WEBVTT 00:00:00.959 --> 00:00:05.280 Welcome back, fam, and part three of our study of Psalm 23. 00:00:05.599 --> 00:00:10.320 We want to pick up where we left off at by looking at verses four and five, and I'll read it to us. 00:00:10.480 --> 00:00:16.079 It says this Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no danger, for you are with me. 00:00:16.239 --> 00:00:18.559 Your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 00:00:18.719 --> 00:00:22.079 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. 00:00:22.239 --> 00:00:25.519 You anoint my head with oil, my cup overflows. 00:00:25.679 --> 00:00:32.159 I want you to notice how David now turns from talking about God's provision to God's protection. 00:00:32.320 --> 00:00:38.159 As a shepherd, the Lord protects him even in the valley of the shadow of death, as I like to say it. 00:00:38.320 --> 00:00:44.640 Even when we're in the midst of our most dark moments, we see this protective nature of the shepherd begins to emerge. 00:00:44.799 --> 00:00:51.280 The paths of righteousness do not protect us from the valley, but the Lord is with us even when we're in our darkest moments. 00:00:51.439 --> 00:00:58.799 I want you to hear me that walking with God doesn't mean that we won't walk through valleys, but the beautiful thing is the shepherd is with us every step of the way. 00:00:58.880 --> 00:00:59.759 So watch this. 00:00:59.920 --> 00:01:10.719 Though there are places that may be a little bit uncomfortable, places where it may even be a little bit darkness, places where the shadow of death seems to be obscuring our view, our fear is eclipsed by the presence of God. 00:01:10.959 --> 00:01:19.359 That even in those places where there's uncertainty, as long as we can stay close enough to God and we can sense his presence, we know that he's going to lead us to where we need to go. 00:01:19.439 --> 00:01:21.920 So let's explore this a little bit further. 00:01:22.079 --> 00:01:26.959 When the children of Israel were leaving out of Egypt, remember there were moments when they couldn't see. 00:01:27.040 --> 00:01:31.280 But the Bible talks about how there was a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. 00:01:31.439 --> 00:01:35.280 That was being able to protect them from the hand of the enemy. 00:01:35.439 --> 00:01:43.840 You can continue to examine the fur the fullness of what God's presence was for the children of Israel in Exodus chapter 33, verse number 14. 00:01:44.000 --> 00:01:49.040 Now the Lord grants us even more than just his presence, he grants us also with his power. 00:01:49.200 --> 00:01:53.280 The passage says that your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 00:01:53.519 --> 00:01:56.879 Now the rod was meant to beat off the external enemy. 00:01:57.040 --> 00:02:06.079 That was what the rod was typically used for, that whenever a predator would come, the shepherd would use that rod and he would fight off the enemy, staving off the attacks of the adversary. 00:02:06.239 --> 00:02:09.120 But then the other part, that staff, it had a little hook on it. 00:02:09.199 --> 00:02:13.840 And what that did is that was able to kind of yank the sheep that went a little bit astray. 00:02:14.000 --> 00:02:18.800 What that means is that not only is the presence of God with us, but the power of God is with us. 00:02:18.960 --> 00:02:25.039 That if we can allow the Lord to be our shepherd, there are moments where he's going to go on the offensive and fight the enemy away. 00:02:25.120 --> 00:02:33.439 But there's going to be other moments where he's going to have to pull us over and get back into the fold because we're wandering into environments that's not his best for our lives. 00:02:33.599 --> 00:02:38.639 You know, I love how Jesus says that my sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me. 00:02:38.800 --> 00:02:46.240 I love this idea because what happens when you spend enough time around the shepherd, the sheep would actually respond to the shepherd's voice. 00:02:46.400 --> 00:02:48.960 This is why we discern the voice of God in community. 00:02:49.039 --> 00:02:49.919 This is why we go to church. 