The Lord Is My Shepherd | God’s Purpose in Life’s Challenges

Pastor Greg Laurie recommends a great film about the 40th President of the United States. We have a movie that's going to tell you the story of this man who changed the world. Ronald Reagan was a man who believed in Jesus Christ.

You're going to be inspired by it in this brand-new film starring Dennis Quaid. It's called Reagan, and it's our gift to you for your gift of any size. Available on DVD and digital download at harvest.org. We all love mountaintop experiences.

We're on top of the world, but Pastor Greg Laurie has some important perspective. Fruit does not grow on mountaintops. It grows in valleys. Then I know we'll say, I don't do valleys, Lord.

I just like the good times when the sun is out and the birds are singing and the sky is blue. I don't want to go through those valleys, but the fact of the matter is, is if you want to get to that mountaintop, you're going to have to go through that valley first. A tree goes through a torturous process to become fine furniture.

There's the felling and the debarking and the cutting and the planing and the sanding and the drilling and the gluing and the pounding, but the final product can serve people for generations. Today on A New Beginning, Pastor Greg Laurie helps us see how the challenges we face in life may not be pleasant. In fact, may seem downright torturous, but the Lord uses those to shape us and the people He wants us to be. Today I'm very excited because I'm going to study one of my favorite passages in all of the Bible, Psalm 23.

So let's read it now together. Psalm 23, the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures. He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul. He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me. Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies.

Thou anointest my head with oil, my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. So here's point number one. Very simple.

Very obvious. The Lord is our shepherd. The Lord is our shepherd. Now when we think of shepherd, when we think of shepherds, we imagine an idyllic scene. A shepherd calmly watching over his tranquil little flock out in a field somewhere.

Maybe the sun is setting. But actually, the shepherd was more than just a guy who watched over a flock of sheep. He was a warrior. He was a protector.

He was a provider. Listen to this. No matter what you are facing, remember the almighty God, the creator of the universe, is your shepherd. Number two, God is our shepherd and we are His sheep. We are His sheep.

And that is not a compliment. Sheep are really one of the dumbest animals. They can't run. They can't claw. They can't bite. They are like leg of lamb for the taking. Now might as well just walk around with mint jelly. Here I am.

Make a sweater out of my fur and then have me for lunch. It will all be good. And so sometimes the shepherd has to save the sheep from themself because they are so wayward. They are so foolish and he has to be there watching over them. The Lord is our shepherd. Number three, our shepherd is our provider. Our shepherd is our provider. Verse one, the Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside the still waters. Not only are our sheep defenseless, they are also helpless.

They are completely dependent on the shepherd for provision. And you are too. Well, Greg, I don't know, you know. I mean, yes, but also I built an amazing career through my hard work, my brilliant investments, my shrewd decisions, and my deep humility. I've become the success that I am.

And there's no question that many people go out, often entrepreneurial folks, and they accomplish great things and make a lot of money. But just remember, God gave you the ability to do that. Number four, our shepherd is our restorer. He restores us. Coming back to what he says, the Lord is my shepherd.

I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul. Oh yes, sheep need restoration. Jesus told the story of a shepherd who had 100 sheep.

One went astray. So he left the 99 and searched for that one stray lamb until he found it. He wrapped it around his shoulders and came back rejoicing. And then he said, in the same way, there's rejoicing in heaven over every sinner that comes to repentance. That's by the way in Luke chapter 15. And in that same sequence of teachings, Jesus then tells the story of the prodigal son. That wayward boy ran away from home, went to a distant land, spent all of his money, drug the family name to the gutter, finally came to his senses, and returned home, never expecting to be treated as a son. He thought he had forfeited that. He just thought, if I can just get a job working for my dad, that's even better than the way I'm living now. But when the father saw him a great way off, and Jesus told this story to show us what God is like, the father saw him and threw his arms around his son and said, son, welcome home. And he put new clothes on him and a ring on his finger signifying sonship. And then he said, this my son who was dead is alive again. And he who was lost is now found.

So here's the point. We may go astray, but that doesn't stop us from being children of God. You don't lose your relationship with God.

You just lose your fellowship with God. And sometimes sheep go astray as well. It's called being cast down. So what happens is the sheep will go out and wander off on its own, and they'll get cast down. David even wrote about this in Psalm 42. He said, why are you cast down, oh my soul?

Why are you disturbed within me? So what it means to be cast down is a sheep, usually the fat ones I might add, will be eating, he'll lay on his side, and then he rolls on his back, maybe in a little ravine or a little ditch, and he gets stuck on his back. Sort of like a turtle, you know, how they can't get back up. He's stuck on his back. That's called being cast down. So the sheep's there stuck. He has this little life alert.

He's trying to get it. I've fallen, and I can't get up, you know. And the only way that sheep is going to be restored is if the shepherd walks up to the sheep, picks him up, and puts him back on his feet again. And we get cast down as well. So David says, why are you cast down, oh my soul?

That's what he's referring to. Why are you so disturbed within me? And then correcting his thinking, he says, put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. Okay, so number five, our shepherd, Jesus, is cast down. He says, five, our shepherd is our guide.

Our shepherd is our guide. David writes, verse four, 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. Am I talking to somebody right now that's in a very deep, dark, scary valley, so to speak? Perhaps it was unexpected circumstances that have overwhelmed you.

Perhaps it was a time, or is a time, where you even feel that God has abandoned you. Maybe it's a valley of sickness. Maybe it's a legal problem. Maybe it's a family problem.

Maybe it's some other kind of problem, an addiction problem. And you're in this valley, and it seems like you're never going to get out of it. Well, David was no stranger to calamity and hardship. He knew what it was like to suffer. He had been to the valley of the shadow of death after he was anointed king.

What a wonderful day that was. But immediately, King Saul, threatened by this upstart, makes it the mission of his life to kill David. And David has to literally go into the wilderness and flee. And then later, after David ascended to the throne and became king, his own son Absalom turned on him and betrayed him.

And he was running from Absalom. So he knew what it was like to go through valleys. And I know, we'll say, I don't do valleys, Lord. I just do mountaintops.

I just like the good times when the sun is out and the birds are singing and the sky is blue. And I don't want to go through those valleys. But the fact of the matter is, is if you want to get to that mountaintop, you're going to have to go through that valley first. But you're going to learn things in that valley you will not learn anywhere else.

Listen to this. Fruit does not grow on mountaintops. It grows in valleys. When I say fruit, I'm talking about spiritual fruit. Job talked about the suffering he went through. And he says, God knows where I'm going.

And when he tests me, I will come out as pure gold. So whatever you're going through, there's a purpose. There's meaning in it.

It's not random. God's in control. Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death. David did not write, yea though I collapse and die in the valley of the shadow of death. Nor did he say, yea though I crawl through the valley of the shadow of death. He said, yea though I walk through the valley. In other words, I'm going to keep walking. I'm going to get up and I'm going to keep walking forward. I'm going to keep moving and God is going to get me through it. Your shepherd did not say you're merely going to go to the valley. He said, you're going to go through the valley. You're going to get through your valley.

You're going to get through your storm. Jesus once said to his disciples, get on the boat. We're going over the other side. And of course they got on the boat and a big storm came and they were probably pretty scared. But he did not say, let's go in the boat and drown in the middle of Galilee.

I don't think anyone would have boarded the little boat. He said, let's get to the other side. He did not promise them smooth sailing, but he promised them a safe arrival.

The same is true for us. We're going to get to the other side. We're going to get through our valley. Pastor Greg Laurie will have the second half of his message in just a moment. Hey everybody, I want to encourage you to join us for something we call Harvest at Home. It happens every Sunday at harvest.org and on our brand new app Harvest Plus, which is available on your mobile TV devices. Download it now and you can watch Harvest at Home with Christians from around the world as we worship together and study God's word. So again, join us for Harvest at Home at harvest.org or on Harvest Plus. Well today, Pastor Greg is offering some practical lessons drawn from the comforting 23rd Psalm, the Shepherd Psalm.

Let's continue. Number six, our shepherd loves us. Our shepherd loves us. Look at verse four, your rod and your staff, they comfort me. Now do you know what a rod and a staff are? So a staff, that's that long crooked instrument we so often associate with a shepherd and a rod.

It's a club. Okay, so the staff was used to pull in a wayward sheep. So the sheep's going astray, shepherd reaches out with the staff, pulls them in, sheep goes astray again, shepherd repeats it, keeps using it, but then you have that one wayward sheep that won't stop going astray and we already found out what happens when one walks off a cliff. So the shepherd may have to use a rod and give the sheep a good whack. Better to have a broken leg than to be leg of lamb.

So in the same way in our life, God uses the staff. Now Greg, I don't want you to do that. Come on back here. Now hey, I don't want you to do that. Christine, you come back over here. Hey, I don't want you to do that.

Josh, that's not my plan for you. Hey Sarah, that's not where I want you to go and you disobey and you disobey and the Lord says don't make me use this rod, but I will if I have to. And then He uses it and we say God doesn't love me. Now that's actually an indication that God does love you.

You say, how do you get to that? Because Jesus said in Revelation 3 19, I correct and discipline everyone I love. Okay, so if you're being disciplined by God, that is a reminder you are a child of God and you are loved by God. On the other hand, if you can go and blatant open outright sin without any conviction or any remorse or any guilt, I'm concerned for your soul. But if you have those pings of guilt, it means your conscience is working.

His rod and His staff, they comfort us. You know, God also tells us in Hebrews 12, if God doesn't discipline you as He does all of His children, it means you're illegitimate and you're not really His children at all. Now I can't discipline someone else's kid.

Sometimes I wish I could. I see bad children. Maybe that's not the right word, but they're behaving badly. We'll put it that way.

Disrespectful, troublemaking, doing things they should not do and I look at them and I think bad parenting, right? They need direction and we need direction as well because we have a natural tendency to go astray and to get ourselves into trouble. Okay, point number seven. We're almost done. Our shepherd will protect us and get us safely to heaven. Our shepherd will protect us and get us safely to heaven. Drop down to verse five. You prepare a table before me in the presence of mine enemies. You anoint my head with oil.

My cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. The Christian has three primary enemies. The world, the flesh, and the devil. The world with its allure is the external foe. The flesh with its evil enticements is the internal foe and satan with his temptations is the infernal foe. So the world, the flesh, and the devil. And every day we're going to get barraged by temptation coming in some way shape or form. But God promises He'll prepare a table before us in the presence of your enemies.

By the way, this is a table for two. You and Jesus. The devil is not invited. Don't give the devil a seat at your table. Don't let him enter the conversation.

The Bible says resist the devil and he will flee from you. The problem is we'll say I'm not going to give in to what you're offering but just for the record what are you offering? Let's hear it. Well, he's happy to give you a little sample. He's happy to let you take a test drive.

He's happy to put out what he has that will ultimately pull you down so you don't allow that. You are the air controller of your mind. You are the DJ of your set list.

You decide what songs are going to be played. Not somebody else. Not the devil.

You decide. Don't give the devil a seat at your table. I love how he ends. I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. I'm going to get through this valley. I'm going to get through the challenges of life and my shepherd will lovingly receive me into his presence on that final day.

Listen to this. Only the person who has said the Lord is my shepherd can also say I shall not want. And only the person who says the Lord is my shepherd can also say and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. It's often said we're all children of God.

That's really not true technically and theologically. Now we're all created by God. We're all loved by God. We're all made in the image of God but we're separated from God by our sin. But the way that I become a child of God. The way that he becomes my shepherd and I become his sheep is when I believe in him. Because our good shepherd Jesus Christ became the lamb. The shepherd became the lamb who takes away the sin of the world.

Where a normal lamb is defenseless and has no ability to defend itself in any way Christ could have gotten out of the situation he found himself in as he stood before the Roman governor Pontius Pilate. Christ with just a word to heaven could have found angelic deliverance but he laid his life down as a lamb would and he was sacrificed and his blood was shed and then our lamb became the shepherd. And if you want to become his child you must believe in him.

The bible says for as many as believed in him or received him rather he gave them the power to become sons of God. So if you want to have this relationship with God where you can say the Lord is my shepherd I shall not want. If you want to have this relationship with God where you will say I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever you have to ask him to come into your life and turn from your sin and believe in him and that can happen for you now. So we're going to close in prayer and I want to extend an invitation for anyone here who has never asked Jesus to come into their life to do it. You will not regret this.

This is the greatest decision you will ever make in life. Let's pray. Father I pray for any who are here who don't know you yet. They don't know you as their shepherd. They don't know you as their loving father in heaven.

They're just alone in life and they're afraid trying to make their way in the dark not even knowing where they're going. And here you are the light of the world. Here you are the good shepherd. Here you are the God in heaven who loves them and you're ready to enter into a relationship with them. You're ready to enter their hearts but they must believe. And I pray for any listening watching wherever they are if they have not yet believed let this be the moment they put their faith in Jesus Christ. And while our heads are bowed and our eyes are closed maybe you would like Christ to come into your life. And if you want your sin forgiven.

If you want to know that when you die you will go to heaven. If you want the Lord to be your shepherd. If you want him to be your father then pray this prayer with me. You could pray it out loud if you like.

Just pray these words Lord Jesus I'm like a lost lamb. I don't know where I'm going but I need you as my shepherd. Thank you for dying on that cross for me and shedding your blood for my sin.

I turn from my sin now and I choose to follow you from this moment forward as my shepherd. As my God. As my Lord.

And as my friend. Thank you for hearing this prayer and answering this prayer. In Jesus name I pray.

Amen. An important prayer from Pastor Greg Laurie with those making a change in their relationship with God today. And if you've just prayed those words and you've meant them sincerely then the Lord has heard your prayer and has forgiven you of your sin. And we want to welcome you into the family of God. Let us help you begin to grow in your new faith. Pastor Greg wants to send you his New Believers Bible. It has hundreds of special helps just for those who are new to the faith.

It'll answer your questions and help you build a solid foundation for spiritual growth. We'll send it to you free of charge. Just ask for the New Believers Bible when you call 1-800-821-3300. That's 1-800-821-3300. Or write A New Beginning, Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514.

Or go online to harvest.org. And then let us say a word of thanks to those who support us financially. Those who make it possible for us to bring you these studies each day. We're definitely a listener supported ministry. It's the generosity of listeners that help us be here with these programs. So if you've partnered with us, thank you. And if you have yet to partner with us, I hope you'll get in touch today and let us know that you're standing with us. Even a small investment would help.

It's actually an investment in changing lives. Thank you for partnering with us. You can donate securely online at harvest.org. Or write A New Beginning, Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514. Or call us at 1-800-821-3300. Again, that's 1-800-821-3300. Well, next time, more insights from Pastor Greg's studies in the Book of Psalms. It's a message with a reassuring title, Don't Be Afraid. Join us here on A New Beginning with pastor and Bible feature, Greg Laurie.