23 Aug
2026

The Lord Is My Shepherd

Passage: Psalm 23

REFLECTION QUOTES

“Hoping is not dreaming. It is not spinning an illusion or fantasy to protect us from our boredom or pain. It means a confident, alert expectation that God will do what he said he will do. It is imagination put into the harness of faith. It is a willingness to let God do it his way and in his time.”
— Eugene Peterson, A Long Obedience in the Same Direction 

 

SERMON OUTLINE: 

  1. Is the Lord your Shepherd?
  2. Is the Lord your Protector?
  3. Is the Lord your Host?

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: 

What is something that has amazed you at one point and now is familiar? What are the benefits and costs of this movement from wonder to familiar?

Read Psalm 23. What does this passage show you about God’s character and about being his follower? What images are used to reflect God? What challenges, encourages, or sparks questions for you in this passage?

How have you come to know God personally as your shepherd? Sheep know their shepherd’s voice. What has helped you continue to listen and follow God’s voice?
We need God’s protection from the evil around us and the sin within us – his rod and staff. It is a challenge to let go of our own means of “protection” and “salvation.” What are you prone to hold onto that robs you from receiving refreshment for your soul and having no fear of evil?
The Lord is our host, preparing a table before us in the presence of our enemies. This is a picture of the hospitality we need for salvation. In what ways can you see God’s goodness and love for you providing regular spiritual nourishment? How can you remind yourself of these truths regularly?
What from this passage and this discussion is something you want to put into practice or be more aware of this week or praise God for?

 

PRAYER

If there are other concerns not already shared during the discussion, share with your group how they can be praying for you: what is weighing on you from this past week? What are you praising God for from this past week?

Psalm 27:4 “One Thing I ask from the LORD, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple.”