The Lord Is My Shepherd

A long, long time ago before any of you were born there was a television game show called "Who Do You Trust?" Today, we are going to play our own version of the "Who Do You Trust?" game. Here is how the game is played. First, I will tell you what type of question I am going to ask. For example, I might tell you that I am going to ask a Bible question. Then I will say to one of you, "Who do you trust?" You must then choose another person you trust to answer the question correctly.

Are you ready to play? Okay, let's play! I have a Bible question. Johnny, Who do you trust? (Johnny then chooses a person to answer the question. Be sure that the questions are ones that the children can answer so that no one will be embarrassed.)

Here is the question, "What person in the Bible was swallowed by a great big fish?" (Jonah, of course.)

Great job! Johnny knew that he could trust (name) to answer that question.

Let's try that again. This time I have a question about television. Mary, Who do you trust? (Mary chooses someone that she trusts to answer the question correctly.)

The question is, "Who is green and lives in a trash can on Sesame Street?" (Oscar the Grouch. Surely you knew that!)

Wow! You guys are really smart!

Playing the "Who Do You Trust?" game can be a lot of fun, but in real life, it is very important to know whom we can trust. I know where to find the answer. We can find the answer to that question in the Bible. Psalms 23 is one of the best-loved passages in the whole Bible. When we read the 23rd Psalms, it sounds as if someone may have just asked David the question,"Who do you trust?" What was his answer? His answer was, "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want."

David was himself a shepherd and he knew that sheep can trust the shepherd in every situation. When the sheep are hungry, the shepherd takes them to green pastures where they have plenty to eat. When the sheep are thirsty, he leads them to a quiet stream where the can drink. When the sheep are in danger of being eaten by wild animals, the shepherd is their protector. The sheep can trust the shepherd in every situation.

Each day we find ourselves facing difficult situations and we have difficult choices to make. We often ask ourselves, "Who can I trust?" The answer is, "Jesus." The Bible tells us that Jesus is "The Good Shepherd" and we are his sheep. Just like David, we can say, "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want." We can trust him in every situation.

Dear Jesus, you are the Good Shepherd and we are your sheep. We put our trust in you. Amen.