00:02:50.000 --> 00:03:01.199 This is why we read God's word, so that we could begin to recognize the voice of God, even in moments where we feel with all of our, with everything inside of us, that this next step may be the will of God, but God has a way. 00:03:01.360 --> 00:03:05.919 And when we recognize his voice of saying, like, I know that's an open door, but that's not a room I want you to go into. 00:03:06.159 --> 00:03:11.520 Allow me to redirect you because there's something better for you in another space that I've provided for you. 00:03:11.680 --> 00:03:15.360 In verse number five, we see that the metaphor changes a little bit. 00:03:15.439 --> 00:03:18.960 And now David begins to speak about the enemies specifically. 00:03:19.120 --> 00:03:25.039 But then rather than the shepherd taking the position of a shepherd exclusively, he now turns into a host. 00:03:25.199 --> 00:03:34.080 What it says is that he prepares a table for me in the presence of my enemies, and that he's going to anoint my head with oil, and my cup begins to overflow. 00:03:34.240 --> 00:03:40.479 This whole idea of sitting at a table, specifically in the New Testament, was meant to be a banquet style environment. 00:03:40.560 --> 00:03:44.000 And it was always meant to be a place that represented salvation. 00:03:44.159 --> 00:03:46.240 It was a place that represented the Lord's Supper. 00:03:46.319 --> 00:03:48.560 It was a place where people could commune together. 00:03:48.719 --> 00:03:59.759 And as we can see, that even though the disciples were walking alongside Jesus and they took communion with him, they were still surrounded by a lot of spiritual opposition, but yet they were seated in heavenly places. 00:03:59.919 --> 00:04:01.199 That's encouragement for us. 00:04:01.280 --> 00:04:07.039 That even though we may be surrounded by some of the most dark and difficult things, that we have a seat at the Lord's table. 00:04:07.199 --> 00:04:12.879 And as long as we're seated at his table, there's an anointing that he wants to flow over every single one of our lives. 00:04:13.039 --> 00:04:18.720 When it talks about this idea of him anointing us with oil, that's often symbolic of the Holy Spirit. 00:04:18.879 --> 00:04:26.879 How the Holy Spirit wants to pour on us and through us and on out of us so that we can have an impact in every environment that we are around. 00:04:27.120 --> 00:04:40.959 What we find in the early church is they would pull from these ideas from Psalm 23 to inspire them, that even when they were dealing with great persecution, they would be encouraged knowing, I am seated in heavenly places, I'm I'm I'm anointed and my cup overflows. 00:04:41.040 --> 00:04:45.519 That they knew how to keep their inner resolve even when they were dealing with external pressures. 00:04:45.680 --> 00:04:52.480 That even though the enemy is all around me, who the greater is he that's in me than he that's in the world because God is on the inside of me. 00:04:52.639 --> 00:04:58.480 My my encouragement for some of us is don't allow the external pressure to cause you to shift your internal commitment. 00:04:58.639 --> 00:05:04.720 Knowing that God is with you every step of the way is sometimes all we need to grab a hold of when we're in the moments of despair. 00:05:04.959 --> 00:05:10.480 Show we may walk through the valley of the shadow of death, but we have nothing to fear because God is with us. 00:05:10.639 --> 00:05:12.160 Here's my question for us right now. 00:05:12.800 --> 00:05:13.680 Are you discouraged? 00:05:13.839 --> 00:05:17.439 Do you feel like you're in a place that's that's filled with despair and darkness? 00:05:17.600 --> 00:05:20.560 I I wanna I wanna I wanna ask you to slow down just a little bit. 00:05:20.800 --> 00:05:23.519 Begin to recognize the power and presence of God. 00:05:23.759 --> 00:05:31.360 Know that he's ordering your steps and that though following Jesus doesn't protect us from the valley, following him absolutely ensures that we're gonna make it out of it. 00:05:31.519 --> 00:05:32.480 Be encouraged, my friend. 00:05:32.639 --> 00:05:33.680 Let me let me pray for you. 00:05:33.839 --> 00:05:35.920 Lord, I thank you for your your presence. 00:05:36.079 --> 00:05:42.959 I thank you, God, that even in moments of darkness and and despair, that we can we can recognize your presence, God. 00:05:43.040 --> 00:05:44.959 We can recognize and sense your your power. 00:05:45.040 --> 00:05:52.160 So, Father, my prayer is this that we can we can respond to your voice, that we can recognize that you're ordering our steps, and that we can lean in. 00:05:52.399 --> 00:05:55.839 Be patient with the journey, Father, and trust you as we move forward. 00:05:56.000 --> 00:05:57.040 In Jesus' name. 00:05:57.279 --> 00:05:57.920 Amen.