This past week Becky and I nailed down our arrangements for a vacation in September to Cannon Beach, Oregon. Cannon Beach is our favorite getaway. It’s a quaint village with all kinds of shops, bookstores, Bruce’s Candy Kitchen, art galleries, restaurants, and of course the beach itself is stunningly beautiful. We’re looking forward to walking downtown to grab a coffee at Haystack Bakery or some fresh salmon at Ecola Fish Market and just hitting the beach to take in the salt air and sunsets for a few days. One of the tag lines on the city’s website hits it on the head for us. It says, “Take your soul on vacation.”And that’s what we’re going to do. We’re hoping our time there will not only give us rest but will rejuvenate our souls for the days ahead.
Now my guess is that you have a place or experience that does something similar for you. Maybe it’s a week in Hawaii or Tahiti or a Caribbean or Fall Colors Cruise. Maybe it’s renting a cabin in Payson or resort in Sedona. Maybe it’s a fishing trip to Colorado or a visit to your old stomping grounds. Whatever it is that does it for you, the hope is the same – that you will find rest and rejuvenation for your soul. We all crave that don’t we? We crave those places and experiences that rekindle life for us.
At yet, we’re also aware of this: all these places and experiences give our souls only temporary satisfaction. After all, we can truly enjoy the best getaway ever but still come away with a longing within – a lack of contentment, or a lack of joy or even a lack of purpose. And sometimes we are left with this nagging question: Is this all there is? Is there more to life than filling it with good times, good food and good people? Have you ever wondered why there still seems to be something missing? If you have, then what were going to look at today from God’s Word will speak to what is missing and how you were made to know a Life Without Lack.
So if you brought your Bible with you today, let me encourage you to open them Psalm 23, where God’s Word reminds us where true satisfaction and life is found: Not in created things, but in the Creator Himself. Most of us are familiar with this Psalm, so let’s begin by reciting it together. Would you stand as we read this together:
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads mebeside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousnessfor his name’s sake.
Even 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 overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
The Twenty-third psalm is not merely a pretty poem with charming sentiments, but is an accurate description of the kind of life that is available to anyone who will allow God to be their shepherd. So that’s the truth we are going to begin with today:
- Satisfaction is found in God our Shepherd:
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. This Psalm is written by David; and David begins by using the Covenant name of God, Yahweh, often translated “The Lord.”
This is the name given to Moses at the burning bush, when Moses asked His name: “I am who I am” was God’s reply. The Lord is the inexhaustible, self-sufficient name of God. The Covenant Name of God who exists to provide for and protect those He loves. If you understand the meaning of the name of God in your life, then you know that this is the name that describes your God as the God Who Is Always For You.
But lets dig a little deeper into God’s Covenant Name. Think about who God is. We often have our ideas of who God is, but most of our preconceptions put limitations on God. This is the name that tells us that God is without limitation. In other words, God’s name reveals His timeless nature. He is not limited by time and space like us. God’s name also reveals to us His self-sufficiency. He is not limited by anything. Self-sufficiency means that God needs nothing. He needs no wisdom from anyone else; He has all wisdom in himself. He needs no power; He is all-powerful. He does not need to be worshiped or helped or served. Nor is He accountable to anyone. He answers only to himself… And His Timelessness means that God is always the same. He is the same today as when David wrote these words. He does not change. He was like this yesterday; He will be like this tomorrow. He is the great “I am.”
What does that mean for us? Not only does He have unlimited wisdom, power, and freedom. He also has unlimited grace, goodness, compassion and love. Here’s a snippet from a definition on God’s nature that comes from a 19thCentury Pastor, who describes God this way: “He is the Being whose purposes and actions spring from himself, without foreign motive or influence: He who is absolute in dominion; the most pure, the most simple, the most spiritual of all essences; infinitely benevolent, beneficent, true and holy: the cause of all being, the upholder of all things; infinitely happy, because infinitely perfect; and eternally self-sufficient, needing nothing that he has made.” Adam Clarke This is the Lord who is Always for you.
