Tag: Psalms

Desperate People: Personal

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This is a lesson I prepared for a Sunday School class series titled, “Desperate People of the Bible.” The lessons are meant to be a mix of teaching and interactive discussion in the group. This is an outline of my presentation that guided the teaching and discussion.

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Psalm 23

Desperate People – Sunday School Winter 2025
Sunday School Lesson | February 23, 2025

For the lesson today, we’re going to look at the familiar Psalm 23 in maybe an unfamiliar way. This Psalm has been a source of tremendous comfort and encouragement in the midst of my own personal desperation and I know I am probably not alone in this area. During the last holiday season from Thanksgiving to Christmas, I spent every day meditating on a portion of this Psalm. I wrote 9 journal entries during this time that helped me take my ongoing meditations throughout the day and brought them to the Good Shepherd as a personal prayer. I am still reaping the benefits of this deep engagement.

Psalm 23 is a beautiful Psalm of the goodness of God in the lives of his people. A Psalm of meeting us exactly where we are and providing the tender sweet mercies we so desperately need.

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Teach Me

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Teach me to do your will, for you are my God! Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground!

Psalm 143:10 (ESV)

“Teach me to do your will.” This is a prayer request full of faith, trust, and humility. David is inviting the God of the universe to come and teach him obedience. For to do the will of the Lord is to be obedient to the Lord. In this prayer of David we see the heart of Jesus at work. Jesus learned obedience through suffering and David is setting the same example before us. David is acknowledging that his heart is not always aligned with the will of God. David’s heart wanders away from the Lord and is inclined toward sinful actions and decisions. David desires to be in alignment with the will of God, so he asks to be taught. He is inviting God to teach him through correction, suffering, and hardship. David knows that this is the path of holiness. How can he shake off his fear and make this request? David understands that he is not asking some distant, dispassionate god. No, he is asking his God. The God that loves and cares for him.

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Morning Hope

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Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.

Psalm 30:5b (ESV)

Hope is such a beautiful thing and yet it is often the one thing we forget about in the midst of trials, hardships, and sufferings. When we are struggling, it often feels like we are alone in the dark, isolated from the rest of the world. We are apt to just sit in our pain and bemoan our situation, letting the roots of despair take hold. The darkness often feels so incredibly strong and oppressive. So much so that we lose hope. We lose hope in ever seeing and experiencing relief. We begin to believe that our weeping will not just tarry for the night, but that the night may never end. Yet, the Psalmist reminds us that the night will not always be as it is. Morning will come. And the coming of the morning brings joy. Joy and hope in the Lord.

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Life Again

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Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you?

Psalm 85:6 (ESV)

Revive us. Bring life to us. Cause us to live once again. Psalm 85 is a prayer to the Lord to once again bring revival to the people of God. A prayer to our steadfast and faithful God to once again meet with us, to be among us, and to restore us again. This psalm calls for us to remember the past restorations that our God has brought into our lives. It challenges us to not get caught in the trap of saying, “What have you done for me lately?” We are to be in a position of truly understanding that our prayer for restoration, our prayer for revival, will not go unanswered because the faithfulness of the Lord in our past is the true indicator of his faithfulness to us in the future. What we need is a humble assessment of our spiritual state and a humble awareness of our proclivity to give sin power in our life. We need to feel, know, and long for the Lord to revive us again… and again… and again. Why? That we may rejoice in Him. That we may find true joy in Christ alone.

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Forever House

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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 23:6 (ESV)

In this final verse, the Psalmist has moved from first talking about the Lord, then talking to the Lord, and now this last verse comes full circle as he speaks words of assurance and promise to himself. After five verses of describing the presence of the Shepherd Lord leading and caring for his sheep and the Psalmist in particular, the Psalmist summarizes all he has spoken of by reminding himself of the steadfast love of the Lord for his children. The goodness and mercy of the Lord will be with him all the days of his life and when this life is finished, the Psalmist will be in the presence of the Lord as he dwells with him in heaven above. The paths of righteousness that the Shepherd is leading him will take him through both the mountain tops and the valley lows. He will lead him through the brightness of day and the shadow of deep darkness. In every step along the path, the goodness and mercy of Christ is there all the days of his life. And when the path is completed and the time has come to enter the destination, the Psalmist reveals that he will be in the house of the Lord forever – for days without end!

