Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life,
And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. Psalm 23:6

INTRO: Today we come to the end of our exploration of this lovely poem

And it is exactly at this point we must consider a potential criticism
– someone could say, “That’s just poetic fantasy, it’s not the real world”
– there is certainly the danger that we treat this last verse as a mere platitude
(we treat a lot of verses as platitudes)

A platitude is an empty saying we quote rather than think deeply before we speak
– the worst time to use platitudes is in the face of tragedy or death
• they do nothing to provide a person with comfort, insight, or help
“Everything happens for a reason” — “everything”? Is there always a good reason?
“Time heals all wounds” — time itself is not curative and some wounds worsen over time
– many platitudes contain only a half-truth and for that reason are flawed:
“What doesn’t kill me makes me stronger” — but could also make me bitter, turn to crime, or eat a carton of ice cream
“The truth will set you free” is a statement that is greatly weakened if we forget its context (Jn. 8:31-32)

The problem with treating scripture as platitude is that we don’t take platitudes seriously Continue reading →

You have anointed my head with oil;
My cup overflows. Psalm 23:5b

INTRO: Yesterday Barb and I watched “The Book of Eli” (I won’t recommend it, though, due to its graphic violence)

It is about a man with a mission after the world was destroyed by nuclear war
– the earth is scorched and still bakes in relentless sunlight that washes out all color
• even clouds look hot, like smoke rising from a smoldering planet
– humankind has regressed to primitive barbarism

A young woman asks Eli what life was like before the war (which would be, of course, this time that we live in) and he says:

“People had more than they needed. We had no idea what was precious and what wasn’t. We threw away things people kill each other for now.”

One of the consequences of living in a consumer culture is that we lose the ability to discern what is precious
– we don’t realize the effect that culture has on us – we live in culture like fish live in water
• its atmosphere is filled with invisible chemicals and some of them are toxic
– the effect of being constantly bombarded by advertisements is discontent
• we are driven to desperation, as if we were starving

It is far too easy to become fixated on what we don’t have
– when that happens, we lose the ability to enjoy what we do have

The two lines of our psalm are more than a reminder – they make a strong impression on us Continue reading →

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies . . . Psalm 23:5a

INTRO: Have you noticed that some people don’t like poetry?

Perhaps a teacher spoiled poetry for them
– they told to find the meaning of a poem and then told what they found was wrong
– the fact is, poets want to open doors and windows and multiple meanings are possible

I think, most people who don’t like poetry tend to be those who think too literally
“If the poet wants to say he finds pleasure in simple things, why not just say, ‘I find pleasure in simple things’? Why use a long poem to say it?”
– the literally minded are like Christians who are suspicious of art unless it is specifically religious or has a caption that explains its spiritual meaning
• they’ve got at least one thing right: art can be dangerous

A number of Bible scholars insist that David changes metaphors in verse 5
– he no longer refers to a shepherd, but to the host of banquet
• they remind us that “sheep do not sit at tables or drink from cups”
– that’s true, but why should start taking the poem so literally now?
• or if we’re going to be that literal, shouldn’t we expect more? If David told us at the start “The LORD is my shepherd,” why not tell us now, “The LORD is my host”?
– sheep do eat — the table and cup are simply more metaphors Continue reading →

Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. Psalm 23:4b

INTRO: Before we settle into our scripture, let’s take an aerial view of the psalm

The poet is developing an analogy – God as shepherd
– his goal is to express gratitude for all of God’s goodness and to shed light on his relationship with God
– his first point is that his needs are met, “I shall not want”
• for instance, he is able to graze peacefully in green pastures and quench his thirst by quiet waters
• in these environments his soul is restored
– invigorated, he is prepared to move on, following the shepherd along “paths of righteousness” and into “the valley of the shadow of death”
• that’s where we found ourselves last week

Our interest in this poem is the insight it gives us to the spiritual experience of the believer
– in contemplative prayer, God brings us to these places, does these things for us, and secures our relationship with him Continue reading →

Continue reading →

He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Psalm 23:3b

INTRO: Seeing that today is Mother’s Day, let me begin with a question for you

How did your mother comfort you when hurt, afraid, or upset?

