Wine Revelation Ministries International and thank everyone for tuning in to Sunday Soul Talk.

“Talk for your soul that will make you whole.”

Sunday Soul Talk is a platform where I take biblical concepts and relate them to everyday life. For some, the Bible may seem complex or even boring. You may even ask yourself; how does this book even apply to me? Well, It is my goal with the help of the Holy Spirit to make the scriptures come alive and become relevant to your soul and have you feeling whole afterwards.

So, if you’re home and if you’re just getting up out of bed, sit back and relax with a cup of coffee or tea and tune in.

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Introduction

On this morning I want to discuss a very familiar passage of scripture and really break it down and I believe we might be in this discussion for a few weeks. I know after hearing this message, you will leave better than you came. The passage of scripture we’re going to discuss is Psalm 23 and the title of the message is: “The Shepherd Got Me- I Ain’t Worried!”

I remember when I was a young boy about 7 years old my Grandmother taught me Psalm 23 and even had me to memorize and recite it back to her. I thank God for my late Grandmother because she instilled so much of God’s Word in me as a child. And a lot of what she gave me spiritually; I was able to pull from it as an adult to get me through some dark times. Grandmothers play an important role in our lives, matter of fact the Apostle Paul said this about Timothy’s Grandmother in 2 Timothy 1:5

2 Timothy 1:5 NLT

I remember your genuine faith, for you share the faith that first filled your grandmother Lois and your mother, Eunice. And I know that same faith continues strong in you.

I can attest to the fact that my grandmother, along with my parents played a major role in my journey of knowing God for myself. Grandma’s prayers that she prayed over me as a child and the things she taught me has literally preserved me up until now.

So, if you currently have or had a grandmother that had a profound effect upon your life, then give God the praise for her. Amen.

Psalms 23 is a great passage of scripture because there are so many blessings that can be gleaned from it and on today, I’m going to take my time like Eddie Cain and begin to discuss those blessings.

Foundational Scripture:

Psalm 23 NLT

A psalm of David. The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name. Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me. You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings. Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.

The Setting of Psalm 23

When David composed Psalm 23, he was going through a lot. At the time, his son Absalom had openly rebelled against his Kingship and had staged a coup. David had to flee from Jerusalem until his son Absalom was killed in battle and then he was able to return and reclaim his throne. David was not responsible for the death of his son. He had specifically given orders to his men to spare his son’s life, but David’s number one General, Joab had ordered his killing. Nevertheless David was dealing with a hostile takeover by his own son and then when it was all said and done, he had to deal with the sorrow of losing his son. It was in this setting that David wrote Psalm 23.

This story can be found in 2 Samuel, chapters 15-19.

Psalm 23 is a very comforting passage of scripture that many have turned to when going through trials and tribulations. I know I have personally found comfort in Psalm 23 when I’ve been in the valley of trials and tribulation, and this is probably one of the most popular Psalms in the entire Bible.

In biblical times, a shepherd's primary duties involved caring for and protecting their flock of sheep. This included leading them to pasture and water, providing shelter, and defending them from predators. Shepherds also needed to maintain the health of the flock, attending to sick or injured sheep and searching for lost ones. A shepherd would even give his life for the sheep if necessary. David as a shepherd had killed lions and bears who had taken his sheep and then after slaying the lions and bears, he then got his sheep back, safe and sound.

Before David became a King, his first job was being a shepherd to his father’s flock of sheep and goats. David was very familiar with looking after sheep. He knew from personal experience as a shepherd boy the importance of protecting and providing for the sheep under his care. In Psalm 23, David describes his relationship to God by comparing it to the role of a faithful shepherd and the shepherd’s care of the sheep.

I wanted to provide that background because it’s important to understand the historical setting behind a passage of scripture in order to gain a fuller understanding of the entire text. The fancy word for that method of study is good hermeneutics.

As we discuss Psalm 23, I will point out the the four blessing within this passage of scripture. If I do not get through all of them today, I will continue our discussion on next Sunday.

