Where Is God?
Psalm 23:1-6
Are people around you asking, “Where is God in the midst of this Coronavirus Pandemic?” And maybe you are asking, “Where is God in the midst of all of this?”
We are in an extremely trying time with this flu pandemic, there are people around the world fighting for their lives, and they’re fighting an unknown enemy that seems to have the upper hand at the moment. And many people who are not fighting for their lives are fighting for their loved one’s lives. And many are afraid – some, very afraid.
And so, if you are asking, “Where is God in all this?” the answer is – God is right where he has always been.
He is right in the middle of the suffering and pain and fear that we may be experiencing today.
Can you hear me carefully, please? God doesn’t have to be right in the middle of our suffering. God chose to be right in the middle of our suffering. He could have separated himself from us – permanently way back at the fall of man, in the Garden of Eden, when the curse of sin was brought into this world.
But God did not separate himself from us. Instead, God came to us – he joined us – right in the middle of our suffering. God came into this fallen world as a man – in Jesus Christ – and he joined us in our suffering.
Right in the middle of every crisis, every trial, every difficulty that we could ever experience in this fallen world, God joined us.
And not only did God join us in it, but he took that suffering brought on by the curse of sin, and he took all the consequences of sin upon himself in the Person of Jesus Christ, and he paid the full and complete price for it all – in your place.
In doing that, the God of Creation made a way
Where is God?
God could be – rightfully – far away in the heavens, in the throne room of his perfect holiness and glory. But – because of his indescribable love for us, God has made a way – through Jesus Christ – to walk right in the middle of the difficulties of this world, with you.
The Lord has made a way to be your Shepherd, right now, right where you’re at. No matter what your situation. No matter what your circumstances are today. The Lord will be your Shepherd. He will care for you, and he will carry you, and he will lead and guide you through this difficult time, right in the middle of it with you – as your Shepherd.
Turn over to Psalm 23. I’m going to use the ESV for Psalm 23 today because it’s closer to what many of us have memorized here.
Psalm 23:1 (ESV)
1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
The Lord is my shepherd - He is my caregiver.
The Lord God Almighty – he cares for me and for you. And because of who it is that is caring for me, I shall not want. The wording there means “I can be totally content in the care of the Good Shepherd.”
A good sheep is content because they know they are in the Good Shepherd’s care. They don’t tell the Shepherd what to do or how he should provide for them. They trust and rest in the care of the Good Shepherd because they know the Good Shepherd will care for them best.
Sheep belong to a Shepherd because of the price the Shepherd has paid for them, and the greater the price a Shepherd pays, the more dear the sheep are to the Shepherd. And all of the Bible conveys the incredible price God has paid in adopting us into his family. But Isaiah 53 especially shows the depth of what it cost the Lord Jesus to purchase us as his own.
Isaiah 53:3–11 (NLT)
3 He (our Good Shepherd) was despised and rejected . . . acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him . . . and we did not care.
4 Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down . . .
5 . . . he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed.
6 All of us, like sheep, have strayed away . . . Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all.
7 He was oppressed and treated harshly . . . He was led like a lamb to the slaughter . . .
10 . . . Yet when his life is made an offering for sin, he will have many descendants . . .
11 [He] will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for he will bear all their sins.
Jesus says in John 10:11,
John 10:11 (NLT)
11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep.
After the immeasurable price that Jesus has paid for us, we can be sure his care for us will be good (which is exactly what Romans 8:32 says).
But listen, guys. Here is where we struggle. We’ve got to learn to trust the Good Shepherd. We’ve got to learn to trust that the Good Shepherd has a good plan. We’ve got to learn to rest in the knowledge that our Good Shepherd is the Sovereign God of the Universe – meaning his plan goes way beyond this temporal life, and God’s plan is ultimately good. He knows what he’s doing.
The Lord is my shepherd, I Can Be CONTENT in His CARE.
Psalm 23:2 (ESV)
2 He makes me (causes me to) lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.
The Lord CAUSES me to REST, He leads me beside still waters
But listen, please. In light of the whole Bible, God is not talking about making your circumstances easy. Nowhere in the Bible does God promise us easy or peaceful circumstances in this life. In fact, the Bible is clear in John 16:33.
JOHN 16:33 (ESV) . . . (Jesus says) in me you MAY have peace. In the world you WILL have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.
This is the peace the Good Shepherd is promising in Psalm 23:2. It is the peace that comes from a vital relational connection with our Good Shepherd (In ME, I have overcome).
In the craziness of this world right now, we’ve got to start longing for the peace that comes from God alone.
Psalm 42:1–2 (NLT)
1 As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God.
2 I thirst for God, the living God. When can I go and stand before him?
There is no social distancing requirement with God. Long for God and get to him, and he will provide the rest and the peace that you need.
And that is exactly what we see in verse 3.
