Hi and welcome to
Praise. I'm Kelly Mowrer.
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Today we're gonna spend
some time thinking about
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the wonderful
lessons found in Psalm 23.
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The Shepherd
song and so many of us
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know this pretty much by heart.
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And sometimes in my life
I've been tempted to turn over,
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just skip over the words.
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I enjoy they're pretty
poetry but I don't really
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relate to them or
make them real in my heart.
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But during the
past couple of years,
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I've come to
realize this is so much more
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than just a
beautiful illustration.
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It is one of the most
comprehensive complete
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pictures of God and His love
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contained in a
single Bible chapter.
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Listen now as Annette Campbell
sings this beautiful song.
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The Lord is my Shepherd
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I shall not want
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He makes me lie
down in green pastures
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He leads me
beside the still waters
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He restores my soul
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He leads me in
paths of righteousness
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For His name's sake
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Even though I
walk through the valley
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Of the shadow of death
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I will fear no evil
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For You are with me
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Your rod and Your staff
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They comfort me
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You prepare a table before me
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In the presence of my enemies
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You anoint my head with oil
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My cup runs overflows
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Surely goodness and mercy
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Shall follow me
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All the days of my life
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And I will dwell in
the house of the Lord
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Forever
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Forever
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Forever
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David who was a
shepherd himself wrote
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"The Lord is my
Shepherd, I shall not want."
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And my tendency used to
be to give the first part
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of that verse about
the Lord being my shepherd
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as kind of an
introduction to the second half,
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I shall not want,
and that's the part
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I would focus on, having no
lack, not wanting for anything.
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But then I began to
hear things about sheep.
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I realized if God said
that He was my shepherd,
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it's because He wanted me
to think about not only Him
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as a shepherd but
myself as a sheep.
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I wasn't strong like a
lion, swift like an eagle.
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I heard that sheep
were incredibly foolish
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that they will wander
off the path looking at
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any old thing that
catches their attention.
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They are dirty
creatures, they never get clean
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if the shepherd
didn't clean them.
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And sheep are defenseless,
they have no way to protect
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themselves against enemies that
have claws or fangs or poison.
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God said a good shepherd lays
down his life for the sheep.
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He says, I am the good shepherd.
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We are all His
sheep. We are dirty.
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We are
defenseless. We are wandering.
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How very much we need
our Shepherd and His love.
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Listen now as Reggie
plays 'The Love of God.'
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As David describes what Jesus
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our Shepherd does
for us, he writes,
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"He makes me to lie
down in green pastures.
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And He leads me
besides still waters.
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He restores my soul."
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How many, many times
I crave rest and peace
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and I long to be refreshed.
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There are some
things that can provide
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some momentary peace like a
vacation or good night sleep.
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But only God can restore
us and provide lasting rest.
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You know one day a
man was walking along
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feeling as though
he's about to break
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from the
heaviness of his burden.
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So he paused and
seated down for a minute.
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As he looked more closely,
he was astonished to see
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that most of his
burden was borrowed.
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It was either borrowed
troubles from yesterday
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or borrowed
worries about tomorrow.
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David wrote "Cast
your burden upon the Lord
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and He will sustain you."
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If anybody watching right
now would like to lay down
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your burden and be
restored and be refreshed,
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remember what Jesus said.
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He said "Come unto
me, all ye that labor
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and are heavy laden,
and I will give you rest."
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Rest, the Lord is near
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Refuse to fear, enjoy His love
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Trust His mighty power
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Fills every
hour of all your days
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There is no need
For needless worry
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With such a Savior
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You have no cause to ever doubt
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His perfect Word
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Still reassures in any trial
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Rest, the Lord is
there Lift up your prayer
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For He is strong
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Trust, He'll bring release
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And perfect peace
will calm your mind
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There is no need
for needless worry
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With such a Savior
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You have no cause to ever doubt
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His perfect Word
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Still reassures in any trial
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Call Him if you grow frightened
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Call Him with loving care
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He'll lift the burden
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And you'll
rest, the Lord is near
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Refuse to fear, enjoy His love
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Trust His mighty power
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Fills every
hour of all your days
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Call Him if you grow frightened
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Call Him with loving care
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He'll lift the burden
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And you'll
rest, the Lord is near
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Refuse to fear, enjoy His love
00:15:37.88\00:15:45.53
And now David starts to write
about something really big,
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not just the petty
irritations of life
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or the general work
burdens that we all have.
