4 Actions from God; 4 Actions from Us

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What Happens When You Have No Defense Left?

Psalm 23

A sheep is one of the most defenseless creatures on earth. It can’t outrun a predator, can’t hide, can’t fight back. As I opened Psalm 23 this past Sunday, I shared what I’ve come to believe is the honest truth: a sheep left alone in the wilderness isn’t a survivor — it’s breakfast, lunch, or dinner. That image is stark, but the Bible uses it on purpose. Because when God calls us sheep, he isn’t being poetic. He’s being precise. And the question that follows is the one Psalm 23 answers: who is your shepherd?

Psalm 22 is a psalm of anguish. Psalm 24 is a hymn of triumph. And right in between those two sits the psalm of a good shepherd — because the only way we move from anguish to triumph is when we have a good shepherd. David wrote as a man who had been through it: a rebellious son, enemies on every side, terrain that was rugged and unforgiving. And out of that, he penned a psalm that has outlasted every difficulty he faced. I want to walk you through four actions from our shepherd, and four responses that follow from us.

He Makes Me Lie Down and He Leads Me Beside Still Waters

I’ll be honest — I don’t want to lie down. I don’t want to rest. I want to be doing the will of God, moving forward, staying busy for the kingdom. But this past year, as God moved my family from Indiana to Tennessee, I had to sit in this passage. I had to ask myself, why? And I kept coming back to the image of a shepherd who knows exactly when his sheep are exhausted and exactly when they need water. He doesn’t push them past what they can bear. “He knows his sheep and he knows what they need. He supports them. He comforts them. Their life is in the shepherd’s hand.” Matthew Henry said it this way — the word of life is the nourishment of the new man, never barren, never eaten bare, always a green pasture for faith to feed in.

He Restores My Soul and Leads Me in Paths of Righteousness

Notice who gets the glory in verse three — “for his name’s sake.” The terrain where David shepherded was rugged. A shepherd had to know the better paths, the safer routes, the way that would actually get the sheep home. Our shepherd does the same. He restores our soul first, then leads us on the path of righteousness. That path doesn’t promise easy. But it promises right. And it ends with him.

About five years ago, I was on the football staff at Ole Miss. Worldly speaking, a great season. Personally, I walked through a full year of depression. The Lord eventually brought me to a quiet place, a monastery, and through the scriptures he asked me a simple question: do you love me more than what you’re doing in ministry? “You can fall so in love with serving the Lord that you’ve neglected the most important thing — and that’s the Lord.” Hebrews 2:14 met me there and reminded me that Jesus didn’t just die to forgive our sins — he died to strip the devil of his power to enslave us to the fear of death. Whatever shackle the enemy keeps pulling you toward, hear this: “he who the Son has set free is free indeed.”

Even Though I Walk Through the Valley

He never promised it would be easy. He promised he would always be there. “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for you are with me.” I’ve had some even-though moments — watching my mom drive away when I was nine years old, my dad losing his job, a football injury that cost me my shot, a coaching staff change that cost me my position and left me telling my wife I didn’t know what came next. And in every single one of those moments, Jesus was setting up a table — for me and him. “Don’t let the enemies sit at your table.” Because if you’re not careful, the devil will sneak into that seat, and before you know it, he’s not just eating your appetizer — he’s already finished the cheesecake.

I Shall Not Want. I Will Not Fear. I Will Dwell With Him Forever.

Those are our four responses. We shall not want — not because life is painless, but because “if I don’t receive everything I desire, I may conclude that it’s either not fit for me or it’s not good for me, or I shall have it in due time.” We walk through the valley — but not alone, and not without a shepherd who carries a rod to defend us and a staff to bring us back. We fear no evil — because death is not the exit. For the believer, death is the entrance. And we dwell with him forever — because what we’re going through right now is temporary. “Let your eyes and heart be fixed on your shepherd.”

Under the old covenant, a sheep would die for the shepherd. Under the new covenant, our shepherd died for his sheep. That’s the whole psalm. That’s the whole gospel.

Discussion Questions

  1. John described depression during what looked like a successful season at Ole Miss, and how he realized he had “fallen so in love with ministry that he had fallen out of love for the Lord.” Have you ever experienced something similar — where good things crowded out your relationship with God himself?
  2. Hebrews 2:14 became a turning point — the truth that Jesus died not only to forgive sin but to free us from the devil’s power to enslave us to the fear of death. What fear has the enemy used most against you, and how does this passage speak to it?
  3. John used the image of Jesus preparing a table in the presence of our enemies — a table set for two — and warned against letting the devil take that seat. What does it practically look like to sit at that table with Jesus in the middle of your hardest moments rather than letting the enemy occupy that space?

If you’re reading this and you’ve never placed your faith in Jesus as your Lord and Savior, I want you to know the altar at Community Baptist is always open — and so is this invitation. If you’re a believer who has wandered a little, your shepherd hasn’t moved. He knows his sheep, and he is calling you back. Come home.

We hope you enjoyed the sermon and would love to see you in person. Plan your visit to Community Baptist Church in Spring Hill, Tennessee today!

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