Psalm 23:3(a) (ESV)
3 He restores my soul . . .
Your circumstances can’t restore your soul. Only the Lord can restore my soul. Jesus says, “In ME you may have peace” and “take heart; I have overcome the world.” It is the Good Shepherd who restores your soul.
When a sheep is cast, it means they have rolled over onto their back, and they are helpless at that point. They cannot restore themselves. And so, the Shepherd comes, and he picks them up. But the sheep can’t walk because all the blood has run out of its legs, and so, the Shepherd puts the sheep over his neck and carries that sheep until they can walk again. Only the Good Shepherd can restore our soul, and we need to long for him to do that, and we need to get into his presence so that he can.
Then, Psalm 23 continues in verse 3.
Psalm 23:3(b) (ESV)
3 . . . He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Simply put, he leads me on the right path. On the hills that surround Jerusalem, you see dozens and dozens of paths circling the hills. But there may only be one path that is right, and the Good Shepherd leads his sheep on that right path. In John 10:4, Jesus is speaking of himself AS the Good Shepherd, and he says, My sheep hear my voice, and they follow me. And if the Good Shepherd will lead us on the right path, if we will hear his voice and follow him.
Next, Psalm 23:4, which is not primarily about death.
Psalm 23:4 (ESV)
4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death (NLT – the darkest valley), I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
In the summer, a Good Shepherd will take his sheep up to “the Tablelands,” which are the high elevation plateaus. The problem is the only way to get to those “higher places” is to go up the steep, dark valleys. And there is nothing but danger in those valleys, predators, rock slides, dangerous footing for the sheep. And it is there in the dark valley that the Good Shepherd proves himself to his sheep. It is there in the dark valley that the sheep learn to trust the Shepherd.
And so, if you are in a dark valley today, let the Good Shepherd prove himself to you, right there, right where you are at. Trust him to be there with you and trust him to lead you through it. You learn to trust him by walking through the dark valley with him.
The second half of verse 4 says, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
The rod is a symbol of the Shepherd’s authority and strength, and this is the Word of God in our lives from which we get God’s authority and his strength.
The staff is a symbol of the Shepherd’s comfort, and this is the Holy Spirit in our lives. The Shepherd would use the staff to communicate and care for the sheep, just as the Lord uses the Holy Spirit to communicate and care for us.
With the strength and authority of the Word of God and the comfort of the Holy Spirit, the Good Shepherd will lead us through the darkest of valleys to bring us to the higher places – The Tablelands, which is what we see in Psalm 23:5.
Psalm 23:5(a) (ESV)
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies . . .
This is referring to the Tablelands that the Shepherd leads his sheep to after bringing them through the dark valleys.
And the Shepherd prepares the blessing of the Tablelands before he brings the sheep there. So, our Good Shepherd has gone through the darkest valleys before us to prepare the blessing he has for us on the other side.
Hebrews 4:15 says – Jesus, our High Priest, understands our weaknesses, for he has faced all the same testings we face . . .
And so, we can walk through the darkest valleys with him, and we can allow him to lead us to the blessings he has prepared for us – even in the presence of our enemies.
And then, Psalm 23:5.
Psalm 23:5(b) (ESV)
5 . . . you anoint my head with oil . . .
The anointing of the Good Shepherd is an anointing for peace. The Shepherd would actually anoint the sheep’s head with oil in order to keep the pesky gnats away to give the sheep peace from the gnats.
Can I tell you please, God wants to anoint your head (your mind) with the peace and the comfort of the Holy Spirit? You just need to come to him and ask him. “Lord, would you please pour the anointing of the Holy Spirit over my head because the pesky gnats of this world are driving me crazy.” And your Good Shepherd will anoint your head with oil.
Put yourself in the presence of the Lord ask for his anointing daily, and he will cover you with the Holy Spirit, and he will give you peace from the annoying gnats of this world.
And now, all of a sudden, David just bursts into joy and praise.
Psalm 23:5(c) (ESV)
5 . . . my cup overflows.
Through it all, my cup overflows with blessings.
Ephesians 3:19 (NLT)
19 May you experience the love of Christ (your Good Shepherd), though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.
This is your cup running over with blessings, no matter what your present circumstances may be. And then verse 6 is a continuation of the joy that is now flowing out of the Psalmist.
Psalm 23:6 (ESV)
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.
Not because my circumstances will always be good, but because my God will always be good.
The more you personally know your Good Shepherd, the more you will understand that there is no circumstance, there is no situation that God is not following you with goodness and mercy in.
If you belong to the Lord today, through faith in Jesus Christ, then:
And best of all – best of all – through it all, above it all, after it all, you will dwell in the House of the Lord – forever. Because the ultimate victory that your Good Shepherd has won for you is the free gift of eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ.
