Sermon Central
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We Are Not Alone Series
Contributed by Robert Fa’atoia-Collins on Sep 25, 2009 (message contributor)
Summary: Comfort in time of trouble
Psalm 23:4 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."
Introduction
King David is the best person to write such a psalm about the shepherd and sheep because He was a shepherd, practically from childhood (following in the footsteps of his father Jesse), all the way to young adulthood. He writes from experience, the relationship of a shepherd with his sheep and mirrored it to our relationship with God, the Shepherd of our life.
Today we want to look at verse 4 alone, and learn the 3 perspectives to the journey of life. David says, "Even though I walk through the valley
Key Points
(1) ACCEPT THE REALITY OF THE VALLEY.
Why do they need to go through valley if that’s a difficult path?
Shepherds tell us at least once a year they will take their flock on a longer journey to the mountains. During spring, they will glaze in the fields nearer home while the mountaintops are still covered with snow. And so summer is the time to seek newer fields further away up the hills. The route takes them through the valleys because it’s cooler under the summer heat, and it’s a well-watered route. The journey may not be easy, but it is necessary.
There will be valleys in life. Days when the sun doesn’t shine as bright, when things look gloomy and sad. You wish to have mountain top kind of feeling everyday, but that isn’t real. You failed your exam. Your good friend turned his back on you. Your boss tells you off. Nobody seems to be bothered with you. Don’t be too surprised by them. Valleys are inevitable.
Learn to accept the reality of the valley.
Don’t go into self-pity, and tell yourself that you’re the only one suffering so much, everyone is happy and I’m going through a tough time. A teenage boy wrote on MSN in his personal caption, "Everyone is against me because of Christianity. I’ll burnt all the Bibles and pray to satan.
Don’t fall into the trap. There will be persecution and problems in life. Life cannot always be smooth, always this mountain-top happy feeling. And God is not to blame. He is innocent. In fact, He is in it with us in the valley. So we need to stay strong and walk on.
But we must first accept the reality of the valley - there will be difficult days and difficult times. Everyone will face them. Some more, some less. Some deeper, others not so deep. Some longer, some shorter. But we all face them.
Listen to what Jesus said:
Matt 5:45, "He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous." Jesus said, John 16:33 "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." In order words, we are told to LOOK at Him and not the troubles.
(2) WATCH HOW YOU RESPOND IN THE VALLEY.
It will either make you or break you.
When hardship, trouble, pain, suffering, mental illness, depression, broken relationships, broken homes, abused, bullied, sickness, indebted etc... hits us. We often fall in to self harm, self pity, anger, suicidal, hate, we feel rejected and so on.
What we need to do is to pause and readjust our focus. You can’t really drive a car probably when the windscreen is foggy. You wipe the windscreen clean first then drive.
You can’t really walk probably if your eyes are blurring. You get glasses so that you can see probably, so you will be able to walk.
Likewise with our life’s journey. Things will not always be beautiful. Things will not always make sense. Things will hurt us during our journey. It’s how we react to it, determines who we really are.
WE WORTH MORE THAN THE EARTH WE LIVE IN. WE WORTH MORE THAN THE GALAXY OUR EARTH IS IN. WE WORTH MORE THAN THE UNIVERSE THAT OUR SOLAR SYSTEM IS IN. WE WORTH MORE THAN THE WHOLE MULTIVERSES.
What is my proof?
16) "For God so loved and dearly prized the world, that He gave His One and only begotten Son, so that whoever believes and trusts in Him (as Saviour) shall not perish, but have Eternal Life.
17) For God did not send His Son (Jesus Christ) into the world to judge and condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.
I commit my life in Jesus’ hands when I finally digest the true meaning of this promise over 30years ago. I grew up as a Christian but lost my way and do things, that I’m not proud of when I was a street kid. Things that will make you go WTH!
