Not Just a Shepherd—My Shepherd

Introduction_______________________________________________________

(Slide) A few years ago, a father took his young daughter on a hiking trip in the mountains. She was excited she got to spend time alone with her dad in the open air, surrounded by the tall trees. But as the sun started to set and the trail grew narrower her steps slowed. The fun hike now felt unfamiliar. She looked up at her father and said, “Are you sure this is the right way?”

Her father smiled, extended his hand, and said, “I’ve walked this trail before. Just stay close to me.” She didn’t know where the path led, but she trusted her dad, so she took his hand, and kept walking.

Sometimes we feel like that little girl. Sometimes the path is peaceful, predictable, and easy to walk. Other times it’s uncertain. Dark. Even dangerous. The question we wrestle with in those times is the same one that little girl asked: “Are you sure this is the right way?”

Psalm 23 is God’s answer to that question.

In this psalm, David shows us that the Lord is not just watching from above, He’s walking with us. He’s our Shepherd. He provides, He guides, He protects.

Today we’re going to walk through Psalm 23, verse by verse and discover what it really means to follow the Shepherd. When we follow the shepherd we discover something very important.

Central Message (Slide)

God has promised that he will always be with the believer. If we trust in that promise God will be a guide, protector, and provider, for all the days of our lives, until we go to live with him forever.

Transition Statement

David, a shepherd himself, writes with the confidence of someone who knows firsthand the responsibility of a shepherd. As we walk through Psalm 23 some may ask If the Lord truly promises to be with us, what does that look like in everyday life? Lets start to answer that question by looking at Psalm 23:1 In this text David shows that the Shepherd meets his needs.

Body______________________________________________________________

The Shepherd Meets our Needs (Slide)

Psalm 23:1 NIV

1 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.

Point out how “The Lord is my Shepherd” shows a personal relational dynamic, God is not just a Shepherd, He is my Shepherd.

In John 10:11-14 Jesus reiterates his role as shepherd.

John 10:11–14 NIV

11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. 13 The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. 14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—

Transition Statement

Not only does the Shepherd meet our needs, but He also leads us. We are not left to wander aimlessly—He lovingly guides us to where we need to be.

Psalm 23:2–3 NIV

2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, 3 he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.

The shepherd would take the sheep to green pastures with still waters, A place of rest, peace and renewal.

Psalm 23:3 NIV

3 He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.

The shepherd Leads the sheep along the right path, but some sheep stray.

Transition Statement

But what about when the path gets dark? What happens when life takes us into valleys of uncertainty and suffering? Can we still trust the Shepherd when we are in a lonely dark valley? (Slide)

Protect

Ref John 10 The hired hand will not protect the sheep, Thankfully the higher hand is not whom we’re dependent on . When dependent on the shepherd who gave his life for the sheep. The shepherd continues to protect today as David noted in verse 4

Psalm 23:4 NIV

4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

Note the shift In verses 1–3, David speaks about God (“He makes me... He leads me...”), But in verse 4, in the valley, he shifts to speaking to God (“You are with me”). Note how he turns to direct prayer and communion with God.

Note that the Psalm does not say that God has brought me out of the valley of the shadow of death it says God is with me , because hi is with me I need not fear

Transition Statement

Not only is God with us in the valley, He provides for us in the valley. (Slide)

Provide

Psalm 23:5 NIV

5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

Transition Statement

If God is this good, what does the future hold for those who follow Him? Can we really be confident that His goodness and love will never leave us? (Slide)

Psalm 23:6 NIV

6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Goodness and love follows him because God is with him goodness and love follows us because God is with us For our entire lives and then we get to be with him in heaven forever

Transition Statement

So if all this is true—if God really is our Shepherd—what does that mean for how we live today? What should our response be?

Illustration________________________________________________________

David was a missionary who served in the Middle East. One day, while driving through a rural area, he saw a shepherd walking behind a flock of sheep. He remarked to his guide, “That’s interesting. I thought shepherds led their sheep.”

The guide smiled and said, “Ah, that’s not the shepherd. That’s the butcher. He drives the sheep. The shepherd always goes ahead, calling them by name.”

That image stuck with David and it should stick with us. The world drives us. Fear drives us. The enemy tries to scatter us. But the Good Shepherd leads us. He never drives His sheep. He calls us. He walks with us. He stays with us even through the valley and into forever.

Application ________________________________________________________

Psalm 23 is more than poetry. It’s a declaration of trust in a relationship with the Lord. If the Lord truly is your Shepherd, then this psalm is a description of your life, your provision, your guidance, your protection, your future.

So let me ask you:

Are you following the Shepherd? (Slide)

Do you trust the Shepherd enough to follow his lead? (Slide)

Sometimes the shepherd can seem to be leading us in a strange direction . Sometimes it can seem scary , but the shepherd will never lead you astray.

Conclusion_________________________________________________________

God has promised that he will always be with the believer. If we trust in that promise God will be a guide, protector, and provider, for all the days of our lives, until we go to live with him forever.

Today, we've seen what it means to live under the care of the Good Shepherd.

We began by seeing that the Shepherd meets our needs, He is not distant or indifferent, but personal and present. David didn’t say “the Lord is a shepherd,” he said, “The Lord is my Shepherd.”

The Shepherd guides us— along the right path, even when we don’t understand where it lead.

The Shepherd protects us, even in the valley of the shadow of death.

The Shepherd provides for us—preparing a table for us even in the presence of our enemies. He’s not just our guard, He’s our generous Host

And finally, we ended with the promise that the Shepherd stays with us forever.

So what does all of that mean? It means this:

If the Lord is your Shepherd, then you're never truly in want. You are never lost. You are never alone. You are never unprotected. And you are never without hope.

So let me ask you one final question:

"Is the Lord just a Shepherd?"

or

"Is the Lord your Shepherd?"

If He is, your Shepherd He will be a guide, protector, and provider, for all the days of our life, until you go to live with him forever.

Amen.