Episode 142 Psalm 23 & Resurrection Hope

The Power of God's Will - 40 Days of God's Promises Devotional on Amazon

Connect with Jan here:

Instagram @JanLBurt

TikTok @JanLBurt

Facebook Jan L. Burt Author & Podcaster Page

 

Well, hey there. Welcome to this week’s podcast episode. I’m the host of the show, Jan L. Burt, and I am thankful you’re taking the time to listen to episode 142. It is early April of 2023 as I record this episode, and we are in the midst of Easter week. And the Lord impressed Psalm 23 on my heart for this week’s show. I’m excited to jump in and talk about this well-known psalm and how it can bring us hope as we look toward Resurrection Sunday.

You’re listening to The Burt (Not Ernie) Show, part of the Spark Network, now playing via the Edifi app. This is episode number 142.

So for this episode, I’m going to read verses from Psalm 23, probably going to stick with the Amplified Bible today, and also talk about Jesus and the Resurrection and the hope we have. Hope that did not exist beforehand. You know, hope is kind of like gold in that it is valuable in a special kind of way. Like wedding bands, those have a special value, different than other jewelry. Hope springs eternal, that’s how the saying goes. And when it is hope based in Jesus, that’s the truth. Eternity is placed in the hearts of mankind by God as one of the many means He uses to draw us to Himself. He does not want anybody to perish, to spend eternity apart from Him (and apart from God, well, that means eternity in hell. Hell is a real place, sorry if you were taught differently, but the Bible makes it perfectly clear that hell is real and seriously, I am going to take the authority of the one who died for me over any other so-called authority. The founders, leaders, gods of other religions did not go from God to a baby to a man who was crucified, who went willingly to the cross, and rose again. Christianity is different in that regard, not like any other religious system that has ever been. And so, yes, I do believe that hell is real and has been prepared for satan and his demons and those who do not yield their life to Jesus don’t get heaven.) 

 

Hope. It is critical for the disciple of Jesus. We need it, and He provides it. 

 

Verse one - The LORD is my Shepherd (to feed, to guide and to shield me), I shall not want.

 

1.  

There’s that powerful present-tense verb! Not was, not will be at some point later on, but is, right now, currently.

 

The Lord is my Shepherd. He guides us. Isn’t that great news, hopeful news? Did Jesus stop guiding us after the Ascension? No! He is guiding us right now, and He is a very good, very trustworthy Shepherd. If you need guidance, He has it for you. That’s the first thing I notice when I read this psalm and think of Easter. I have guidance now, and I didn’t have that before Jesus saved me. Whenever I need it, I have it. Boy, that’s awfully good news! 

 

And the Lord feeds us, His sheep, as He is our Shepherd. What areas of your life seem hungry or even starved? You’ve heard of attention starved children, right? Do you feel attention starved? Are you starving or even just slightly hungered in any part of your life right now? The Resurrected Jesus is the One who can feed you. You are not going to lack, you shall not want. I know that seems like too big of a promise for God to keep. We can all evaluate the state of the world, personal experiences, people who did not seem to be taken care of and we can use all those things as our legit reasons to just decide not to believe passages like this one. 

But to what end? My New Testament says that he, or she, who endures to the end will be saved. Not she who punches out when it gets challenging to believe all the things the Bible promises. Pray on those things that try to trip you up, talk to God about those exact areas where you are tempted to doubt Him, let Him comfort you, speak to you on that issue, encourage you as in give you courage that you need to keep on believing even when it seems impossible, and then move forward with the Lord. That’s enduring. And that is a very different thing than many of us do when we bump up against doubts. When we work harder at enduring in our jobs than we do in our, say, marriages, our parenting, our friendships, and our walk with the Lord, that’s an indictment. Every one of us has heard that word indictment a bazillion times the last couple of weeks, and the reason is it’s a serious thing to be indicted. So, we don’t need the indictment on our own lives of working harder at enduring in our work or to run a marathon or our hobbies or or or than we do in our enduring with the Lord. One is vastly more critical than all the others combined. 

 

He said he would feed you. Ask Him to, and be specific. I need this many dollars to pay the car insurance this month. Believe He will keep His word to you. And keep on loving Him, serving Him, enjoying being a child of God while you wait with expectation for Him to do the feeding. Won’t He do it? 

 

And to shield you, to shield me. When you need some protection, some extra covering, He is the One who can take care of you by shielding you. He isn't saying He will send a shield to you but that He will shield you. I love that. He is close to you, right there with you in those hard times. The phone rings, you see the number, the stress starts to increase and guess what? He is there with you, in that moment, and He will guide you, shield you, feed you. And without the Cross, without Easter, you and I do not have hope for this promise. Easter changed everything, and shouldn’t it also keep changing things for us day after day after day until we finally see our Savior face to face? 

 

End of verse 1 says I shall not want.

Believe this to be true, and true for you. God does not want you living in a state of want, feeling alone and maybe even something like an orphan. He wants you to not want, because He is taking care of you continually. He won’t miss some critical thing and say OOPS, my bad. That would be ridiculous. So don’t live your life as if the ridiculous were reality. It isn’t, it never will be. You shall not want. Because God says to. And because Jesus rose from the dead to finalize all of this, for eternity. 

