PASTOR RYAN LADEN – DEVOTIONALS
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We continue in our examination of the way in which the Lord builds up a storehouse of strength and maturity in those who are willing to be led by the Great Shepherd. As we heard in the first three verses of Psalm 23, the Lord is at work in those who submit to his leadership, building the resilience and capacity of the faithful so that they will endure and even thrive in times of hardship.
Today we are going to focus on the message of verse four from Psalm 23. To prepare ourselves, let us be reminded of the whole of this great message:
1 The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, 3 he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
(Psalm 23:1-6 NIV11)
Focus
There is so much to be said about this whole psalm that we could never exhaust all the wisdom with which the Spirit of God infused this word. That is why we are now going to focus on the message of verse four.
Even though I walk through the darkest valley…
Even though. This is a hard word to accept. Even though we have a loving and gracious Great Shepherd who builds us up and leads us into his places of rest and refreshing, nevertheless, we will encounter times of hardship and trial.
This is a hard thing for many people to understand. How could a loving God allow pain to exist in the lives of those he loves? This one question has led many to allow doubt to cloud their thinking and eventually lead them away from the Lord.
While I could speak to this point from many perspectives, I want to draw you back to the pain that the Lord himself endured for the sake of broken and sinful people like me.
Jesus Christ did not need to experience pain, heartbreak, loss, betrayal, suffering, humiliation, and embarrassment in his time on earth. After all, he was the Immanuel, God in flesh appearing. Jesus Christ could have rejected any plot, any action, any emotion that did not bring him pleasure and happiness while in this flesh, yet he did no such thing. Jesus Christ embraced the full human experience, minus the pain that we inflict upon ourselves due to our sin.
He walked a path darker than any I have ever experienced and yet he remained in the love of God at all times. So it is with us. We will go through hard days for a huge number of reasons, but no matter how hard the path we walk, the Lord’s love and guidance never leave us.
He walked a path darker than any I have ever experienced, and yet he remained in the love of God at all times. So it is with us. We will go through hard days for a huge number of reasons, but no matter how hard the path we walk, the Lord’s love and guidance never leave us.
If, in the good days, while the sun is still shining, we are willing to allow the Lord to prepare us for the dark valleys, we will be able to trust in his guidance. But if we reject the time of preparation, reject his maturing leadership, then we will not be walking closely with the Lord when the dark days come, and we will indeed be filled with fear.
I will fear no evil, for you are with me…
Not everyone can say this line to God and others because not everyone is willing to follow the leadership of the Great Shepherd.
If, in the good days, while the sun is still shinning, we are willing to allow the Lord to prepare us for the dark valleys, we will be able to trust in his guidance. But if we reject the time of preparation, reject his maturing leadership, then we will not be walking closely with the Lord when the dark days come, and we will indeed be filled with fear.
We cannot wait until the darkness drops to start investing in our strength and bravery. We must allow the Lord to be our guide even now.
The Great Shepherd will walk with us in our dark hours, he will protect us when we are under attack, and he will be our peace when everything seems out of control.
Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
The Great Sheperd will walk with us in our dark hours, he will protect us when we are under attack, and he will be our peace when everything seems out of control.
But if we are going to call on his leadership in this way, we must also embrace his discipline and guidance. The rod and staff are good at warding off enemies, but they are also good at getting us to turn away from dangerous paths and to bring us back into line with God’s leadership.
Too many want the Lord to turn all their pain into joy without also allowing the Lord to address the sin in their hearts and in their minds.
Much of the pain I see in those around me is the result of sinful choices and actions, things that the Great Shepherd wants to drag us away from if we will submit to his leadership.
In Christ,
Ryan Laden
PASTOR RYAN LADEN
Works at MTN. CHURCH
Former Senior pastor at Warnbro Community Church
Studies at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary
Studied at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary
Studied at Baylor University
Studied at Texas Tech University
Went to Castle Hills First Baptist
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