“The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing” (Ps. 23:1)
“I will fear no evil” (Ps. 23:4b)
My wife, Sarah-Jane, prepares a weekly menu and shops accordingly. That works well most weeks. But recently “panic buying” left the shelves near empty. That’s a fear response. Willard[1] observes that the powers of evil at work in the world “dominate humanity through fear and self-obsession, so that the uppermost thing filling our minds is likely to be ourselves”. He says the “truth of the matter is that people are obsessed with themselves”[2]. Satan uses our fear that we won’t get what we desire to keep us trapped in self-obsession.
God’s people, recently liberated from Egypt, had to learn that people who are free under God lack nothing. God fed them “manna” in the desert. If they collected more than they needed “it bred worms and stank” (Ex. 16:20).
If the Lord is our Shepherd, we “fear no evil”. Why? Because we can say of the Lord “you are with me” (Ps. 23:4b). Friends, God is with us! We could view this season of forced “social distancing” as a metaphor for time in the desert with the Lord. For some of us this will be time of growth in faith and trust (God will provide). Others will “die to self” coming to a place of surrender and openness to God (Mt. 16.25). And those surrendered to God will be led further into a life of loving service (Jn 13:34).
Friends, those who lack nothing, those who fear no evil, are free to serve in love. “Let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds” (Heb 10:24).
God Bless,
Sean.
PS:
- We don’t meet on Sunday at DMC. However we will offer an “online worship service” (we’ll send a link via SMS). Audio recordings of sermons will be made available as usual (here).
- We’ve also provided a short Liturgy to help you with worship at home or in small groups here.
- For those who don’t have online access we will also making available hardcopies of the sermons and resources/notes etc.
- If you wish to go online but are short on data the DMC wifi password is DMC@2019! You should be able to gain access from the carpark if the church is closed.
[1] Dallas Willard, Life without Lack, living in the fullness of Psalm 23.
[2] This is not condemnation of “other” people. This is insight about humanity. If we are not self-obsessed it is because, by God’s grace, we’ve been set free to seek first the Kingdom.