The 4 Blessings of the Shepherd or the 4 Blessings within Psalm 23

They are:

The blessing of spiritual nourishment.

The blessing of spiritual restoration.

The blessing of God’s leading in our lives.

The blessing of God’s protection.

Let’s go back to Psalm 23:1

Psalm 23:1 NLT

The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need.

David started off by stating God provides all I need and it was a personal statement because he said the Lord is my Shepherd.

I want to first make a distinction by saying there is a huge difference between a want and a need. You see many times throughout my life I have wanted or desired many things that I thought were good for me but in the end I did not receive them. To be honest, I even prayed and asked God for some things I wanted but never received. And I’m glad I did not receive everything I ever wanted because it would not have been good for me but more importantly it would not have aligned with God’s plan for my life. Sometimes in life we may want something so bad not knowing that it is poisonous.

It could be a relationship that you desired to have with someone, and you may have pursued them but found out in the end it wasn’t what you thought it would be.

It could have been a job, because maybe that job was paying a lot more money than your current job but then when you got the job, you didn’t have the peace you used to have because your new boss was terrible to work for. That’s why one of my personal golden rules in life is I don’t chase after money, I chase after and pursue God’s will for my life because God knows what I really need as opposed to what I really want.

You see there have been some relationships I have pursued in my life early on that led to many sleepless nights. I’ve found out through experience that the safest place in God’s will. I found out that it’s better to seek God’s will in everything you pursue or go after because God knows the path that is laid before us before we even get to the path. So if life brings about a detour I wasn’t planning for, that may not feel good to me, it could very well be God protecting me from danger I don’t see ahead.

We must all understand what God has for you, is for you. It may take longer than you want to get there, but while you’re walking down the road to your final destination, God is making you and preparing you for the blessing that lies ahead.

So yes, David said the Lord is my Shepherd and I have all I need because David himself was a shepherd and he knew sometimes the sheep may have desired some things but as the shepherd it was his responsibility to provide what they needed, so that they didn’t lack anything.

Matthew 6:33 NLT

Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

You see when we seek God in all we do, and live for Him, he will give us everything we need. It’s that simple, nothing deep at all.

Let’s discuss the first blessing within Psalm 23.

The Blessing of Spiritual Nourishment

Psalm 23:2 NLT

He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams.

One of the duties of a shepherd is to lead the sheep to fresh grass for feeding and the Lord Himself desires to lead us to areas of bountifulness not barrenness. When we seek God in all we do, we find rest as we follow the leading of God, our shepherd.

What do you mean? Well sometimes in life we take so many burdens upon ourselves and we seek everything but God and then find out that everything we worked so hard to go after was unable to provide the peace we really needed.

The Bible says there is a rest for the people of God, but that rest is tied to our obedience. It’s often when we’re out of place, when we’re pursuing what we want, instead of what God wants, that we forfeit God’s peace in our lives.

Hebrews 4:6–7 NLT

So God’s rest is there for people to enter, but those who first heard this good news failed to enter because they disobeyed God. So God set another time for entering his rest, and that time is today. God announced this through David much later in the words already quoted: “Today when you hear his voice, don’t harden your hearts.”

Hebrews 4:10 NLT

For all who have entered into God’s rest have rested from their labors, just as God did after creating the world.

Explain verse 10 above.

God is simply saying, follow me, put me first, and I will provide you with the rest you are seeking. I will provide you with wells of water or satisfaction that never run dry. I’ll give you what that drug, that habit, or that toxic relationship can never give you. If you just follow me, I will lead you to rest in green meadows I’ve already prepared for you before the foundations of the world. I will lead you to peaceful streams. I’ll lead you to the right husband, the right wife, the right job, the right opportunity.

Let’s go back to the sheep and see why David said in verse 2, He leads me beside peaceful streams.

