October 13,
2002pm. “Yes, Sir, Yes
Sir, Three Bags Full!” Psalm 23 (KV: 1)
Ba, ba black sheep / is there
any wool? / Yes sir, yes sir / three bags full.
One for my master, / one for my dame, / and one for the little boy, / who lives
down the lane. There is more than
enough for all.
Have you ever thought about a sheep? Most all of the animals that God created have some sort of defense, except the sheep. With the care and protection of the shepherd the sheep are given an opportunity to enjoy a wonderful life.
Scripture
Text: Psalm 23:1 (KJS) A Psalm of
David. The LORD [is] my shepherd; I shall not want. 2
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still
waters. 3 He restoreth my soul: he
leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 4 Yea, though I
walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou
[art] with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. 5 Thou preparest a table
before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my
cup runneth over. 6 Surely goodness
and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house
of the LORD for ever.
1.
Are you depending on the Lord to give you what you need
and what you want? V. 1
MY
SHEEP. SHEEP have no means of defense; they have neither wings nor swiftness of
foot; they flock together, but their numbers do not increase their strength.
Their only safety lies in the power and carefulness of the shepherd. We are the
sheep of His pasture, and can be fed and defended by no one else. "Live by
faith in the Son of God" (Gal. 2:20). "The Lord is my Shepherd" (Psalm 23:1). --
James Smith, Handfuls on Purpose, vol. 1, (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdman
Publishing Co., 1971).
2.
Are you trusting in the Lord to provide for you
green pastures and still waters. (food
and drink) All of the needs of your
life can be given by the Lord. V. 2
3.
Are you depending on the Lord to restore your soul
and lead you in the right way? Sheep
don’t know the right way to go. Are
you following the Lord’s way? His
way is the right way. V. 3
4.
Are you trusting in the Lord to lead you through the valley
of the shadow of death and to protect you from evil that tries to take your
life. V. 4
In 1980, 25-year-old Dave Carr of Bangor, Maine, started to
feel one of those inner urges that defy logic and reason. He had a strong
impulse to open a gathering place for the homeless or people down on their luck.
"I thought of providing them with a soft drink or coffee and something to
eat, along with a hug and some words of encouragement," Dave says.
"Most important, I wanted them to learn about the Bible, and hopefully to
accept Jesus into their hearts." This heavenly nudge" grew stronger
over the next several years. But Dave argued with it. How could he open such a
place? True, he had always lived a life of service and had helped on similar
projects through the church. But he was a truck driver, not a minister or
psychologist, and he had a young family to support, with nothing left over for
rent on a drop-in center. The whole idea was impossible. But Dave continued to
think about it. Street people led hard lives, he knew; not only were they hungry
and often cold in Maine's hard climate, they were vulnerable to threats from
those stronger than they. Recently a man had been murdered in the middle of the
nigbt and thrown over the bridge into the Penobscot River, The police had not
found his attackers. And without some kind of safe oasis, Dave thought, such a
thing was sure to happen again. Finally Dave drove to downtown Bangor about
10:00 one September evening. It wouldn't hurt to at least look at possible
sites. "I need nighttime hours to think quietly, and I thought it would be
easier to check out storefronts without being distracted by traffic," he
says. He parked and walked through the neighborhoods, looking at abandoned
buildings. Some possibilities, but nothing definite. At 1:00 A.M. Dave was ready
to call it quits. But he hadn't investigated Brewer yet, the city that lies
across the Penobscot River from Bangor. He would look at a few sites there, then
head home. The street was deserted as Dave started walking up the bridge. Then a
car approached from Brewer. As its headlights caught him, the car slowed.
Uneasily Dave realized that there were three men inside. Despite the cool night
air, their windows were rolled down. "Let's throw him over!" Dave
heard one of them say. The car stopped, its doors opened, and all three jumped
out and came toward him. Horrified, Dave suddenly recalled the murder of the
street person. It had been on this bridge! Had these men done it? He would be no
match for them, he knew his only option was to pray that he survived the icy
water. But as he looked down, he realized that the tide had gone out, and only
rocks and dirt were directly below him. "God, help me," Dave murmured.
Immediately he felt a presence near him, something unseen but definitely there.
A warm safe feeling flooded him. His fear vanished, and he knew, without knowing
quite bow he knew, that he was not alone. Now the men were almost upon Dave. All
three were large, muscular-and leering. "Get him!" one shouted.
Suddenly they stopped. "They all stared at me, then looked to the right and
left of me," Dave says. "They seemed terrified. One said, 'Oh, my
God!' They turned and began shoving one another to get back to the car. And when
they sped away-it sounded like they tore the transmission right out-I could
still hear them cursing and yelling, 'Run, run!"' Dave stood for a moment
on the deserted bridge, baskmg in the warmth that still surrounded him. What was
it? What had the men seen? Whatever it was, it had shielded him from certain
death. "Thank you, God," he whispered. He felt exalted, so buoyant
that he decided to go on to Brewer and finish his search. As he crossed the rest
of the bridge, Danny, a friend of his, drove by, looked at him, and kept going,
unmindful of Dave's narrow escape. Dave waved, still surrounded by peace. A
while later, Dave came across some derelicts standing on a Brewer street corner.
But as he approached, they all fell back. One put his hands over his eyes.
"You're shining!" he whispered. "It hurts to look!" "I
can feel the Holy Spirit all around you!" said another, as he inched away.
Dave was awed. It was heaven's glow surrounding him, it had to be! But he wasn't
absolutely positive until the next day, when he ran into Danny again.
"Sorry I didn't slop for you last night on the bridge," Danny said,
"But I had passengers and I never could have fit all of you in my car,
too." "All of us?"Dave asked, puzzled. "Those three huge
guys walking with you," Danny explained. "They were ihe biggest people
I had ever seen. One must have been at least seven feet tall!" Dave never
resisted a heavenly nudge again. He opened and funded a Bangor coffeehouse in
1986, which is still running today under a friend's management. At least 100
people are fed every ~ight, with coffee, hugs-and the word of the Lord.
-- Joan Wester Anderson
5.
Are you trusting in the Lord to continue to provide for
you even in the presence of your enemies. V.
5 He gives all and even more
than I need to have an abundant life.
When a boy, I went with my mother to buy some sugar. The good grocer, in filling the scoop, would let a big lump fall off on the counter. "You may have that lump, my boy," he would say; "it's the run-over." At first this seemed an accident; afterwards I thought it was intention. Anyway, it cost mother nothing, and I believed the grocer could well afford to give it. He had barrels of it. So when mother went to buy sugar I always wanted to go along; I enjoyed the "run-over." When we go to the Lord for spiritual filling, we need not fear the running over. If we refuse to allow it, we may go away the poorer. But if we welcome the run-over, others around us, hungering and thristing, will be blessed by the richness and the sweetness of heaven's exhaustless grace. - The Sunday School Times