EMBRACING THE SHEPHERD

PASTOR RYAN LADEN – DEVOTIONALS

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Darkness, enemies, and rough and winding roads. Surely the Lord does not want his children to encounter any such negative obstacles and opponents in this life? Well, according the message of God’s word, and according to the example set by Jesus Christ, the Lord uses these painful experiences to prove the value of his love and leadership to his children. 

Today we continue to work our way through the message of Psalm 23, looking at the way in which the Lord desires to build up our strength, maturity, and resilience in the good days so that we will be able to walk faithfully with him through the hard days. 

Let’s read the psalm one more time and then we will focus on the concluding two verses:

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)

But why?

We might read this psalm and ask a basic question, “But why?” 

Why does the Lord allow his people to encounter dark valleys, evil actions of others, and enemies that attack us without cause? It is all well and good for the Lord to provide for us, protect us, and lead us through dark and difficult times, but wouldn’t it be better if the Lord just kept all this hard stuff out of our lives?

Let me ask you this:

•   Would you take the hand of the Lord if you never stumbled?
•   Would you trust in the wisdom of God’s word if you felt you had all the answers?
•   Would you submit your will to the leadership of God if you felt that your life was perfect and that you had everything going your way?

Look to the Lord

Darkness, enemies, opposition, and hardship of all kinds lead us to take our eyes off of ourselves for a moment and lead us to look to the Lord. 

In Psalm 23:5-6, we hear the way in which the challenges and trials of life lead us to see more of the Lord and to trust more deeply in his leadership and love. 

Think of it this way, the gift of grace and mercy from God is given to us because we are in need of mercy. Why are we in need of mercy? Because we have acted with evil intent, and we are condemned as sinners before a Holy and Righteous God. The gift cannot be understood until we embrace our need for the gift. 

Table

The Lord is seen preparing a table before us in the presence of our enemies. It is the presence of the enemies that impacts us concerning the provision and protection of the Lord. The fact that we can trust the Lord to protect us in such a time of vulnerability leads us to greater obedience to and worship of the Lord. The goodness and mercy of the Lord are hard to see until we encounter the evils and aggression of the world around us. 

Think of it this way, the gift of grace and mercy from God is given to us because we are in need of mercy. Why are we in need of mercy? Because we have acted with evil intent and we are condemned as sinners before a Holy and Righteous God. Th gift cannot be understood until we embrace our need for the gift. 

We cannot celebrate the light of Christ until we understand our need for his light. We must see that we need forgiveness, grace, and mercy because without Christ, we are darkened and acting as enemies of the Lord. 

But thanks to the gift of God’s sacrifice on the cross and the work of the empty tomb, we are set free from the prison that our sins have built around us. We are free to call on the name of the Lord and to follow the leadership of the Great Shepherd. 

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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