We are in an extremely trying time with this flu pandemic, there are people around the world fighting for their lives, and they’re fighting an unknown enemy that seems to have the upper hand at the moment. And many people who are not fighting for their lives are fighting for their loved one’s lives. And many are afraid – some, very afraid.
And so, if you are asking, “Where is God in all this?” the answer is – God is right where he has always been.
He is right in the middle of the suffering and pain and fear that we may be experiencing today.
Can you hear me carefully, please? God doesn’t have to be right in the middle of our suffering. God chose to be right in the middle of our suffering. He could have separated himself from us – permanently way back at the fall of man, in the Garden of Eden, when the curse of sin was brought into this world.
But God did not separate himself from us. Instead, God came to us – he joined us – right in the middle of our suffering. God came into this fallen world as a man – in Jesus Christ – and he joined us in our suffering.
Right in the middle of every crisis, every trial, every difficulty that we could ever experience in this fallen world, God joined us.
And not only did God join us in it, but he took that suffering brought on by the curse of sin, and he took all the consequences of sin upon himself in the Person of Jesus Christ, and he paid the full and complete price for it all – in your place.
In doing that, the God of Creation made a way
- To live right into the middle of your life
- To step right into the middle of your suffering
- To walk right in your fear and uncertainty -with you
Where is God?
God could be – rightfully – far away in the heavens, in the throne room of his perfect holiness and glory. But – because of his indescribable love for us, God has made a way – through Jesus Christ – to walk right in the middle of the difficulties of this world, with you.
The Lord has made a way to be your Shepherd, right now, right where you’re at. No matter what your situation. No matter what your circumstances are today. The Lord will be your Shepherd. He will care for you, and he will carry you, and he will lead and guide you through this difficult time, right in the middle of it with you – as your Shepherd.
Turn over to Psalm 23. I’m going to use the ESV for Psalm 23 today because it’s closer to what many of us have memorized here.
Psalm 23:1 (ESV)
1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
The Lord is my shepherd - He is my caregiver.
The Lord God Almighty – he cares for me and for you. And because of who it is that is caring for me, I shall not want. The wording there means “I can be totally content in the care of the Good Shepherd.”
A good sheep is content because they know they are in the Good Shepherd’s care. They don’t tell the Shepherd what to do or how he should provide for them. They trust and rest in the care of the Good Shepherd because they know the Good Shepherd will care for them best.
Sheep belong to a Shepherd because of the price the Shepherd has paid for them, and the greater the price a Shepherd pays, the more dear the sheep are to the Shepherd. And all of the Bible conveys the incredible price God has paid in adopting us into his family. But Isaiah 53 especially shows the depth of what it cost the Lord Jesus to purchase us as his own.
Isaiah 53:3–11 (NLT)
3 He (our Good Shepherd) was despised and rejected . . . acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him . . . and we did not care.
4 Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down . . .
5 . . . he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed.
6 All of us, like sheep, have strayed away . . . Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all.
7 He was oppressed and treated harshly . . . He was led like a lamb to the slaughter . . .
10 . . . Yet when his life is made an offering for sin, he will have many descendants . . .
11 [He] will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for he will bear all their sins.
Jesus says in John 10:11,
John 10:11 (NLT)
11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep.
After the immeasurable price that Jesus has paid for us, we can be sure his care for us will be good (which is exactly what Romans 8:32 says).
But listen, guys. Here is where we struggle. We’ve got to learn to trust the Good Shepherd. We’ve got to learn to trust that the Good Shepherd has a good plan. We’ve got to learn to rest in the knowledge that our Good Shepherd is the Sovereign God of the Universe – meaning his plan goes way beyond this temporal life, and God’s plan is ultimately good. He knows what he’s doing.
The Lord is my shepherd, I Can Be CONTENT in His CARE.
Psalm 23:2 (ESV)
2 He makes me (causes me to) lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.
The Lord CAUSES me to REST, He leads me beside still waters
But listen, please. In light of the whole Bible, God is not talking about making your circumstances easy. Nowhere in the Bible does God promise us easy or peaceful circumstances in this life. In fact, the Bible is clear in John 16:33.
JOHN 16:33 (ESV) . . . (Jesus says) in me you MAY have peace. In the world you WILL have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.
This is the peace the Good Shepherd is promising in Psalm 23:2. It is the peace that comes from a vital relational connection with our Good Shepherd (In ME, I have overcome).
In the craziness of this world right now, we’ve got to start longing for the peace that comes from God alone.
Psalm 42:1–2 (NLT)
1 As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God.
2 I thirst for God, the living God. When can I go and stand before him?
There is no social distancing requirement with God. Long for God and get to him, and he will provide the rest and the peace that you need.
And that is exactly what we see in verse 3.
