What does it look like to truly walk with God? It’s one thing to be religious, to check boxes (i.e. I attend worship. I volunteer. I tithe. I’ll do this thing or that thing). But what does it mean to turn one’s entire life over to God—to let God be my shepherd daily, or Lord of my whole life? Lord of my body, of my plans, aspirations, choices… my personal life, my talents and abilities, my public life, my relationships, my family, my career, my finances, my time. . .
In Psalm 23:1a David declares. “The Lord is my shepherd;” In a similar manner, the earliest Christians would confess, “Jesus is Lord.” It’s a way of announcing to others that the Lord leads, guides, governs, reigns over my heart, mind, body, soul.
Then Last Sunday we unpacked what it looks like to find satisfaction in God. Whether it’s our circumstances. Whether it’s our relationships, our enemies. Whether it’s our very breath that’s beginning to fail us—God supplies exactly what we need. In Psalm 23:1-3a David says, “The Lord is my shepherd; I have what I need. He lets me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside quiet waters. He renews my life;” You can jump online if you want to catch up on these messages.
Obviously, this is 4th of July weekend. This is the weekend we celebrate our freedom as an American people. Baked into our nation’s psyche is this notion we ought to be sovereign over our own lives, our own destiny. Freedom is what sets our nation apart from most every nation.
I noticed that if you Google “American Freedoms,” Google only mentions 1st Amendment freedoms. The freedom of speech, of religion, of the press, of assembly for purposes of protest, the right to petition the government. Google never mentions the 2nd Amendment—the right to keep and bear arms. As a general rule, we love the “idea” or “ideals” of freedom. But when it comes to the “practice” or “practical application” of freedom, we’re sharply divided.
Let me use the second amendment as an illustration. People are sharply divided. Does a person have a right to keep firearms just for hunting? How about for self-defense? For Home-defense? What about for some Red-Dawn Russian & China invasion scenario? How about firearms to potentially restrain our own government, to enact an uprising or coup if warranted? What lethality of weaponry should a person be allowed to have? Who should be able to keep or bear such arms? When should a person be restricted, or prohibited, or red-flagged? Should firearms be concealed? Can they be openly displayed? In which places? Is there a point at which a freedom becomes too costly to justify? {You can make a lot of friends bringing these kinds of issues up! They aren’t going away anytime soon}.
Think back to just a few weeks ago. Our Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade. For the time being, abortion is no longer a “Federal” matter but a “State” matter. In Illinois, nothing changes for us. In regard to abortion, we have some of the most liberal and permissive laws (not just in the nation, but in the world). If you are a woman, you have total sovereignty (you are your own god) over your body and any life within your body. In other states, you have much tighter laws.
But here again, in regard to freedom we are sharply divided. It isn’t just people “out there” in our culture, but people “within the church.” Should a woman have total sovereignty over her own body, including the right to terminate life in her womb? Are there certain circumstances that should apply or not apply (rape, incest, hardship on mother, hardship on society)? Are there certain authorities that should concur with the woman? Federal, State, even School authorities? What about medical authorities (M.D.)? Parental authorities—like Mom & Dad? What about the biological father? Should he have any rights? At what point should a baby have right to life? At conception? At so many weeks? When he or she has a heartbeat? A certain level of brain activity? When he or she is viable outside womb?
Now I want you to step back in time for a moment. Again, we live in Illinois, so I am probably thinking of things through an Illinois lens. But think back a few decades where we have come. Gambling was illegal, but now its permitted. Certain drugs were illegal, but now their sale is a revenue engine for our state and local government. It was just a decade ago that laws pertaining to divorce, sodomy, or gay marriage were loosened. Crime is increasingly treated as a sickness, not a moral offense. Sick people need treatment, not incarceration, so there is a social justice, bail reform movement to simply release criminals back unto our streets. Previous generations saw wisdom in restraining freedom; Our present generation is literally and metaphorically throwing off all restraint. We truly live in a day where all things are becoming permissible.
So, what does all this have to do with King David, or Psalm 23. It’s really very simple. If you are a king, who or what regulates you? Is there anyone or anything over you, any authority above you? If you are a king, you can do as you please. You can set the laws and policies of the land according to your own whims (whether moral or immoral). You can live and act with seemingly impunity.
But here is what I want to call our attention to this morning. In Psalm 23:3 David says of God, “He leads me along the right path for his name’s sake.” Such a simple declaration, yet so utterly profound, and transformative, and vital.
I’ve resigned myself to the reality that we are a completely free people. You are completely sovereign over yourself. Even young people are sovereign. Ironically, as a parent you are sovereign over yourself yet many of your parental rights are being stripped away. But let me not digress. For all practical purposes you can be your own man, or your own woman, your own ruler-king-lord. Nobody is going to stand in your way. Not Laws. Not Old restraints. You’d be hard pressed to find many churches that would stand in your path and rebuke you.
But the question for you isn’t about freedom, it’s about your heart. Given total freedom, given total agency, given total sovereignty to do as you please… do you use your freedom as a coverup for evil, or do you use freedom to serve God? There is no question about what “king” David is saying here. He may be a king, but it’s king with a lower case “k.” No, God is his Shepherd and Lord, his Great Shepherd and King. There may be a way that seems right to a person, but in the end it leads to death. But for David his prayer is, “Lord, lead me in right paths. Lord, lead me into those things which bring glory and honor to your name.”
There is an incredible verse in Psalm 29:18 that says, “Without revelation people run wild, but one who follows divine instruction will be happy.” This is a picture of these last days in which we live. Everyone runs wild. Everyone does as he or she pleases. Everyone is a law unto himself…herself…themselves…itself…etc. I don’t think people are getting happier, do you? I also don’t think people are really becoming more free—not spiritually anyway—politically maybe—but not spiritually. People are becoming “more” enslaved to sin, shame, pain and regret, to very real consequences.
But with revelation, with Divine Instruction, there is much happiness to be found. Our prayer ought to be, “Lord, first of all, be my Lord, be my King.” But then secondly, “Lord, speak, guide, lead, show me the way.” Jesus said, “I am the way the truth and the life.” He said, “I am the light of the world. Anyone who follows me will never walk in the darkness but will have the light of life.”
What is the key to life? Is the secret to life throwing off all restraint? We’ve all been there and done that right? Or is the secret to life (to satisfaction, to joy, to peace, to happiness) enthroning Christ as Lord and Shepherd of your life? Is the key to life asking, “What is right in the eyes of the Lord?” Is the key to life asking, “How does this glorify God’s good, holy name?”
I don’t see many Christians embracing a Lordship framework, a Davidic framework these days. What love, joy, peace might you find seeking God’s kingdom, God’s righteousness, God’s glory as a “first” principle? Freedom isn’t unimportant, but it isn’t my first principle. God’s Kingdom and glory is my first principle. It’s the thing that matters most, most governs me. {Mt. 6:25-34. Seeking first kingdom as a salve to anxiety}