Sermon Title: My Shepherd, My Leader
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will 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 anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the LORD. Forever.
What in the world is God doing? This is the question that many people will ask as they go through a difficult time in life. And truly, it is very hard at times to know exactly how our experiences in life fit into God’s overall plan for creation. However, we know that God desires the very best for us, just like we desire the very best for our children. And He wants us to experience contentment, rest and refreshment in our lives, regardless of what is happening around us.
How does God do this? He does it on the inside of us – He works on our character and inner person. God knows that true contentment, rest and refreshment will never last if it comes from some external source. So He offers these things to us in our hearts and minds – and that is what God is doing in each of our lives. He is leading us to a life that is free from greed, anxiety and inner turmoil – all issues of the heart that causes so much pain and destruction in our lives.
This coming Sunday, we will talk more about how our Great Shepherd leads us in our lives to experience true contentment, rest and refreshment as we begin the sermon series, “Lessons from Psalm 23.” Hope to see you then!
