The Psalms: Book 1 - Faithfulness
Opening Prayer:
Lord God,
We thank You and praise You for being our Shepherd.
You guide us and protect us, taking care of our every need just as a shepherd tends to his flock.
You are the Good Shepherd.
You restore us and lead us to places of peaceful refreshing when we are weary.
You restore our souls.
You welcome us into Your presence. Let us embrace Your guidance and walk fearlessly in the path of righteousness.
Amen.
Key Scriptures:
A psalm of David.
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
Sermon Summary
This week we begin a new series on the Book of Psalms, as well as celebrating 30 years of Project Esther. Below is a summary of this week’s sermon from Daphne Marsden:
We begin a five week series on the book of Psalms, with this opening week combining a celebration of 30 years of the work of Project Esther; a service for women and children in need, in hard places, in hard times, for whatever reason. God has been amazingly faithful to the work of Project Esther over the last 30 years.
The first psalm we look at is Psalm 23. The essence of this psalm is that God wants us to know that He is always with us, as He has been with Project Esther these last 30 years. Psalm 23 was written by King David, a youngest son who began life as a shepherd before being chosen as Israel’s king. God is the real King and the real King is our Shepherd. God made claim to the word Shepherd as someone who would look after His people. Jesus also claimed the title Shepherd. He was the Good Shepherd who lay down His life for His sheep.
God provides for us spiritually and mentally too, giving us rest and restoring us, offering refreshment. We don’t often have everything we need to begin with. But trusting in God, we can begin the task anyway, believing in God’s promised faithfulness that He would provide what we need abundantly.
God guides us along the path.
Where is God leading us? Where is He leading you? We need not be afraid of our longings, especially the ones that align with God’s heart for justice. For His name’s sake, God wants to be known as the God with us, the One who shows us how we are to be, the One who intimately shows us His character and the qualities that we are to exhibit as God’s people in the world.
When we experience life’s dark valleys, we can draw on these characteristics of God as individuals. This is a verse for those walking in pain and fear and darkness. He is always with us no matter the situation or circumstance. The Good Shepherd comes towards us in our fear. God’s presence is with us. It is the Shepherd’s intention to save the sheep from harm. That is what the rod and staff are for. The followers of Jesus are metaphorically the rod and staff of God, now called to keep people from harm, to protect them, to embody the love of God to others. The rod and staff are symbols of the care and protection that we are to offer to the most vulnerable.
At the table that God sets there is safety and honour; all are welcome in God’s presence. God will provide hospitality, nourishment and honour for people – just as we are to do so for others. A table of acceptance and diversity, a place for all at His table, the ultimate banquet table that we will all one day share. We as followers are invited and expected to practice this table scene with our lives now, inviting others to share our tables and our lives.
This psalm is a promise that the God who has been with us, guided us, and protected us is always with us and that life together in His presence is our final destination. Psalm 23, along with the majority of other Psalms in this first collection, reminds us of Gods faithfulness.
Below is a video giving an overview of the book of Psalms:
Questions to Consider:
How has God been faithful to you over the years you have walked with Him?
Can you describe a time when God led you to quiet waters? How did He do this? What effect did it have on you?
How does God refresh your soul?
How has God been with you in the “darkest valley” experiences in your life?
Have you experienced God’s faithfulness in hard times? What did that look like? How was your relationship deepened by this?
How is God a Shepherd? How do His rod and staff comfort us?
Practices to Consider:
Do you have any blankets you could donate to Project Esther to help families with the cold this winter?
You can drop them off to Project Esther (248 Lyttelton St), or to SWBC reception (9am-1pm Monday-Thursday). More information available at projectesther.co.nz.Who could you share a cup of tea with this week?
Prayer Prompts:
Pray for our people overseas, many of whom are currently experiencing issues with heatwaves.
Pray that God would refresh you during this week.
Pray for the freshly escalating tensions in the Middle East.
Additional Resources:
Find the full sermon recording here
For a printable version of this guide click here
If you are interested in going deeper the bible project have a helpful guide to the book of Psalms, you can find it here