Psalm 23:3(a) (ESV)
3 He restores my soul . . .
Your circumstances can’t restore your soul. Only the Lord can restore my soul. Jesus says, “In ME you may have peace” and “take heart; I have overcome the world.” It is the Good Shepherd who restores your soul.
When a sheep is cast, it means they have rolled over onto their back, and they are helpless at that point. They cannot restore themselves. And so, the Shepherd comes, and he picks them up. But the sheep can’t walk because all the blood has run out of its legs, and so, the Shepherd puts the sheep over his neck and carries that sheep until they can walk again. Only the Good Shepherd can restore our soul, and we need to long for him to do that, and we need to get into his presence so that he can.
Then, Psalm 23 continues in verse 3.
Psalm 23:3(b) (ESV)
3 . . . He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Simply put, he leads me on the right path. On the hills that surround Jerusalem, you see dozens and dozens of paths circling the hills. But there may only be one path that is right, and the Good Shepherd leads his sheep on that right path. In John 10:4, Jesus is speaking of himself AS the Good Shepherd, and he says, My sheep hear my voice, and they follow me. And if the Good Shepherd will lead us on the right path, if we will hear his voice and follow him.
Next, Psalm 23:4, which is not primarily about death.
Psalm 23:4 (ESV)
4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death (NLT – the darkest valley), I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
In the summer, a Good Shepherd will take his sheep up to “the Tablelands,” which are the high elevation plateaus. The problem is the only way to get to those “higher places” is to go up the steep, dark valleys. And there is nothing but danger in those valleys, predators, rock slides, dangerous footing for the sheep. And it is there in the dark valley that the Good Shepherd proves himself to his sheep. It is there in the dark valley that the sheep learn to trust the Shepherd.
And so, if you are in a dark valley today, let the Good Shepherd prove himself to you, right there, right where you are at. Trust him to be there with you and trust him to lead you through it. You learn to trust him by walking through the dark valley with him.
The second half of verse 4 says, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
The rod is a symbol of the Shepherd’s authority and strength, and this is the Word of God in our lives from which we get God’s authority and his strength.
The staff is a symbol of the Shepherd’s comfort, and this is the Holy Spirit in our lives. The Shepherd would use the staff to communicate and care for the sheep, just as the Lord uses the Holy Spirit to communicate and care for us.
With the strength and authority of the Word of God and the comfort of the Holy Spirit, the Good Shepherd will lead us through the darkest of valleys to bring us to the higher places – The Tablelands, which is what we see in Psalm 23:5.
Psalm 23:5(a) (ESV)
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies . . .
This is referring to the Tablelands that the Shepherd leads his sheep to after bringing them through the dark valleys.
And the Shepherd prepares the blessing of the Tablelands before he brings the sheep there. So, our Good Shepherd has gone through the darkest valleys before us to prepare the blessing he has for us on the other side.
Hebrews 4:15 says – Jesus, our High Priest, understands our weaknesses, for he has faced all the same testings we face . . .
And so, we can walk through the darkest valleys with him, and we can allow him to lead us to the blessings he has prepared for us – even in the presence of our enemies.
And then, Psalm 23:5.
Psalm 23:5(b) (ESV)
5 . . . you anoint my head with oil . . .
The anointing of the Good Shepherd is an anointing for peace. The Shepherd would actually anoint the sheep’s head with oil in order to keep the pesky gnats away to give the sheep peace from the gnats.
Can I tell you please, God wants to anoint your head (your mind) with the peace and the comfort of the Holy Spirit? You just need to come to him and ask him. “Lord, would you please pour the anointing of the Holy Spirit over my head because the pesky gnats of this world are driving me crazy.” And your Good Shepherd will anoint your head with oil.
Put yourself in the presence of the Lord ask for his anointing daily, and he will cover you with the Holy Spirit, and he will give you peace from the annoying gnats of this world.
And now, all of a sudden, David just bursts into joy and praise.
Psalm 23:5(c) (ESV)
5 . . . my cup overflows.
Through it all, my cup overflows with blessings.
Ephesians 3:19 (NLT)
19 May you experience the love of Christ (your Good Shepherd), though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.
This is your cup running over with blessings, no matter what your present circumstances may be. And then verse 6 is a continuation of the joy that is now flowing out of the Psalmist.
Psalm 23:6 (ESV)
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.
Not because my circumstances will always be good, but because my God will always be good.
The more you personally know your Good Shepherd, the more you will understand that there is no circumstance, there is no situation that God is not following you with goodness and mercy in.
If you belong to the Lord today, through faith in Jesus Christ, then:
- Because of who your Good Shepherd is
- Because of his indescribable love for you
- Because of the incomprehensible price he paid for you
- Because of his promises and his presence in your life
And best of all – best of all – through it all, above it all, after it all, you will dwell in the House of the Lord – forever. Because the ultimate victory that your Good Shepherd has won for you is the free gift of eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ.