Sermon Psalm 23 continued

For the month of September, I am using a sermon that I wrote on the 23rd Psalm. It is a different kind of sermon for me, because I am doing something that my Homiletics teacher, the late Dr. Poovy said not to do, that is bringing the exegesis into the pulpit. He always said to proclaim the gospel, but keep the exegesis in the study. However, with this sermon, I found that the exegesis brings the Psalm alive for the preacher and the congregation.

Since I am limited to around 400 to 500 words for an article, I am going to spread this sermon over 4 weeks.

"Psalm 23--A life of faith"

Week 2

So he thinks and writes,

"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."

As he watches the shepherd, he thinks of all the places he has been, all the things he has done, and he thinks about God's hand in all of this. As he watches the shepherd lead his flock through the pasture to find rest for the night, as he thinks about the path the shepherd and flock came on, the winding path up the side of the mountain, he thinks about the path of his life. He thinks about God as his guide, his shepherd, the one who gave meaning and purpose to his life. He thinks back upon all that has happened in his life, and he concludes that God's guiding hand has lead him along the paths of righteousness or virtue, or salvation, whatever word you want to use to describe a life which was lead by the hand of God.

He thinks about this and he settles back into the grass with a contented look and a sense of peace within. He knows and he believes God has been with him all through life. God has led, he has followed. He thinks: "I might not have seen the hand of God so clearly as a youth, and in my young adult years, it was easy to loose sight of God with all the business of life, and in my middle years, in the less busy and hectic times, I have had the freedom to reflect upon my life and to see clearly the guiding hand of God."

He thinks and writes:

"He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake."

Can you relate to this poet? Have you ever wondered about the meaning and direction of your life? Is God leading you? Can you see God's guiding hand of salvation in your life?

Go To Page: 1 2

Articles in this Topic    Discussions in this Topic