So, what does that mean for us when David says, The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want? It means that in the Lord, there is an eternal abundant fountain of goodness and joy, purity and peace that God desires to pour out on those He loves, and because He is self-sufficient He is more than able to give you what’s missing in you. In other words, God is able to fill up within you whatever you are lacking: peach, joy, strength, purity, wisdom, hope – you name it. God doesn’t change, so what was available to David is available to you. But here’s the catch. Is The Lord your shepherd? Do you believe this is true about God? Do you have a faith relationship with the Covenant God who exists to provide for and protect those He loves? This is the Lord David knew. He experienced God’s mercy, His protection, care and deliverance over and over again. That’s why He was able to write this Psalm. The Lord was David’s Shepherd. He had a personal relationship with Him. He called Yahweh, “My Shepherd.” Now let’s look a little closer at what it means to call Yahweh your shepherd.
My Shepherd: God is personally present, available and actively involved in the lives of those who know and trust him. Think about the role of a Shepherd with me for a minute:In Israel, as in other ancient societies, a shepherd’s work was considered the lowest of all works. If a family needed a shepherd, it was always the youngest son, like David, who got this unpleasant assignment. Shepherds had to live with the sheep twenty-four hours a day, and the task of caring for them was unending. Day and night, summer and winter, in fair or foul weather, they worked to nourish, guide, and protect the sheep. Who in his right mind would choose to be a shepherd? Yet, the Lord, the all-sufficient, eternal fountain of goodness and love,has chosen to be your shepherd.
The Great God of the universe humbled himself and came to us as a man to serve us. Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd came to serve us. Here are His Words: For even the Son of Mandid not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”Mark 10:45 He didn’t have to come to us. He didn’t have to serve us. He didn’t have to lay down His life for us. But He did so willingly, because the heart of God is the heart of a shepherd.
And Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. Do you know what that means for your life today? You can have a life without lack! Jesus can give you what is missing. He can satisfy your heart. He can give you contentment in any circumstance. He gives peace that surpasses our understanding.
However, to call God your Shepherd implies something about you – it means acknowledging that you are like a sheep. Have you ever thought about that? We are like sheep in three ways: we are prone to wander; we don’t look ahead; and we are often oblivious to the dangers that threaten us. Not only that, but left to themselves sheep lack everything. They are the most helpless animals. But if we belong to the one who is self-sufficient, inexhaustible, and full of goodness and love, we will lack nothing.
We will lack nothing! I love how Dallas Willard says it. He says this about God our Shepherd: God is not stingy. He dwells in magnificent abundance, and lovingly provides for our needs out of that abundance. God is not worried that He is going to run out of something. God is beyond rich. He is overflowing with everything that is good and everything we need. He has so much that He will never run out of any of it. It is so very important to remember this when we are fretting over a perceived need. In such a time we may be tempted to think that maybe, just maybe, God is as stingy and small as we are. He is not. God loves to give. God loves to gush forth with His goodness. – Dallas Willard So the point of the 23rdPsalm is this: Satisfaction is found in God our shepherd! He exists to provide and protect you. He is for you. He wants to give you what is lacking in your life: contentment, peace, life and purpose. And that’s what we see in the remainder of the first few verses of this Psalm. First,
- He exists to make you content: He makes me lie down in green pastures.
What kind of a sheep lies down in green pasture? A sheep that has eaten its fill. A sheep that is satisfied, content. Sheep do not lie down easily. Philip Keller sheds some light on this: “It is impossible for sheep to be made to lie down unless they are free of all fear. Because of the social behavior within the flock sheep will not lie down unless they are free of friction with others of their kind. If tormented by flies or parasites, sheep will not lie down. Only when they are free of these pests can they relax. Lastly, sheep will not lie down as long as they feel in need of finding food. They must be free from hunger… Fear, Friction, Flies and Famine. Sheep must be free from each of these to be contented. Only the shepherd can provide the trust, peace, deliverance, and pasture that is needed to free the sheep from them. He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters. The quiet waters are the wells and springs where the sheep can drink without being rushed. The Hebrew word David uses here is the word “menuha”translated as quiet or rest. To the Hebrew ear “quiet waters” pictures a life without strife, fighting, fear and distrust. It is a picture of peace and harmony. To the Hebrew mind, the essence of good life is menuha.