 

Verse 2 - He lets me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still and quiet waters.

Sometimes, some days, we need rest. We need to take it easy. And guess what? Sometimes we don’t want to. We want Him to re-energize us to keep doing more, keep pushing forward, keep on keeping on. But what if it is time to rest, to be led by the still and quiet waters for a while? What if that is the season He has for you right now? It’s easy to be so used to being busy that we feel “off” when we slow way down, but when God says this is that time for you, may it be unto you as He desires it to be. There is a time for every season under heaven, and one of those times will be green pastures and quiet waters. Peaceful. 

Easter is the ultimate promise of peace, the ultimate peace accord, the only one that will last and stand the test of time. Be at peace this Easter, because Jesus died to give you that peace.

 

Verse 3 - He refreshes and restores my soul (life); He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.

 

Whenever I run into the wall and I’m just done, and I need some restoring refreshing, well, I can actually have it. God isn’t offering it and then saying nah nah nah nah boo boo, you can’t catch me, you can’t have this. It’s ours! And it is continually, you won’t use it up if you have a need and then another one real soon. Life is hard. The Lord knows that. And so He has made provision. This is that provision. He will restore and refresh, and Easter reminds us of that perhaps more than any other time of the entire year, doesn’t it? 

And He leads us in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.

When you and I bear His name, He doesn’t forget that. He does things for His name’s sake. How much less would His name be misused, even defiled, if we really bore this in mind? He leads, so I need to follow that path of righteousness He is leading me on. Cuz it’s about His name, not mine. Would it be better for us if we thought about that more often? Do the right thing, go the way He leads, for His name’s sake? You bear His name as a Christian. Why not pause and reflect on that this Easter? Look what He did for you, for me, can we not follow where He leads and realize when we don’t follow, when we choose not to walk in paths of righteousness, we don’t represent our God properly? We slander His name? Let Him refresh you and restore you this Resurrection Sunday. And also, let Him lead you. Where He leads, will you follow?

 

Verse 4 - Even though I walk through the (sunless) valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod (to protect) and Your staff (to guide), they comfort and console me.

 

Jesus faced death on our behalf, and then He dealt death a final death blow. 

When you walk through those sunless places, remember how He defeated death for you. When evil seems scary, don’t give in to even a smidgen of fear because Jesus secured the victory at Calvary. He is with you, literally the Spirit of the Living God dwells within you, and so, you need not fear. 

He has His rod to protect you, let Him fight off your enemies and foes, and His staff will guide you, so when you feel that nudge, that tap of His staff to get you back on track, don’t get annoyed or feelings hurt or any of that. Instead, be grateful that you get to experience your Good Shepherd's love and care and attention to all the details in your life and allow these to comfort and console you. It’s a blessing to be bumped and reoriented by the staff of our Risen King. Not everyone has this blessing. Rejoice in it. Thank Him for it. It’s a tremendous gift that Easter ensures for us.

 

Verse 5 - You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You have anointed and refreshed my head with oil; My cup overflows. 

 

Sometimes, right in the middle of the mess, He is going to have you sit down to a feast. A well prepared meal, a well set table, in the presence of your enemies. Sometimes God shows up, shows off, and shows out by feeding us right where they can see it all. Let Him do what He will, when He chooses. Let Him handle things and often, the way He handles them will be very surprising for you and for your enemies. And don’t try to pretend you don’t have any enemies. You do. If not, then beware when all men speak well of you. Jesus said those words. If you are living for Jesus, you will have enemies. Let the Shepherd handle things. Let Him set that table for you to feast in their presence. Let Him.

 

And when He anoints your head with oil, when He refreshes you, when you are filled up to the tippy top and have a renewed vigor and sense of purpose, thank Him, then do as He leads. 

 

Your cup will overflow. Easter is the perfect time to get blessed with an overflowing cup.

 

Verses 6 - Surely goodness and mercy and unfailing love shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell forever in the house and in the presence of the LORD.

 

This is the big one, the kicker, the finale of the 23rd Psalm

 

Surely.

Not maybe, not ifs here. Surely.

Goodness and mercy and unfailing shall (that means will!) follow you all the days of your life. All of them. 

 

Celebrate this promise this Easter. 

Then, you will be living in His presence all your days and will just one day move into His presence in eternity and will dwell in the house and presence of your Lord forever.

 

That’s Easter, my friend. Rising from the dead makes this your reality, now and forever. 

 

Lord, may we stay near to You and depend on You and believe You for Your every promise. Your goodness toward us knows no bounds, and this Easter we celebrate You and You alone. Until we are blessed to be with you eternally, we will praise Your name and live for You in this life. May we be an example of Your love to a watching and hurting world, and may Your Kingdom come and Your will be done on earth just as it is in heaven.

Thank You, Jesus, for giving Your life and shedding Your blood so we could live forgiven and free. We glorify You this Resurrection Sunday.

Amen

 

Thanks so much for joining me today, and I hope to see you back here next time.

If this episode encouraged you, I’d love for you to share it. See you next time!