Pastor Fredo Ramos: For whatever reason, I have always struggled to pray. And so, as this new year begins and as many of you think about new routines that you wanna give yourself to, especially for those of you who follow Jesus, I wanna invite you to learn to pray the Psalms with us. It's a practice I picked up years ago that really saved, my ability to learn to pray, to speak to God honestly about how I was feeling and what I was thinking. And so every single day on sandalschurch.tv on YouTube, we're gonna be releasing, praying the Psalms, a psalm a day. We started in January 1st and every day you're gonna get a new psalm, but the opportunity to read the psalm with us, to reflect on a phrase, and then to respond to God in prayer, how to pray through the psalms.
This has been a gift to me in my own journey with Jesus. I pray that it's a gift to you, and so would you join us. Grace and peace.
Pastor Fredo Ramos: We continue praying the Psalms today and we come to Psalm 23. David writes, the Lord is my shepherd. I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside quiet waters.
He refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for His name's sake. 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. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil, my cup overflows. 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.
Pastor Fredo Ramos: As many of
Pastor Fredo Ramos: you know, Psalm 23 is maybe one of the most recited, read, and requested Psalms, in human history. I can't think of too many funerals that I've done where someone hasn't requested Psalm 23 be read, mainly because there's such comfort in the Psalm, there's such hope in the Psalm, and the picture that we're given of God, Yahweh, as a shepherd to David, but ultimately as a shepherd to all of us, is so good. The Lord, Yahweh, is my shepherd. I lack nothing. He leads me to places where I can rest, we're told.
He refreshes the soul. I love that David, in the midst of all of this comfort and this picture of life and refreshment, doesn't dismiss the reality though that we often will walk through dark valleys. And even though there might be cause for, fear to be stirred up in our lives, He says, I will not fear. Why? Because the Lord, my shepherd, is with me.
And both his rod and his staff, different aspects of the shepherd's rod, comfort him. This is beautiful. He goes on to say that there's a feast that's even prepared for him. He has a seat at a table even in the presence of his enemies. In other words, in a time of battle, it's not likely that you would be able to sit and eat, that you would feast.
Right? Oftentimes, those kinds of moments and celebrations would, would would be paused in until victory was won. But here, there's there's this picture of someone who's enjoying life even in the midst of his enemies, as if to say that that God will hold you, God will provide for you, even in the midst of conflict. You have a shepherd who provides for you. And then this beautiful declaration that goodness and love will follow you today, follow you all the days of your life.
You will dwell in the house of the Lord, which is really a way for you to understand God's presence, that we will always be in the presence of God. And so by way of reflection, even though I just walked through the entire Psalm again, I just want to draw our attention simply to verse 1. The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. As you
Pastor Fredo Ramos: go about your day today, as
Pastor Fredo Ramos: I go about my day today, the reality is we will be drawn to other kinds of shepherds. There will be other people and other things that will draw us in and try to lure us in to allow those things to lead us and to provide for us. And so, by way of resistance, would you declare with me today that Jesus alone is our good shepherd? That despite all the other things that might pull you away to try to lead you, only He, only Jesus, and His voice can guide you through life. Only Jesus can guide you through the darkest valley.
Only Jesus can bring refreshment to your soul today. And it's because of who He is and what He's done for us that we have the confidence that goodness and love will follow us all the days of our lives. And so, would we confess, Lord, that there is a temptation today to allow other kinds of shepherds to lead us to life? But we acknowledge and confess that you alone are the good shepherd. You alone will lead us to life.
You alone will lead us to pastures that are green, that refresh our soul. And so even though we might walk through tribulation today, even though we might walk through conflict today, you are our good shepherd. And so help us, Holy Spirit, to hear His voice as we're led by Him. We pray these things in Jesus' name. Amen.