Sheep have a fear of moving water and they also have a need for rest. Sheep are very timid and can also be easily startled. Placing sheep by the current of a flowing river is dangerous and too loud for sheep. Sheep need a source of calm and still water to drink from in order to be refreshed.

A good shepherd will not lead his sheep to a flowing river because it is too loud and would cause the sheep to be frightened. Also, if the sheep fall into the flowing water, their wool will soak up the water, making them heavy and potentially cause them to drown.

Sheep also need to lie down and rest and will not do so if they are afraid or if there are other disturbances around them. Still waters provide a safe place where sheep can relax and recharge.

God desires for us to rest in green meadows and leads us beside peaceful streams to offer his provision for us, his guidance, his rest, peace and refreshment.

Could it be that some of the chaos and disorder we experience in life is due to us not following the Shepherd but following our own way only to find out there is no peace or rest at the streams we navigated to on our own?

What I love about God is when you follow Him, He can give you peace that surpasses all understanding.

Everything around you can be going haywire but you still have peace in the midst of the storm. Why is that, it’s because you’re allowing God to lead you beside peaceful streams and you’re grazing and resting in green meadows.

We’re still talking about the blessing of Spiritual Nourishment and I would be remiss if I didn’t talk about the most important source of spiritual nourishment which is the Word of God.

1 Peter 2:2 NLT

Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment,

As we nourish and feed ourselves with God’s Word, we begin to grow in the likeness of Christ, we begin to understand the difference between our wants and His needs, between right and wrong, we begin to see things as He does and not as the world dictates. We also begin to be set free from different things we may have experienced in life.

All of us were infants at one time in our lives and we were either breast fed by our mothers or fed store bought milk. It was important for us to have milk because without it we would have starved to death, we would have become malnourished and not developed correctly.

You see when we neglect God’s Word, we stunt our growth in Him, we don’t respond to trials well, we’re easily frightened like sheep by a flowing river because we have not allowed God, our Good Shepherd to lead us beside still waters. Neglecting God’s prevents us from experiencing the fullness of our salvation in Christ.

And after you have been walking with God for a little while, you’re supposed to go from desiring milk to eating meat.

Isn’t that how it works in the natural sense, as infants, we started off consuming milk because our internal organs were still forming and were unable to handle solid foods. But as we consumed enough milk, we began to grow externally and internally and then we were able to eat Gerber food products in a soft form. So naturally our diet increased. Then after a time we were able to eat table food or meat.

That’s how God desires for us to grow in Christ Jesus. As we receive spiritual nourishment from God’s Word, we begin to grow and blossom into the image of Christ Jesus. We’re not perfect but we begin to have the mind of Christ, and others begin to notice the difference in us too. The desires that we once had or struggles we had begin to turn into testimonies of how God brought us out. We graduate from victim to VICTORY.

Sometimes people are amazed at someone who may have been attending church for years but has not changed at all. I’ll take it a step further, sometimes people with titles can be just like children in the spirit also. Just because someone has Pastor, Prophet, Evangelist or Apostle behind their name, that doesn’t mean that they are mature at all or have the character to match the title. Jesus said you will know them by their fruit. A lot of times we get caught up in the title and overlook the fruit of the person.

Hebrews 5:12–14 NLT

You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God’s word. You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food. For someone who lives on milk is still an infant and doesn’t know how to do what is right. Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong.

Explain scripture above.

So, I want to end today’s message on the first blessing of Psalm 23 which is the blessing of spiritual nourishment that God our faithful Shepherd provides. I want to take my time with this series, it’s been a while since I’ve done a series and to be honest, for me, it’s easier to prepare a series instead of a single message and it also allows us to go deeper in God’s Word and stay on one thing for a little while.

Recap and Closing

On today we discussed that God, our Shepherd provides all that we need and the first blessing discussed was that God provides spiritual nourishment and how He desires to for us to experience rest in Him and lead us beside peaceful streams for our lives. On next week we will continue in Psalm 23 and discuss the blessing of spiritual restoration.

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