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Trusting the Lord in Sorrow and Loss

Psalm 23
1. “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.”
The Bible often describes the relationship between God and His people as a shepherd and his
sheep. What is the significance of this repeating metaphor?

A. As our Great Shepherd God has authority over us, just as a shepherd owns and has authority
over his sheep.

a. In what ways can God claim authority over us as human beings?

As believers in Jesus Christ? (Psalm 100:3, 1 Cor. 6:19-20)

b. Why do people tend to balk at the idea of God’s sovereignty over painful or difficult
circumstances and His authority over us? Have you ever struggled with this?

It is no accident that God has chosen to call us sheep. The behavior of sheep and human beings
is similar in many ways as will be seen in further chapters. Our mass mind (or mob instincts),
our fears and timidity, our stubbornness and stupidity, our perverse habits are all parallels of
profound importance.
Yet despite these adverse characteristics Christ chooses us, buys us, calls us by name, makes us
His own and delights in caring for us. (Keller, 21)1

B. As our Great Shepherd, God provides for us and watches over us.

a. Does this verse mean that as followers of Christ we will never want or need
anything? Support your answer with Scripture.

b. Keller says this phrase refers to “the idea of being utterly contented in the Good
Shepherd’s care and consequently not craving or desiring anything more.” (26)

i. What does it mean to be content in the midst of pain and loss?

ii. Read Philippians 4:11-13 – what is Paul’s source of contentment? What

would it look like to apply this passage to a painful situation in your own
life?

1
Keller, Phillip W. A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23. Zondervan: Grand Rapids, 1970

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2. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside still

waters…
A. The presence and watchful care of the shepherd quiets and comforts the sheep and enables
them to rest.
a. How does Matthew 9:36 illustrate Jesus’
nature as the Good Shepherd?
b. Jesus sees you, as he saw the crowd and
knew their need – how would knowing that
change your perspective in a time of
struggle?
c. What does Jesus offer us in Matthew 11:28-
30? According to that verse, how do we
find rest? What does that mean?
“The strange thing about sheep is that
because of their very make-up it is
almost impossible for them to be
made to lie down unless four
requirements are met…
[they must be] free of all fear…
free from friction with others of their
kind…
If tormented by flies or parasites,
sheep will not lie down…
They must be free from hunger.”
It all depends upon the diligence of
the owner… it is actually he who
makes it possible for them to lie
down, to rest, to relax, to be content
and quiet and flourishing.” (35-36)1

B.
Sheep, by habit, rise before dawn and feed on vegetation that is heavy with morning dew. By
doing so, they can go months without actually drinking if the weather is not too hot. “Of
course, dew is a clear, clean, pure source of water. And there is no more resplendent picture of
still waters than the silver droplets of the dew hanging heavy on leaves and grass at break of
day… those [Christians] who are often the most serene, most confident and able to cope with
life’s complexities are those who rise early each day to feed on God’s Word. It is in the quiet,
early hours of the morning that they are led beside the quiet, still waters where they imbibe the
very life of Christ for the day.” (51-52)1

a. Do you have a habit of spending time with Christ each morning?

i. If so, how have you established this habit? How has it impacted your life?

ii. If not, why? Do you spend time with Him during another portion of your day?

b. How might meeting with Christ first thing in the morning encourage you, and how
could it affect your life specifically during seasons of sorrow and loss?

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3. …he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his

name’s sake.

