Dear Brothers and Sisters,

This past Sunday Robin Boisvert preached a wonderful sermon to us from Psalm 23.  You can listen to Robin’s message here.
 
Robin’s big picture point was this:
 
“The LORD provides peace for me and protects me personally on my pathway all the days of my life.”
 
For further reflection along those lines, here are some thoughts and questions for use in CG or in your devotions.
 
 
1.  God's personal care
 
“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.”
 
Robin made a point to draw out the personal nature of the psalm.  There is no "we" or "our" in the Psalm.  And so God is not just our shepherd, in this psalm He is “my shepherd".  

• Read through the psalm and reflect on it’s personal nature.
• What does it mean to you that the Lord is YOUR shepherd specifically?  What kind of sense do you have of God’s care over your life when you consider the personal devotion from God in the psalm?
• Spend some time thanking God for His personal care over your life.

 
2. God's abundant provision
 
David speaks of God’s abundant physical and spiritual provision in the Psalm:
 
“He makes me lie down in green pastures,
He leads me beside still waters
He restores my soul…
you anoint my head with oil;
    my cup overflows.”
 
The psalm points not just provision but to “overflowing” provision.  An "anointed head" was literally a "fat head": one overwhelmed with supply.
 

• Consider your past and both your physical and spiritual needs.  How has God been faithful not to just provide for you, but to provide for you with abundance?
• Thank Him for His abundant care for you.

 
3.  God's oversight of our path
 
 “He leads me in paths of righteousness
    for his name's sake…
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”
 
Robin stated that the psalmist is confessing of the Lord:  “ 'He personally guides me along the pathway of life’….Not only is the metaphor of shepherd and sheep used in this psalm, but so is the figure of a journey, a pilgrimage, a road trip.  He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. He leads me. And He follows me, too. His goodness and His mercy follow me. Pursue me. Hard on my heels.  All the days of my life.”

Some times we believe peace will come when the trouble ends.  Yet trouble never really ends in this life. David knew that very well, and so David sought something better: He sought peace in the midst of trouble through trusting the Lord's promises for Him.

And so the psalm implicitly paints and invites a picture that, as Robin said, "your sense of well-being is directly related to whether you are trusting God...when you are troubled, when your peace is disturbed, the first place you should go is to the Lord.”
 

• Where do you find you are going lately as you think on fears and anxiety and trouble creeping up on you?  
• Why can you trust God to meet you in your troubles?
• Even now, bring your troubles to the Lord and ask Him to help you trust Him through His promises.

4.  For His name's sake
 
“He leads me in paths of righteousness
    for His name's sake”
 
All that God does for the psalmist, He does not only for the love of David, but for the glory of His name, His reputation.
 
God’s passion for His glory is not an evidence of Him being an egomaniac, but of His desire to exalt and protect what is most loving and holy and good in the universe:  Himself.

• Can you see How God’s passion for His namesake is right?  Consider taking time now to praise God and praise Him for His commitment to His glory.

 
5. God's protection over you
 
Sheep are not safe animals.  They are not predators and they are not fast or strong.  Rather they are slow, unintelligent, weak, and defenseless.  They must have protection from the serious threats around them or they will die.
 
The psalmist mentions two threats:
 
“the valley of the shadow of death” and “the presence of my enemies”.  These speak to our greatest enemies: sin, Satan, and death itself.
 
God gives His answer to our need for a Shepherd against our enemies in the person of Jesus Christ.  It was Jesus Christ who said “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life the sheep” (John 10:11).
 

• How are you doing at trusting the Good Shepherd to protect you from your enemies?  How are you doing at relying on His blood to forgive your sins and His Spirit to give you power to overcome your sins?
• Can you explain ways recently He has protected you?
• Spend time thanking your Good Shepherd for His protection.
• Pray for the lost you know who need the Good Shepherd.

Robin's message really was wonderful and if you missed it, please take some time to listen and be blessed. 

Ok folks that’s all for this week.  Until next time.
 
God bless you,
Albert