[00:00:00] We're going to the Bible Speaks with Adley McCleain. The Bible Speaks is a weekly ministry of harvest international. Our prayer is that the Bible Speaks will encourage you in your study of God's Word.
[00:00:38] You will be able to contact Adley at the address given at the end of this broadcast. And now, here's Adley. Well, hello, yes, you know this is not the voice of legend Kerlach. Adrian Axe, that I feel in for him today may God bless our time together.
[00:00:56] The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. He makeeth me to lie down in green pastures. He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restored it by soul. He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
[00:01:16] Greetings friends and may the shepherd comfort your heart today. The millions of people right now would be speak. We're feeling the pain, the loneliness, the heart, the loss of the tragedies that he'd are earth in the last several weeks. North and South East and West tragedy has struck.
[00:01:46] And you say, where is my shepherd? Well, when David wrote Psalm 23, there were also catastrophes happening around. There was war-flaaring trouble, but in the secret place of his heart was a quiet arrest. Today I would like us to meditate upon Psalm 23.
[00:02:13] But before we begin that, I know that there are millions of you who want to be prayerful. I want to show your identification with the suffering, the bereaved, the injured, those of last everything.
[00:02:35] So will you try me in prayer for the people in Japan, India, Nepal, Mexico, Texas, Puerto Rico, Barbuda, islands of lesser entities and who knows what next? Let's go to God in prayer. Father, we thank you that you are still alive, that your power is still invincible.
[00:03:10] We realize in a world of sin and hate and rejection of the one and only who God, the pain of sin will continue. The heart of our behaviours will still come surfacing.
[00:03:29] Today, Lord, we come in simple faith and in earnest desire to pray for the people who have been hurt by the earthquakes and the floods. And the heart of cancer, oh God, have mercy upon the people and the lands.
[00:03:54] Lord, we know that your word says, is coming a day when all of this will pass away and these are but four shadows of the uncontrollable power of lies in the universe. And Lord, we believe that you still hold the power of the world in your hands.
[00:04:16] Right there today listeners may look beyond the pain of today and contemplate the joy of your presence for time and eternity. We pray, oh God, that skeptics will come to bow with the cross.
[00:04:36] That's fearful, anxious, unbelieving men and women and boys and girls will say, here to my Lord, I want to trust you. Please be my shepherd. I thank you, Lord Jesus, for giving your life that I might have eternal life.
[00:04:58] Lord granted the prayers that the people who joined in this prayer today would be answered with clarity. Lord, defeat the devil, exalt our Savior and bless your people in Jesus name. Amen.
[00:05:15] My friend, even though I have read this Psalm of David recited it, uses in all kinds of circumstances. And sometimes we just race through it. And we haven't spent time to examine the movements of the Psalm.
[00:05:38] I would like for us to read Psalm 23, at least twice, once in the King James version and once in the new international version.
[00:05:49] And more than any commentary I can make, may the spirit of the living God apply these endless truths, this divine verities to your soul in a meaningful way. Though Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want, he may give me to lie down in green pastures.
[00:06:13] He leadeth me beside the still waters. He started my soul, he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yay! Yay though I walk through the valley of the shadow of dead I will fear no evil, for thou art with me.
[00:06:30] By rod and thy staff, they comfort me, thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies. So when I entrust my head with oil, my cup runs over, surely, surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.
[00:06:51] And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Now from the new international version, the Lord is my shepherd, I luck nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside quiet waters.
[00:07:09] He adores my soul, he guides me along the right paths his name for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you with me, your rod, your staff, they comfort me.
[00:07:30] You've preditated me before all me in the presence of my enemies. You are nocte, my head with oil, my cup overflows, surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life. And I dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
[00:07:49] May God rip your heart with the blessed assurance of someone. Or someone shows us cause and effect. Let's start with the effect that a touch it has served to the samus. All we might say is the effect the samus chooses to embrace.
[00:08:13] He concludes that his needs are cared for. He embraces divine provision in national or even territorial culture. Some phrases emerge and they stick. Jamaica is one of those places. One phrase that has been used in music and spoken communication is the phrase no problem man.
[00:08:39] Another is B.A.P. This is Jamaica, where they aged the year for size. So you wind up saying B.A.P. This is Jamaica. Such expressions no matter how sincerely they are spoken have no bone of today's
[00:08:58] about them. They have no real basis for the expectation that we've thought. True is common, they can always say B.A.P. No problem man. But that's so shallow. That's so momentarily. It's so false for the long run. There are problems.
[00:09:23] David did not conclude that there were any problems, but David concluded that there was one who was his problem suffered. In the sam, he points to the cause of his state of mind because of his joy.
[00:09:42] He wasn't closing his eyes and repeating some meaningless phrase, a mumbo jumbo in a meditation that took him nowhere. He wasn't pretending that there was no evil in the world around him as someone had us to believe.
[00:09:57] David, in fact, was saying, I live in a world of plenty and a warnt. The world saturated with bitter waters of sin and disobedience to God is indeed a good thing. It's indeed the satwith challenges and becept with warnt and pain.
[00:10:16] But David was saying, yes, that's all true God. In fact, he opens this song of certainty with a sound of endless joy by introducing us to his source of supply. Let's say together, the Lord is my shepherd. I want to offer that to you my friend today.
[00:10:43] The Lord is your shepherd. David's certainty and source of joy can be yours to claim today. Do you know that the Lord wants to be your shepherd this imagery of sheep and shepherd is used frequently in the scriptures?
[00:11:01] It was used back in the book of Genesis by Jacob. It was used by his sick here. It was used by the Lord Jesus. My friend of imagery of shepherd and sheep is very real today.
[00:11:16] The Lord, Jehovah, the creator of heaven and earth wants to be the shepherd of your sheep world. Once to be your shepherd. The Lord Jesus said, I am the good shepherd. Jesus said also, I am the door to the sheep fold. Do you know him?
[00:11:40] Has he become your guidance, guidance light? Do you know something about his protection and his provision? David understood how significant his status was and how wide the his certainty which spread. But he really didn't know. He didn't know really how wide.
[00:12:03] That would reach down to you and me today. I don't think David envisioned the Lord Jesus taking that same imagery and saying he's a good shepherd. It would lay down his life of the sheep. But my friend, do you know it?
[00:12:17] You heard the record of the Gospels that Jesus said, I am the good shepherd. Jesus said that he lay, he was going to lay down his life for the sheep. You and me and the Bible says he lay down his life.
[00:12:34] My friend, this embracing of the good shepherd is the wisest decision you could ever make. You know Jesus said this race. You came close at one time and you allowed the pressure of the world. You allowed the tinsel of the false joy.
[00:12:53] You allowed the pressure of your friends and the enemy one out. Jesus Christ is saying to you one more time today behold, I stand at the door and knock. If any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come in.
[00:13:09] He wants to come into your life today. He wants to be your shepherding Lord. He wants to give you a place of certainty under assurance. Next week we read some more from Psalm 23 and dig deep for some of the divine treasures of the day.
[00:13:27] May I ask you, embracing, embracing, Lord Jesus, I now embrace you as my Savior. I accept you as my Divine Shepherd. Cleans me from sin and make me safe within your fold. Amen. I've wandered far away from the earth. This program is cared for by listeners who care.
[00:13:57] Your prayers and financial investment in this ministry helps to keep the good news on the air. We look forward to hearing from you and invite you to write us at Harvest International, post office box 66690. Vocaloflora 3448. Again, that's Harvest International, post office box 66690. Vocaloflora 3448. Wrong. Lord, I'm coming home.