Psalm 23 Week 4

MAIN IDEA: We can fearlessly face troubled times because God is with us.

Head Change: To know that we will encounter hardship, but that hardship doesn’t remove us from the power or presence of God.

Heart Change: To feel unafraid and unshaken because we are under the protection and authority of the Shepherd.

Life Change: To take heart and keep walking through difficulty, towards victory.

1. Read Psalm 23:4. Describe a time in your life where you felt like you were in the valley of the shadow of death. 
   
2. Brad shares the story of how, in his grief over his mom’s passing, he felt disconnected from God. Have you ever felt distant from God after a tragic event or during a difficult season of life? How did God meet your emotional, physical, or spiritual needs?
   
3. What leads many scholars to conclude that David was an elderly man when he wrote Psalm 23?
   
4. David walked through many dark valleys during his lifetime. Still, he was able to say, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I won’t be afraid.” What did David learn in the valley? What have you learned in the valleys you’ve walked through?
   
   
5. How does David offer us hope by saying, “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death…”?
   
6. Why is it significant that the pronouns referring to God change from third person (He) in Psalm 23:1-3, to second person (You) in Psalm 23:4?
   
7. The Shepherd’s rod symbolizes His authority and defending power. His staff symbolizes His comfort and care. As His sheep, why do we need both? 
     
8. Read Isaiah 43:2. How does the theme in this verse reflect the theme in Psalm 23:4?
     
9. In Psalm 23:4, David assumes we will face hardships. He doesn’t say, ‘If I walk through the valley…’ Read John 16:33 and James 1:2-3. What hope do these verses offer?
     
10. Read Psalm 37:25. What further insight does this offer us in terms of David’s hope and confidence in God’s faithfulness to bring His people through difficulties and dark valleys?