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Extravagant Anointing

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you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

Psalm 23:5b (ESV)

In the first part of Psalm 23, the Psalmist speaks about the Shepherd to us as he describes the goodness of his actions (e.g. “He makes”, “He leads”, “He restores”). There is a shift in his description as the Psalmist begins to walk through the valley of deep darkness. He changes from talking about the Shepherd to speaking with the Shepherd (e.g. “You are with me”, “Your rod”, “Your staff”, “You prepare”) and it is the same with the second half of verse 5. The Psalmist speaks to the Shepherd as he remembers that it is the Shepherd who anoints him with oil. It’s a wonderful picture of the extravagant generosity, care, and grace of the Good Shepherd as he lavishes these good things on his sheep. Even as he is reclining at table with the Shepherd in the presence of his enemies, the Psalmist tells us that the Shepherd anoints his head with a fragrant oil. An oil that brings healing to his physical body both through care and refreshment of his skin along with the reviving aroma he takes in through his senses. In this verse, you can feel the spirit of the Psalmist being lifted as he declares, “my cup overflows.” It wasn’t just a refreshing for that singular moment, it was a refreshing from the Shepherd to overflowing, meant to carry him onward in his journey.

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Table Fellowship

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You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;

Psalm 23:5a (ESV)

Of all the wonderful promises and word pictures that the Psalmist writes, this verse is far and away my favorite. As we continue being led in paths of righteousness that bring us to walk through the valley of the deep darkness, the Lord himself is there with us and we should have no fear. We should be fearless in this walk. It is at this point that the Psalmist desires for us to let this thought sink deep within us. It is at the point of walking through the valley of deep darkness that we learn that the Shepherd prepares a table before us. He sets the table in the middle of the valley, surrounded by our enemies. The Shepherd is completely unconcerned with our enemies. He is only concerned with enjoying fellowship and communion with the ones he is leading. The Shepherd wants us to stop and rest. He wants us to cast off all our burdens and dine with him. To be refreshed by him.

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Shepherd’s Instruments

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your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

Psalm 23:4b (ESV)

The first part of Psalm 23:4 gives us an encouragement to be fearless as we travel through the valley of the shadow of death because our Good Shepherd is there with us. The second part of verse four points us to the reasons we can be fearless as we are led through the valley by our Shepherd. As we look upon our Shepherd and reflect on his presence before us and among us, we will see his two instruments of leadership: his rod and his staff. As we are led through the valley, the sight of our Good Shepherd going before us with both his rod of discipline and protection along with his staff of gentle care and guidance will bring great joy and encouragement to our hearts. It is the holy use of his rod and staff in our lives that gives us confidence, trust and fearlessness as we follow his leadership down the paths of righteousness for his glory.

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Path Through the Valley

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Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me;

Psalm 23:4a (ESV)

The Shepherd is leading me in paths of righteousness, and this conjures up an image of peace and tranquility in my mind. These paths of righteousness always seem to bring a picture of a mountaintop view and experience. Then verse four follows and rightly corrects my misunderstanding and reminds me that the paths of righteousness are for the name of Christ. And being that these paths are to shape and mold me to be more like my Savior, then I must necessarily walk through the valley beside the mountain where the deep darkness lies. A deep darkness where evil and death lurk. The deep darkness of the valley, which will inevitably bring about a sense of fear and trembling into my heart. Yet, the psalmist proclaims that he will not fear this deep darkness in the valley because his Good Shepherd is with him. His Shepherd is leading him in paths of righteousness that go through the valley of the deep darkness. The Shepherd has designed that he and the psalmist walk through this valley together. And as long as the Shepherd is there with him, the psalmist has no need to fear as he travels.

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Paths of Righteousness

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

Psalm 23:3b (ESV)

After having led me beside still waters and revitalizing my life, the Good Shepherd now continues his leading of my life by bringing me into paths of righteousness. The Shepherd provides for my every need. He is concerned for my rest and refreshment. He cares for my soul. It is in this well-cared-for state of contentment in the good provision of my loving Shepherd that I am now able to walk the paths of righteousness. These paths of righteousness are designed to make me like Jesus each and every day. These paths are character-building opportunities designed to teach, mold, and shape me to better reflect and point people back to the Good Shepherd. It is all for the namesake of Jesus.

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