It is interesting that the psalm begins at this point. The first priority of the Shepherd is to bring safety and satisfaction. He gives His sheep rest. It is a reminder that the Christian life begins with resting in Christ. As Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28This is what our souls crave, and our Shepherd exists to give you rest, to make you content. Don’t you want this rest, this stillness, this harmony, safety and satisfaction in your life? This is how God our Shepherd is for you. How else is He for you?
- He exists to give you life: He restores my soul.
What a beautiful phrase. To truly understand what it means to have your soul restored, is to understand that because of sin, each one of us is broken to the core of our souls. And what makes this phrase even more hopeful is that, the Hebrew word translated as “soul” is actually “life.” Your shepherd wants to restore you to “life” from His point of view, not ours. He wants to make your life whole, rich and good, like He intended it to be when He first created us. This is the life we all long for, but can never find in what the world offers us. And yet, this is what Jesus promised when He said, The thief comes only to stealand kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. John 10:10. The New Living Translation says it this way: “My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.”
Philip Keller explains how God restores us to life by the situation known to shepherds as a “cast sheep.” What happens is this: “A heavy, fat or long fleeced sheep will lie down comfortably in some little hollow or depression in the ground. It may roll on its side slightly to stretch out or to relax. Suddenly the center of gravity in the body shifts so that it turns on its back far enough that the feet no longer touch the ground. It may feel a sense of panic and start to paw frantically. Frequently this only makes things worse. It rolls over even further. Now it is quite impossible for it to regain its feet. In this position gases build up in the body, cutting off circulation to the legs, and often it is only a matter of a few hours before the sheep dies. The only one who can restore the sheep to health is the shepherd… Without a shepherd we are just like cast sheep. We are spiritually on our back, quite helpless. That’s why Jesus has come, not simply to get us back on our feet, but to restore us to life! He restores my soul. And finally,
- He exists to lead you down the right path: He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
I had a pastor friend who once tried raising sheep. He tells me they are the dumbest animals on earth. In fact, their stupidity is a well-known fact, seen in how easily they wander away from a good thing. Their shepherd brings them to a lush meadow with a peaceful watering hole, but then they wander away to barren fields and diseased watering holes. No other class of animal requires more careful handling than sheep. And we can be just like them.
We are prone to wander. And sometimes we wander just when everything is going well. Why? Because we forget who our good shepherd is. We forget that He has a vested interest in us. We forget that He has always loved us and always wants the best for us. And we forget that He is the one who leads us on the right path. When we trust Him to provide for us and protect us, He lead us in the way we should go. But we’re all like sheep that are prone to wander.
We fall for the myth of the greener grass. We think we know what’s best for us, and after awhile, we find ourselves drinking from a well that doesn’t satisfy. And sometimes our wandering can lead us far from God or even away from God altogether.
That’s why you need to let the Lord be your Shepherd. And that means getting your head around who He says He is, and not what you think He is. That means believing He wants what’s best for you and has the ability to make it happen. And that means trusting Him to lead you when your life doesn’t make sense.
You see, God exists to give you what you cannot give yourself. And He is a Shepherd.If you’re weary,He can give you rest. If you’re anxious, He can give you peace. If you’re broken, He can make you whole. If you’ve wandered, He can bring you back.The Lord is for you and is able to fill what is lacking in you. And so I ask you: Do you believe God is who He says He is? And if so, then stop trying so hard to give yourself what He already wants to give you – SURRENDER to His goodness. Trust Him to satisfy you. Trust Him to restore you. And Trust Him to lead you home. God wants you to experience life without lack – WITH HIM. So trust in Him. Let’s pray.
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