Beautiful words, we love Psalm 23, how many of us would say this is our favourite passage in the bible! At least top 3 for many of us. Look to choose a few words/title for our screen, can’t go past whole thing!
So many good things for us in these words David writes, and not only good things on their own but good things in the middle of really bad things > there’s mention of the ‘darkest valley,’ of ‘evil’, and of ‘enemies’ – 3 bad things there, 3 bad things that these words speak powerfully into
And there’s something under the surface a bit here I want to focus in on this morning > we know about God’s provision don’t we > with Jesus as our shepherd we lack nothing! Nothing at all, we have everything! We’re well provided for right there aren’t we >>>
What else is in there?
Green pastures, quiet waters, the right paths, God’s rod and staff for our protection and comfort, a table prepared before us – in the presence of enemies no less.
There is refreshment for the soul, what a beautiful and powerful thing that is, what we get when we receive God’s holy meal together as well.
We get goodness and love, and that goodness and love goes with us now and forever as we get get to dwell – to live, to belong, to remain – in God’s house.
And we’re anointed, to the point where out cup overflows, meaning we’re set apart, we’re given a new identity in Christ, a new calling on our lives.
And that last one points to the part that sits under the surface here, I wonder if you see it >
The part that sits under the surface is the part about God’s call on our lives, on our hearts. God’s call not to only sit still, but his call to MOVE, to go, to do and to be.
Yes there are times to sit still, of course Psalm 46 says ‘be still,’ but be still for what reason?
To know who God is. That’s the reason, that’s why we need to be still. To be still in this way is to quiet your heart and mind, to hand over the troubles and concerns of life to God and hear from him what he has to say to you.
So sitting still is good, being still so we can know God and his will for us is very good, hugely important for us to do and keep doing of course – but we’re not called to sit still and stop there.
We’re not called to watch on from a distance, we’re not called to let other people do the work, we’re not called to become slack or lazy or disinterested in the meaning and the purpose of why God has put us here.
And there’s a challenge in there for us > an opportunity to reflect on our own lives.
Think about these questions for a moment:
Have we sat still for too long, when we should be MOVING, we should be doing, going and being?
Have we become slack or lazy in our walk with God? Yes we might have heard who he is and what he’s done for us, but do we know what that really means for our life? Do we have an actual living relationship with our good and gracious God? Are we really aware of how that changes our life, how that changes the world, how reality gets shifted as we mentioned last week by who God is, what he’s done and what he continues to do??
Do these words here on the screen before us today, do these words matter to us? Do they make a difference to our everyday life, or have we fallen into a loop of hearing it on Sunday then forgetting it by Monday?! It’s ok that does happen!
Some hard questions to face there, things we all struggle with. We’re all in the same boat here, struggling with these things together! Life together in community is nothing if not a shared struggle!
In this shared struggle we might hear these words and think, ‘that’s what I want, that’s why I need right now! That’s what that person close to me, that loved one needs right now!’
These good things like green pastures, quiet waters and refreshment for the soul. Very good things!
But along with the sense of being still and knowing God, of receiving and hearing from him in our shared struggle together, there is also a sense of movement. Of the call to MOVE, not only sit still but get moving…
Being ‘led beside’ the quiet waters.
Being ‘guided along the right paths.’
‘Walking through’ the darkest valley.
‘Being in the presence of enemies’ – not somewhere any of us want to stay for too long!
And being ‘followed’ by God’s goodness and love, not just for a moment but forever!
Do you see what I mean when I say there’s a sense of movement there? Not only sitting back and receiving good things, but how those good things go with us and move us forward. They compel us to move, they mobilise God’s people, they empower us to move, to go, to do and to be exactly that, God’s people!
Jon Foreman, someone I’ve mentioned before, lead singer of the band Switchfoot and a solo artist as well, has some good bits and pieces on Psalm 23 – he has a song called ‘House of the Lord Forever’ that’s based on these words, and his band has another song called ‘Dare You To Move.’
I think that’s something that God actually says to us, and something we can encourage each other in > I dare you to move.
There are some really interesting lines in this song, things like redemption and forgiveness and salvation are all mentioned in this song! Worth a listen if you get a moment, might not be your favourite style of music but very interesting lyric-wise.
Being dared to do something is usually associated with that thing being hard to do! And we might think about being dared to do something in a negative light, as in being dared to do a bad thing.
But if we turn it around and think about it in terms of doing good things, receiving and living out of the good things of God – all the things we hear about in Psalm 23 – then it hits a bit different.
We hear God saying ‘I dare you to love your neighbour, even love your enemy.’
Maybe that sounds a bit hard right out the gate – I dare you to pray for your neighbour, to pray for your enemy.
I dare you to serve or to give to someone in need. I dare you to share a kind word with someone, even if they haven’t had a kind word for you.
I dare you to put your hope in God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, this God who knows you as his own child, part of his own family. Put your hope in him like your life depends on it – because as we know, it does!
And a key thing to remember in all this daring and daring activity > who’s right there alongside you all the way, who will always be there for you and who will use you for his good purposes, even if you don’t know it at the time??? Who did the most daring thing anyone could do and gave up his life so you could come to know him?
THE LORD YOUR SHEPHERD, who makes you lie down in green pastures.
Who leads you beside quiet waters.
Who refreshes you in your soul.
Who guides you along the right paths, not as in ‘correct’ in human terms but as in HIS path, even when you’re in the darkest valley, who gives you the comfort and strength and hope to carry on and to not fear the evil one.
Who prepares a table – as in giving you what you need – not only when things are all good but when you’re in the presence of enemies. A place no one wants to be, but even there the Lord your shepherd is with you.
Who keeps filling up your cup to the point where it overflows! He has more than enough to give you, and when you know him you see just how much he has given you, is giving you and has in store for you too!
What’s in store for you and me?
Goodness and love, all the days of our lives, as we dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Not bad.
Amen to that, receive the peace of God today in your hearts and your minds, may his peace be with you and may you know how much he has for you.
Lord we thank you for your abundance, all the things you have done for us and still have in store. Remind us of your presence, when things are great and when we’re in the thick of difficult times too. Compel us as your people to MOVE, to do and to go and to be who you call us to be. All these things we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
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Tom Kitson 