By: Dr. Steven K. Parker
Reflection on the week:
· Have you faced any crossroads decisions lately?
· Why was that decision so difficult? Did you sense God leading you?
Approaching God’s word: Spend a few moments in silent prayer and meditation, asking God to open your heart to His word for you.
Reading the text: If you missed this week’s message, you can access it here. Spend some time today meditating on the beautiful words of this prayerful song. Focus on the words, “He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake,” as you read.
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
for 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. (Psalm 23)
Reflection on the passage:
What do you think the Psalmist means when he says, “He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake”?
Why do you think this leadership was so important for sheep? Why is God’s righteous guidance so important for us?
Pastoral Thoughts:
Should we keep our kids at home or send them back to school through a hybrid model of learning? How should we handle the church’s re-launch and the daycare’s re-opening? How do we respond to the great polarized divide of our current political season? Life has a way of throwing crossroads decisions in front of us and we aren’t always sure which path to take. What should I do with my career? Which direction should I go with my education? These are just a few of the many “should I turn this way or that way” decisions we face daily. It can be anxious when life feels so uncertain and we are unclear on which path to take. Psalm 23 reminds us that God hasn’t left us to muddle through life on our own. As we plunge deeper into this great Psalm, we do so reflecting upon what it means to be led day-by-day, moment-by-moment, by the God who really does have our best interests at heart.
Sheep can be head-strong and difficult to manage. They have very poor eyesight, unable to see more than ten or fifteen yards ahead. They also aren’t considered the brightest critters in the animal kingdom. It’s interesting that God’s people are so often compared to animals that are difficult to handle, lack vision, and have trouble finding their way home. If you’re like me, you tend to resemble that description. Sheep follow the shepherd, trusting that the shepherd is leading in the right direction. Like sheep, we have a tendency to go astray…to get sidetracked…to lose sight of where we need to go. We get lost. We need guidance. We lose our way and need direction. It’s a good thing that the Good Shepherd really does lead us “in the paths of righteousness.”
The LORD leads us in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. This path of righteousness is for the sake of His name. God’s righteousness is characterized by things like justice, grace, mercy, forgiveness, and love. God leads us down paths that honor His name…His character…His Spirit; God’s paths always build up His people in fellowship. If we are not growing in fellowship and helping others grow in fellowship; if God’s justice doesn’t flow from our lives; if we don’t show love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness then we are not following the LORD. When we follow the Good Shepherd, we begin to love the ones He loves, to serve the ones He came to serve, to show justice, grace, and mercy that honors His name.
It’s hard to know what to do when faced with crossroads decisions. We don’t always know which path to take and that can be an unsettling part of life. This Psalm seems to say that if we make following the Good Shepherd our top priority, a lot of decisions will take care of themselves. If we are walking in the paths of His righteousness, honoring Jesus with how we think, speak, and act, then we will, more often than not, choose the right path. Jesus said, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33). When we do that, we discover that the LORD really does lead us “in the paths of righteousness.”
Further Reflection:
· How can we be sure that we are following closely behind the Good Shepherd?
· Spend a few moments in prayer, asking God to lead you in His righteous path for His glory.
Praying together:
LORD, thank you for leading us. Forgive us for when we don’t follow close enough behind to see where You are leading and end up straying away from Your path. Bring us back to the right road. Show us Your righteous path and strengthen us as we try and follow right behind You by faith. Amen.
Looking ahead:
We hope you’ll join us for worship on Sunday as we continue this study on the 23rd Psalm titled: Following the Good Shepherd in Tumultuous Times, considering what it’s like to follow God through Death Valley. Please pray for our church’s leadership as we make decisions regarding the timing of our re-launch of in-person services. If you are feeling the need for face-to-face contact and want to be a part of our pre-re-launch services, please call the church office at 956-968-9585 and we will do our best to accommodate you.