Welcome and good morning everyone! So blessed to see everyone here today!
An atheist was walking through the woods. He heard a rustling in the bushes behind him. He turned to look and saw a huge 7 foot grizzly bear charge towards him. He ran as fast as he could up the path. He looked over his shoulder and saw that the bear was closing in on him. He tripped and fell on the ground. He rolled over to pick himself up but saw that the bear was right on top of him, reaching for him with his left paw and raising his right paw to strike him. At that instant moment, the atheist cried out “Oh my God!”
Time stopped. The bear froze. The forest was silent. A bright light shone upon the man and a voice came out of the sky. “You deny my existence for all these years and teach others I don’t exist. Do you expect me to help you out of this predicament? Am I to count you as a believer?’
The atheist looked directly into the light and said “It would be hypocritical of me to suddenly ask you to treat me as a Christian now, but perhaps you could make the bear a Christian?’
Very well” said the voice.
The light went out. The sounds of the forest resumed. The bear dropped his right paw, brought both paws together, bowed his head and spoke:
Lord, bless this food, which I am about to receive. Amen.”
This morning, we are going to talk about a familiar passage of Scripture from Psalm 23. The topic of our sermon is how we can handle stressful times with confidence. Psalm 23 is a Scripture that is deep in meaning and a powerful place that brings restoration to our soul. David wrote this Psalm really as a personal testimony of his experience with God. It shares the simplicity and beauty of God. We can experience God in the green pastures and beside the still waters. We can have the confidence that God will be there with us through times in the valley which we are going to delve into in just a moment.
We all deal with stress and some on deeper level than others. We need to have the right tools to handle stressful time. We live in a fast paced world, and we can all be very busy at times. We get into this busy mindset that we think it is wrong to take some time to be quite and still. God wants us to take the time in our busy lives to enjoy His green pastures. Let’s hop right into our text this morning in Psalm23: The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. 3 He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake. 4 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.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the LORD Forever.
I. The Lord is my Shepherd
A. Declaration
a. What a declaration that David makes to start out this beautiful picture. This picture was not made on an Canvas like Michelangelo or Van Go have painted on a canvas.
b. David was using a much different canvas, one in our minds and hearts.
c. David was saying that the Lord is His Shepherd. So my question for you here this morning, “Is the Lord Your Shepherd?”
B. Provider
a. Once the Lord is our Shepherd, the Psalmist makes that declaration that “I shall not want.”
b. At the end of Philippians, in Philippians 4:19 NKJV the Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Philippi “19 And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
c. God will provide all your needs.
d. Testimony – Our church was serving at the Iola car show and we were in need a cart to get from one restroom to the other and the car show did not have any to spare. After contacting a local golf course we were given a contact and God spoke to this persons heart to donate the golf cart rental to us.
e. Praise the Lord!!!!
C. Restoration
a. The Psalmist further wrote in verse three - 3 He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.
b. A couple of weeks ago we talked about Jonah. We talked about how God gave Jonah a second chance. He brought restoration to Jonah’s life.
c. Restoration is the action of returning something to it’s origin condition.
d. As a result of sin, mankind lost its right standing with God, the Lord came to bring about that restoration which results in clearing us a path to restoration.
II. Time in the Valley
A. Growth chart
a. As we continue with our text in verse four 4 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.
b. Up to this point, we see the Shepherd taking the sheep to some good green plush lands, still waters.
c. Then there is a shift in the text, as we read about the valley of the shadow of death.
d. Often, we think about this as the sheep going astray, now this is possible, as sheep are not the smartest animals in the animal kingdom. They are the not swiftest nor are they fiercest. Sheep really rely on the Shepherd for protection and provision.
e. Here we see the Shepherd walking them through the valley.
B. Lead there
a. I know you may be questioning right now “ Why would the good Shepherd lead them into the valley which is filled with dangers?
b. This is a great question. One that has many facets to it and could be answered in different ways.
c. The shepherd wanted to get the sheep to a better place. In order to get them to a better place, they had to walk through the valley to get there.
C. Dangerous valley
a. The shepherd knows that the valley is dangerous. He knows that there are predators like wolves, coyotes and other ferocious animals lurking around.
b. He also knows that rocks could fall down from the higher ground and that flooding could occur.
c. However, He also knows that in spite of all these hazards, the valley is the best way to take the flock to higher country.
D. Waling in your valley
a. Maybe as you are here this morning, you are walking through your own valley.
b. It is a place that you are not familiar with, a place that has taken you to the brink
c. Your valley could be a health issue, it could be a financial issue, it could be a job issue.
E. Remember
a. Just remember that the Lord is your Shepherd.
b. He is leading you through this season of your life for a reason.
c. That reason may not seem apparent to you at this very moment, but just trust Him and rest assured that He is taking you to a better place.
d. I love what Psalm 84:11 NKJV 11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield; The LORD will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold From those who walk uprightly.
e. The Apostle Paul wrote these encouraging words in Romans 8:28 NKJV 28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
f. While the valley is not fun to be in, we can learn to trust the Shepherd even more during this time.
III. Help for Time in the Valley
A. Time of stress
a. When you are in the valley, it is very easy to get stressed.
b. The Global Organization for stress reports that 75 percent of Americans experienced moderate to high stress levels in the past month.
c. 80 percent of people feel stress at work.
d. The American Institute of Stress reports that 120,000 people die annually as a direct result of work related stress. The resulting health care cost from work related stress totals an average of $190 billion a year.
e. Stress is not cheap!
B. Helpful Hints
a. When dealing with stress here are some helpful hints:
i. First, you need to recognize that there is a problem in your life. Once you. recognize the problem, you can then work towards a solution.
1. As Christians, we are not looking for problems, but we if we encounter them, we need to be solution seekers.
2. When we face problems, it requires us to be honest and evaluate ourselves.
3. Psalm 32:2 NKJV says 2 Blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity, And in whose spirit there is no deceit.
4. Once we are honest with ourselves, we can work toward the solution.
b. Secondly, we need to know that we all face different times and seasons in the valley and that you are not alone. You cannot beat yourself up. Take time to get help, to get a proper diet, to balance your work and home life.
i. Give yourself time and space to heal from traumatic events.
ii. You do not need to continue to relive all your poor decisions in life. Repent and move on!
c. Thirdly, in order to overcome stress in the valley, you need to trust God more than ever in your life.
i. I love what Paul says in Philippians 4:6-7 NKJV - Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
ii. God will not forsake you in the valley, Remember He is the one guiding you.
d. The bible is God’s love letter to mankind. It is filled with promise and comforting words. Take time to meditate on those promises. Promises like these
i. Deuteronomy 31:6NKJ V 6 Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.”
ii. Jeremiah 29:11 NKJV11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.
iii. John 14:27NKJV 27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
C. Having a thankful heart
a. Our last and final piece of relieving stress in your life when walking through the valley is to spend time thanking and praising God.
b. When we begin to Praise and thank the Lord something in the atmosphere shifts, something within us in our spirit shifts. We begin to take our eyes of all our problems and refocus them on God.
c. When our praises go up to the Lord, He sends down His blessings into our lives!
Closing:
As we wrap up our time here this morning, we can know that life can be challenging and complicated at times. There are times when we are more vulnerable than other times. As Christians, we need to depend fully on God for strength and guidance. I love how Psalm 23 ends let’s revisit that “ 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the LORD Forever.” To dwell in the house of the Lord Forever, both in our days on this earth and then beyond. That is a beautiful thought! To be continually in God’s Presence. Amen!
