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10th June 2024
MondayReflection
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Colin Smith shares
(Open the Bible)
He Guards Me
The Lord Is My Shepherd
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These are days in which many of us feel jaded, tired, flat.
It's easy to get discouraged, and we are looking at this Psalm because God has used it to encourage His people for more than 3000 years.
If you have not yet surrendered your life to the Good Shepherd, my prayer for you is that as you see what it means to be led into rest and into righteousness.
The Good Shepherd who leads you, and restores you will also guard you.
If you thought that the image of fluffy sheep lying down in a green meadow with water running by was quaint or sentimental, I'm glad you are here to take a fresh look at this Psalm.
The 23rd Psalm speaks to the harsh realities of life.
I don't find it easy to rest. That's why I need the shepherd to make me lie down.
One day I will walk through the valley of the shadow of death.
You may not be a believer. You may say, I choose to live my own life in my own way.
Whatever path you choose in life, it will bring you to this dark valley and all of us must walk through it.
David is describing what leads up to death.
The prospect of death.
What comes before it...the dawning realisation that we are going to go into this valley and there is no way we can avoid it.
It's not the valley itself that frightens us.
It's the shadow that lies before it.
Dying is the last valley, but there are other valleys that we walk through on the way.
The dark valley of depression. The dark valley of unemployment.
The dark valley of a business failure, a painful lawsuit.
The dark valley of a serious illness or of caring for someone who becomes increasingly dependent on you.
When you find yourself in a dark valley, this Psalm is for you.
The Bible tells us about a time in the life of Abraham when he experienced great darkness.
As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram.
And behold, dreadful and great darkness fell upon him.
Some of you know what this is like.
But David says, 'When I walk through the valley of deep darkness You are with me.'
There is a remarkable statement in Exodus 20, where God gave the Ten Commandments.
Moses climbed the mountain, and then we read these remarkable words:
Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was.
Here's what I want us to grasp today:
God is with you in the darkness as much as in the light.
This Psalm is full of his love for God and His wonder at all that God has done.
When David says 'where shall I go from your Spirit' he is asking, 'Is there a place in life or death where you will not be with me?'
If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
I will not be without you anywhere in this world, in the air, on the land, or at sea. Wherever I go, your presence will be with me.
God is with you in the darkness as much as in the light.
Was the Father there is the darkness at Calvary?
Yes, He was. What was He doing?
God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ.
God is with you in the darkness as much as He is with you in the light.
I will fear no evil, for you are with me.
How it goes with you when you enter the dark valley depends entirely on who is with you.
David says, 'The Lord is with me."
The Lord is my shepherd.
The Lord who walks with you in the valley has already been through it Himself.
Death cast a long shadow over the life of Jesus.
Our Lord entered the shadow of death in the Garden of Gethsemane, where He prayed
'Father if it be possible, let this cup be taken from me.'
Jesus recoiled at the thought of what lay ahead.
So, don't be surprised if you find yourself recoiling at the prospect of the dark valley ahead of you.
But Jesus said, 'Father, not my will, but yours be done.'
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This is an edited version.
The full article and Bible references are avaiable on request
At Open the Bible,
our mission is to multiply believers who are rooted in the word of God, growing in love for Christ and bearing fruit, around the world.
Colin Smith
Founder & Teaching Pastor
Colin Smith is senior pastor of The Orchard Evangelical Free Church, a thriving, multi-campus church located in the northwest suburbs of Chicago, USA, and Founder and Teaching Pastor of Open the Bible.
Born and raised in Edinburgh, Scotland, he trained at the London School of Theology where he earned the degrees of Bachelor of Theology and Master of Philosophy.
Before coming to the States in 1996, Colin served as senior pastor of the Enfield Evangelical Free Church in London.
He is the author of several books
More
The Bible speaks about death in two ways:
I'm going to call them the first death and the second death:
The first death is death as we know it.
Physical death, where the soul is separated from the body.
But the Bible also speaks the second death,
(Rev 2:11, 20:6, 14; 21:8).
The second death is the judgment of God that will be poured out on the last day.
Jesus experienced the first death and the second death at the same time.
Wicked men nailed Him to the cross, and over six hours, life drained from His body.
And at the same time, God laid our sins on Jesus and poured out the judgment, that was due to us, on Him.
This is why the prospect of what He would endure was so horrendous to Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane.
He faced a double death. His soul was separated from His body.
And, at the same time, the judgment for sin was poured out on Him.
Jesus faced death as no on one before or since has faced it.
He endured the first and the second death at the same time.
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