ALL WE NEED

Dr. Richard J. Henderson April 21, 2002

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John 10: 1-10
Psalm 23

Introduction

At the time of a funeral, I almost always ask the family if there is a favorite scripture passage they would like to have included, or one that they feel is especially appropriate for this person's life.

It won't surprise you to know that the most frequently requested passage is the twenty-third Psalm. I'm never quite sure if that's because it is so well known or because they see it as applying to their situation.

The twenty-third Psalm is, of course, very fitting for a funeral. It speaks of God's intimate love for us, and God's on-going care all through our lives.

I

All of us face times when our lives are threatened. It may be that we have gone through medical test and the doctor has given us the bad news of the results. Maybe we have found ourselves in a situation where we are in real danger. Or maybe we are more frightened than we have ever been in our lives.

In those moments we know what it is like to "walk through the valley of the shadow of death." That phrase is a precise and descriptive way of saying what all of us have experienced at one time or another in our lives.

I was upset when the New Revised Standard Version translated those words "The darkest valley." The translation is accurate, but it doesn't carry the same force as the older wording.

"The valley of the shadow of death" conveys three images at the same time - descending into a valley, confronting the darkness of the shadows, and a situation where death is staring you in the face. Combined they create a powerful image.

And it's powerful because we've been there. We've faced those times when we thought our world was coming apart; times when it looked like all we had worked for was going down the drain; times when our health was seriously questioned.

"The valley of the shadow of death." We know the place.

II

In my ministry I talk to a lot of people in difficult situations. So often people say, "I couldn't have made it through this trial without knowing that God was with me. I prayed; I knew other people were praying for me; and I felt confident in God's promise to be with me."

As one person said very recently to me, "How do people who don't believe in God survive? How do you get through all this without knowing that God cares for you and is with you in these awful situations?

"It is so wonderful to know that I have a church family that is praying for me and supporting me. I surely wouldn't want to face this kind of thing without having that support."

When we find ourselves deep in "the valley of the shadow of death," we have the assurance that God stands beside us; his rod and his staff give us comfort.

III

But this Psalm isn't just about the darkest, most bleak and frightening of times, it's about everyday too. The twenty-third Psalm speaks to life from the first gasp of breath we take as newborns to the last sigh when life fades from us. The psalm relates to every moment inbetween.

The twenty-third Psalm can be summarized in seven words. Not all passages - not many passages in the Bible - can be captured in just a few words, but the psalm twenty-three can. These are the seven words: "God is the only necessity of life."

We find it in the first verse, "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want," but it also permeates the whole psalm. In fact, the rest of the psalm tells why God is all we need.

IV

The psalm communicates primarily through the image of a shepherd. This isn't such a dynamic image for us today, we don't see sheep or shepherds very often, but in Jesus' time shepherds and sheep were an everyday experience.

If we think a little about what sheep need it boils down to three basics. They need food - a clear pasture with enough grass to eat. They need water - in those days clean, untainted water wasn't always easy to find. And they need security. The shepherd protects them from wild animals, scorpions, or snakes. The rod and staff are some of the shepherd's tools in protecting his sheep.

Psalm twenty-three responds with metaphors saying that God provides the necessities for us. "He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside the still waters, he restores my soul. He leads me in the right paths...his rod and staff comfort me." In essence, if we have a right relationship with God we don't really need anything else.

We may have a huge house, a prestigious job, a gigantic boat, a whole fleet of cars. We may have fame and a fortune, we may be a major celebrity, but those won't protect us from the real dangers in life.

All that will not keep us from a meaningless, trivial life. All we have and hang onto doesn't give us solid comfort in the challenging times of life. It doesn't keep us from the threatening fears of life. Think about it, do you know anyone who, when he receives a diagnosis of cancer goes and sits in his Cadillac for comfort? In that moment the luxury car is the last thing he cares about. None of that provides hope for us beyond the next day or two.

V

What God promises is to be with us in life - to walk with us every day, in every situation. Whether we celebrate the ultimate joy, or face bone-chilling fear, the creator of everything that exists promises to be at our side, even when we can't sense his presence.

A friend of mine in New York City preached a sermon, which he titled, "No Bridge Over Troubled Waters." In that sermon he said that God doesn't promise that if we trust in him we will never have problems in our lives. God doesn't promise us a "bridge over the troubled waters."

What God does promise is that when those difficult times come, God will be there with us. Our God, the one who suffered while his son was hung on a cross, also stands by us in our times of pain or anxiety or fear. This great God supports us in our times of need.

Conclusion

Many of you know the actress Jennifer O'Neil. She starred in the hit film The Summer of '42. She attained what so many people also failed; she became a major movie star.

After the Summer of '42 she was in demand for future films. She made an enormous amount of money, and hers was a face that everyone recognized.

But life wasn't as great as it appeared. She made several attempts at suicide. She was married and divorced nine times. Her life was slipping downhill and she didn't know how to stop it.

Then, at a particularly bleak point in her life, she became a Christian. She found hope. She realized the meaning her life had and the value she had in the eyes of God. She saw that her life was something of great value to God.

Her life has made a dramatic turn-around, and now she is anxious to tell people about her new life. It was only afterward that she could look back on her life and realize that God had been with her through all those horrible experiences. God was calling her and eventually she responded.

Now she has walked out of the valley of the shadow of death, and is thanking God for the compassion she has received.

I'll bet she knows the 23rd Psalm by heart.

Amen.

©Richard J. Henderson 2002