After WWII, a British psychologist worked with children (British children and Jewish orphans) who had been displaced by the war
– John Bowlby discovered that those who had been deprived of nurturing during infancy demonstrated obvious emotional and interpersonal deficits
– much of his research entailed observing the dynamics of mother-child interactions, especially during the first two years of the child’s life
– he concluded that infants needed an “attachment figure” – normally the role a mother plays
– when a child receives nurture from its mother, it forms a “secure base” for exploring life that lasts through adulthood

Example: Observing small children who were upset, he noticed the intensity of the child’s emotion determined what it would take to soothe him or her
-if the child were mildly upset: it was calmed by its mother’s acknowledgment with a look and word
– if the child were very upset: it was calmed if the mother added meaningful touch
– if the child were intensely upset: it would require prolonged cuddling to calm down Continue reading →

He restores my soul. Psalm 23:3a

INTRO: About five years ago, someone told Barbara and Ithat we needed to see The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

It is a foreign film with English subtitles
– Jean-Dominique Bauby, editor of Elle magazine suffered a stroke in his brain stem that left his body paralyzed
• his brain was still fully intact – inside, he was still himself — “Locked-in Syndrome”
– the only part of his body he could control was his left eyelid
• by blinking once for yes and twice for no, he would go through the alphabet to spell words
– he spent the last summer of his life writing a book through this painstaking process of communication
• reading it, you discover the vast, rich, active inner-world of his mind
• all of it hidden from others except through the fluttering eyelid

There are lots of reasons to appreciate the movie (and book)
– e.g., inspire gratitude or admire his fight when had every reason to give up, etc.
– but also because it tells us something about ourselves: we all have locked-in syndrome
• I am this invisible inner self – full of stories, ideas, memories
• there is no way to get this out where others can see it except through my body
– when we try to reveal the person within, only a trickle manages to get out Continue reading →

He leads me beside quiet waters. Psalm 23:2b

INTRO: We are making our way through Psalm 23, noticing how it is the essence of contemplative prayer

Sometimes we come across well-meaning yet misguided Christians who criticize contemplative prayer
– some criticize it for being “Roman Catholic” – as if that in itself were a mark against contemplative prayer
• but it is and it isn’t Roman Catholic

The reformer, John Calvin, argued that Christians need a knowledge of God not as speculation that “flits in the brain” but “takes root in the heart” and “Consequently, we know the most perfect way of seeking God, and the most suitable order, is not fo us to attempt with bold curiosity to penetrate to the investigation of his essence, which we ought more to adore than meticulously to search out, but for us to contemplate him in his works whereby he renders himself near and familiar to us, and in some manner communicates himself.” Institutes of the Christian Religion

– other critics have confused contemplative prayer with new age meditation — it isn’t

Many of the critics are old school, among whom a favorite preacher is Charles H. Spurgeon (19th Century London)
– regarding our verse this morning, Psalm 23:2, Spurgeon said:

“What are these ‘still waters’ but the influences and graces of his blessed Spirit?
‘In sacred silence of the mind
My heaven, and there my God I find.’
That silence is golden indeed in which the Holy Spirit meets with the souls of his saints.”

Continue reading →

He makes me lie down in green pastures . . . Psalm 23:2a

INTRO: A while back, book on prayer was released that became wildly popular

The author focused on one particular prayer in scripture and from it created a formula
– the implication was, people could use the formula to get their prayers to work
– books like this feed our inner desire to use prayer to get what we want

What if prayer is not for getting what we want?
– what if it’s for getting what God wants – what he wants from us, what he wants in the world

This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. (1 Jn. 5:14)

What if  “His will” is to use prayer to transform us rather than our circumstances?

When we pray, what is primary in our minds?
– I can be concerned about myself, thinking of others, preoccupied with the world, or focused on God Continue reading →

The LORD is my shepherd,
I shall not want. Psalm 23:1

INTRO: In 2004, one of the largest churches in America launched a research project

Its leaders wanted to determine whether their programs were doing what they were designed to do
– that is, promote the spiritual growth of their members
– what they learned from 15,000 people interviewed, was that the answer was No

An assumption many pastors and church leaders make, is that the more a person is involved in church activities, the more they will experience spiritual growth

I met with a couple from New Zealand this week  who told me that the evangelistic strategies of the last generation were no longer working
– because people are not being inspired by churches or evangelistic organizations, Christianity is dying in their country
– furthermore, the churches they had attended failed to meet their spiritual needs

This situation is not unique to New Zealand Continue reading →