A. In Psalm 42:11, David (as you remember, a former shepherd himself) cries out, “Why are
you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; For I
shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God.”

a. Being cast down is a serious thing for a sheep – it is a term that describes a sheep
that has rolled onto her back and cannot right herself. A cast sheep is vulnerable
to predators, but also will have physical complications and die if the shepherd
does not pick it up and restore it within a reasonable length of time.

b. Just as a good shepherd will diligently count his sheep and search for any who are
missing and may be cast, helpless and dying, somewhere in the fields, Jesus
compassionately and faithfully watches over us, knows when we are cast down
and vulnerable, and will pursue us to restore us to His side. (Luke 15:4-7) Sheep
generally become cast for two reasons:

i. They find a soft depression in the ground to lay down in, turn on their side
to sleep, and their center-of-gravity will cause them to roll on their backs.
If the sheep persists in this behavior, the shepherd may move them to a
pasture where things are not comfortable for them in order to save their
lives.

ii. Their wool is too thick and matted with mud and debris, which makes
them more prone to being cast. The shepherd may have to resort to
shearing the wool from the sheep entirely.

iii. What parallels do you see between these scenarios and your own life?

B. Contrast the picture of the shepherd guiding his sheep into good land (paths of righteousness)
with Isaiah 53:6. How have you found yourself seeking your own way rather than submitting to
the Shepherd’s wise care?

4. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear
no evil, for you are with me; Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

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A. In what ways have you personally experienced the presence of God during painful
circumstances?

Both in Palestine and on our B. Can you relate to the idea that during this time the flock is
western sheep ranches… the “entirely alone with the shepherd” and in “intimate
efficient sheepmen endeavor to contact” with him day and night?
take their flocks onto distant
summer ranges during summer.
This often entails long “drives.”
The sheep move along slowly,
feeding as they go, gradually
working their way up the C. The rod is an instrument used by the shepherd to protect
mountains behind the receding his sheep, discipline them, and to part the wool and
snow. By late summer they are examine the health and well being of each sheep. How
well up on the remote alpine does Psalm 19:13-15 relate to the idea of the rod?
meadows above the
timberline… It is this segment
of the yearly operations that is
described in the last half of the
poem. D. The staff is used by the shepherd to reconnect lambs with
During this time the flock is their mothers, bring individual sheep to himself in order
entirely alone with the to individually examine them, guide them in the correct
shepherd. They are in intimate way along a path or through an unfamiliar gate, and even
contact with him and under his to provide comfort and reassurance through laying the
most personal attention day and staff gently against the sheep’s side. Does this bring to
night… it is well to remember mind any specific ways that God has brought comfort,
that all of this is done against a closeness, and reassurance to you?
dramatic background of wild
mountains, rushing rivers,
alpine meadows and high
rangelands. (82)1

5. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You

anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
A. Interestingly, across the world the high plateaus where the sheep would graze during summer
months are referred to as “tables” or “mesas.” The Shepherd prepares the table by eradicating
any poisonous plants, bringing necessary supplies, locating the best grazing and bedding
ground, and preparing drinking spaces. What parallels to this task do you see in God’s care for
us as his flock? How have you seen his preparations in advance to care for you even in the
worst of times?
B. Predators of the sheep in the high mountainous areas usually prey on the wanderers, the sheep
who are farthest from the protection of the Shepherd. When are we as believers most in
danger?

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C. Shepherds treat the heads and noses of their sheep with oils and salves to ward off annoying
and damaging insects and to treat diseases. How does God provide protection and healing to
afflictions and “diseases” of wrong thinking which affect our minds? (Ephesians 5:25-27)

D. In what ways does your “cup overflow” with blessings from the Lord? How can keeping these
blessings in mind change our perspective about our current suffering, and help keep our minds
free from “disease”?

6. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will
dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

If my health is excellent; my income is flourishing; my family is well; and my friends are fond
of me it is not hard to say, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.”
But what about when one’s body breaks down? What do I say when I stand by helpless, as I
have had to do, and watch a life partner die by degrees under appalling pain? What is my
reaction when my job folds up and there is no money to meet bills? …These are the sort of
times that test a person’s confidence in the care of Christ. These are the occasions during
which the chips are down and life is more than a list of pious platitudes. When my little world
is falling apart and the dream castles of my ambitions and hopes crumble into ruins can I
honestly declare, “Surely- yes- surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my
life”? (128)

Where are you on the journey of trusting God’s goodness and mercy through times of sorrow and
loss? How does the picture of God as our Great Shepherd impact you personally?