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But the stuff that is so heavy,
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we're afraid it might break us,
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he says "Yea, thou I
walk through the valley
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of the shadow of
death, I will fear no evil,
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for thou art with me, thy rod
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and thy staff they comfort me."
00:16:41.55\00:16:44.20
I did a quick search on
my computer Bible program
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and I came up with
144 different verses
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with the words "Fear not."
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You know many times these
are direct command from God
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and I'm ashamed that how
often I disobeyed that command.
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I walk through the
valley of shadow and suddenly
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I'm afraid, I
forget all the ways
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that He's helped me
before and I worry that
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somehow maybe this
time, He'll not be there.
00:17:03.29\00:17:07.21
And if you're weak
like, like I am sometimes,
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use these next two songs
to both ask God's forgiveness
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for doubting,
and then also ask Him
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to strengthen our
faith, so that we can know
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His peace and fully
and completely believe
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His words to us when He says
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"Fear not, I am with you,
be not dismayed, I am your God.
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I will strengthen you,
yes, I will help you, yes,
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I will uphold you with
right hand of my righteousness."
00:17:34.42\00:17:39.98
And then David ends it by saying
00:23:19.77\00:23:21.82
"Thou preparest
a table before me
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in the presence of mine enemies,
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thou anointest my head
with oil and my cup runs over."
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Look at how God provides
for us, it's not haphazard.
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He prepares a
table and not just enough
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but just so incredibly,
generously and richly
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that our cup is
spilling over, it's too full.
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It can't contain all the
blessings He is pouring in.
00:23:41.02\00:23:43.88
"Surely goodness
and mercy will follow me
00:23:43.91\00:23:45.87
all the days of my
life, and I will dwell
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in the house of
the Lord forever."
00:23:48.22\00:23:52.23
I've never made a fortune
00:23:52.26\00:23:58.89
And it's probably too late now
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But I don't
worry about that much
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'Cause I'm happy anyhow
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As I go along life's journey
00:24:19.55\00:24:26.18
I'm reaping better than I sowed
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I'm drinking from my saucer
00:24:34.66\00:24:39.98
'Cause my cup has overflowed
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Ain't got a lot of riches
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Sometimes the going's tough
00:24:53.80\00:25:00.54
But I've got a friend in Jesus
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And that makes me rich enough
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I thank God for
all His blessings on me
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And the mercy He's bestowed
00:25:21.17\00:25:29.11
I'm drinking from my saucer
00:25:29.14\00:25:34.96
'Cause my cup has overflowed
00:25:34.99\00:25:40.68
You know my
friend, sometimes in life,
00:25:43.22\00:25:45.94
sadness and sorrow come our way,
00:25:45.97\00:25:48.17
there's not much it
seems we can do about it.
00:25:48.20\00:25:50.84
But you know what I
found out, one day I looked
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straight up in the heaven
and I reached up and touched
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His precious nails, God hands.
00:25:55.91\00:25:58.10
God promised me that He'd
be faithful to reach down,
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pick me up and
restore me to new.
00:26:01.60\00:26:04.21
I love Him for that
today, don't you? Yes.
00:26:04.24\00:26:08.82
So Lord, help me not
to grumble and complain
00:26:08.85\00:26:15.76
About the tough
rows that I have hoed
00:26:15.79\00:26:23.75
I'm drinking from my saucer
00:26:24.65\00:26:29.69
'Cause my cup has overflowed
00:26:29.72\00:26:36.66
And if I should go on living
00:26:36.69\00:26:43.12
If my way gets steep and rough
00:26:43.15\00:26:50.26
I'll not ask for other blessings
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'Cause I'm
already blessed enough
00:26:56.79\00:27:01.61
And this is my
prayer for you today.
00:27:01.64\00:27:04.20
May I never be too busy
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To help another bear his load.
00:27:10.39\00:27:17.10
I'm drinking from my saucer
00:27:19.28\00:27:23.13
Yes, 'Cause my
cup has overflowed
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Yes, I'll be
drinking from my saucer, Lord
00:27:30.75\00:27:36.41
Oh, yes, I will
00:27:36.44\00:27:39.46
This cup has overflowed
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Has your cup overflowed?
00:27:45.37\00:27:52.00