APRIL 30^TH 2017

PSALM 23

BY PASTOR WALE ADEFARASIN

Why did David write the psalms? My conclusion is that he didn’t write it for my benefit or yours but his own benefit. David would take a step back
and see how awesome God is and begin to praise Him. At other times David would examine his life and what God had done through, for and in his life.
At times David would complain bitterly.

There is nothing wrong with letting God know how you feel in your heart. There were many Psalms that David wrote just to encourage and speak to himself.
There are many things that David said in the Psalms that would encourage us. There are many things we ought also as a matter of course to begin
to say especially as looking into the future, our nation many don’t have hope, but here is the news, there is hope in Christ Jesus He will never
leave nor forsake His own. If for the sake of 10 he was prepared to spare Sodom and Gomorrah then for the sake of 10 He will spare this nation.

It is important to encourage ourselves. David was speaking to himself when he wrote Psalm 23

The opening of the psalm “the Lord is my Shepherd…” He is not my employee. If translated into Yoruba it will be Oluso aguntan mi. This is directly
translated as “The Lord is the Shepherd of my sheep…” I am the sheep and he is my shepherd.

When David said the Lord is my shepherd, what he meant was I will do nothing except that which He directs me to do. That sentiment is also conveyed
in the word “Lord” which means master. How many of us have made Him our shepherd? How many of us will not move/budge unless God leads us or directs
us. We have to get this to understand Psalm 23 because such is the relationship between the sheep and the shepherd that there is implicit trust.
Faith is not belief without proof it is trust without reservation. We must have total trust in the shepherd to call ourselves
the sheep. He has made so many promises to us. He said I will never leave you nor forsake you, He says there is nothing that can separate you from
the love I have for you, He says ears have not heard, eyes have not seen, neither has it entered into the hearts of man what he has prepared for
you. This is a loving father, but to be His sheep we must have implicit trust in Him. That is why David was able to say, “The Lord is my Shepherd
I will not want” because I know the kind of shepherd he is. He will meet every need I have, This is because he take uttermost care of all His sheep.

In verse 2 “He maketh me to lie down in green pastures” I want to emphasises the word Maketh

He makes me enter into rest. He reassures me constantly that it is well with my soul. He has only the best laid up for me. He will not lead me into
brown pastures, but to green pastures“He leads me beside the still waters” God is not interested in our having stressful lives he wants us to be
at rest. Our rest is tied to our faith. If we are truly going to rest in God, it must be a rest of faith. No matter what we see we will not be
moved, except by what he says. God’s purpose for us is peace and rest.

I was reading a book published recently from one of our members “The richer woman” and I will like to extract a few things and direct it to fathers
with daughters in their tens or teens.

A girl child needs affirmation from her father. A girl child need to know she is loved by her father. You love your daughters I am sure, but do they
know? Do they feel a sense of affirmation in their life? If they don’t they will go after affirmation from other men. The author of the book mentioned
how she sought affirmation from people who were only too ready to give her affirmation for their own selfish reasons.

We have a father and we don’t have to wait until we enter into eternity to hear the words “well done good and faithful servant” He is happy to let
you know that he is well pleased with you right now. If you have made him your shepherd. The restful waters and the green pastures are a place of implicit trust. A
place where we can trust him without reservation and know that he will always come through.

Verse 3 “He restores my soul” and here in lies the problem. As we go through our journey of life, every day of our life there is a potential
blemish on our soul. We face pain. Sometimes the pain of betrayal, offense, failure and discouragement. Our soul is where our mind, will and emotions
are. When He says he restores our soul he is constantly working to wash away the pains, attitudes, habits and things that wouldn’t make this walk
an easy walk.

Romans 12:2 unless we allow him, as he is the only one who can renew our minds by his spirit

Unless we allow him renew our minds. In life we go through all kinds of complexes, attitudes and pains. One of the thing that hurts me the most is
that in our society we have too many abused children. David knew that there is none other to turn to for the restoration of the soul except the
Shepherd. The one who has all his interests at heart.

None of us can say we don’t need a restoration of our soul. The more we tell ourselves that he restores my soul, the more he is able to restore our
soul “He leadeth me in the path of righteousness for his name sake”There are many teaching going around in churches today, but straight
is the gate and narrow is the way that leads to life. Broad is the way that leads to death.

We have a shepherd who takes us by the hand and leads us down the path of righteousness

Verse 4 “yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I shall fear no evil” The principal thing here is “No fear” God has not
given us a spirit of fear but of power and of love and sound mind.

I was explaining to a young child that a dog will see you and begin to growl at you and bare their teeth, but if they don’t sense fear its growling
will subside and it will begin to step back

Fear only encourages the opposition against you. We must not be afraid, but sometimes we need a little bit of fear that will not allow us to do what
we shouldn’t do. There is always a reason in our culture to fear evil but God has got it covered “For thou art with me, thy rod and thy staff they comfort me”

The staff of a shepherd has a crook in it. The crook was meant to bring the sheep back into line when going astray and the rod was for the wolves.

Verse 5 “thou prepareth a table before me in the presence of mine enemies” Don’t worry about enemies. Just walk in the path of righteousness. “Thou anointest my head with oil my cup runneth over”. The
shepherd anoints its sheep with oil to keep the flies at bay. Flies are a symbol of Beelzebub.

God anoints your head with oil to keep away the forces of darkness from your life. The anointing is the enablement to do what you can’t do in your
power by his power. If you want to know if the power of God is moving in a church, the evidence is transformed lives. Not raising the dead. Sometimes
you need to be in the overflow because of the mission God has called you into “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow you all the days of your
life”. That word surely means be assured that God will follow you. God has assigned two soldiers to your side (one called goodness and the other
called mercy) Nothing can change the goodness of God. He is always good. “And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever and ever Amen”

Out of his presence there is the fullness of joy His presence is for Christians to be in.