6/8 Through Psalm 23

Thou Art With Me
Psalm 23:4, “Thou art with me”.

Just four simple words, and yet, these words are the cornerstone of support for every comfort and claim which the psalmist declares in this text! His victory in “the valley”; his light while standing in “the shadow of death”; his fearlessness amid the frightfulness of “evil” that abounds around him, all of it is based upon one resounding certainty: “Thou art with me”! His confidence is not founded upon the sinking sands of self-reliance! Instead, David proclaims that his confidence, his comfort, and his consolation are centered upon the promise of the Great Shepherd being with him on the journey!

But David is not alone! It was the promise of God’s presence that brought confirmation to the covenant that He established with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, for He said to Jacob, “I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest” (Genesis 28:15)! It was this surety which brought a solace in the struggle for David, when he faced Goliath, for he said, “The Lord…he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine” (1 Samuel 17:37)! Furthermore, it was this ever present God that sustained the three Hebrew children from the consuming flames of Nebuchadnezzar’s fiery furnace, for Nebuchadnezzar cried out in astonishment, “Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, AND THEY HAVE NO HURT, and the form of the fourth is like THE SON OF GOD” (Daniel 3:25)!

What about you dear friend? Are you in the midst of the throws of a fiery trial? Do you find yourself tossed about by a storm on the sea of life? Is there a dark valley that you journey through right now? Have you tasted the pain of persecution or the affliction of adversity? Perhaps it is the leviathan of loneliness with which you wrestle! Do not despair weary one for “The Lord thy God is with thee withersoever thou goest” (Joshua 1:9)! Do not think that the sustaining promise of His presence is exclusive to patriarchs and prophets, for it is not so! The comfort of the promise that God is never-distant and ever-present is yours to claim as well!

Oh the blessedness of the thought of the omnipresence of God! Think of the wonderful bearing this has upon our lives! It is sweet peace to realize the exceeding precious promise that He is always near! In fact, the awareness of this truth has been the refuge of rest to which many a distressed soul has fled in the storms of life! It was this certainty that enabled the psalmist to say, “I will fear no evil”, and it will do no less for you and me! Let us ever remember the assuring pledge which has been given to us by our blessed Lord, “for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Hebrews 13:5)! And because He has offered such an oath, then “WE MAY BOLDLY SAY, ‘The Lord is my helper, and I WILL NOT FEAR…’” (Hebrews 13:6)! Yes dear friend, God is everywhere; let this be A COMFORTING THOUGHT!

But there is more! You see, the knowledge of God’s omnipresence must not only be the cause of our comfort, but it must also awaken in us an awareness of our accountability to that very God for every choice we make, every path we walk, and every action we take. The realization that the Lord is with us, must not only have its positive effects, but it must also bring about a negative result as well. While on the one hand, the thought of a God that will “never leave…nor forsake” should compel us to press on in the pathway of His will; it should, at the same time, cause us to turn from the way of wickedness.

Child of God, are you walking in the way of the backslider? Do you find your steps carrying you farther and farther away from the will of God? Is there some secret sin to which you cling? If it be so, then let not the thought of God’s presence be a comfort to you in any wise! Instead, the knowledge that He is near should be your dread! If you are in sin, may the understanding of our Lord’s perpetual presence be a scourge upon your conscience, a plague for which repentance is the only cure! Be warned wayward one, “Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the Lord, and their works are in the dark, and they say, ‘Who seeth us? And who knoweth us?’” (Isaiah 29:15)

Oh how easy it is to play the hypocrite! You see, we live in a day in which deception has become the watchword for many people. Unfortunately, many professing believers are living secret lives. Far too many Christians are more concerned with what is perceived than they are with what is real. It is for this reason that we live in time in which duplicity has replaced sincerity, and honesty has been supplanted by hypocrisy. It is a time when men say to themselves, “God hath forgotten: he hideth his face; he will never see it.” (Psalm 10:11) Don’t deceive yourself dear friend; it is not so, for God has warned us, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap” (Galatians 6:7)!

Let every one of us ponder this thought beloved, and may it find a lodging place in our soul! There is no place where man can be apart from Him! What is that action which has escaped his attention? There is nothing that can be kept secret from Him of whom it is declared, “Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee” (Psalm 139:12)! In fact, Psalm 24:12 says, “If thou sayest, ‘Behold we knew it not’; doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it? And he that keepeth thy soul, doth he not know it? And shall he not render to every man according to his works?” Rest assured dear friend that there is nothing hidden from Him! God is everywhere; let this be A CONVICTING THOUGHT!

Oh the power of this tremendous truth! Knowing that God is with us provides the remedy for every ill! It provides a comfort for every weary soul, and it produces conviction upon every wicked heart! Remember the admonition that Solomon gave to his sons, “The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good” (Proverbs 15:3)! If you are doing that which is “good”, this truth is a great blessing, but if you are walking in that which is “evil”, this truth is a great burden! Whether you are living in compliance with God’s will, or whether you are walking in rebellion against Him, remember this, “Thou God seest me” (Genesis 16:13)!

But there is something else worthy of our attention in this phrase! Regardless of the ultimate effect this truth brings about when applied to the present circumstances of your life, you have to admit that there is something intriguing about the way that David presents this truth. In order to explain what I mean, let me point out a very obvious aspect of our text. As you read the 23rd Psalm, you will notice that there is a transition that takes place between verse 3 and verse 4. In the first three verses of this text, the psalmist has been speaking to us about the Shepherd, but in Psalm 23:4, David is no longer speaking about Him! Instead, he begins to speak directly to the Shepherd in this verse! You will notice that David does not say, “He is with me”, but rather, he declares “THOU art with me”!

This simple fact leads me to make a final plea concerning this truth: God is everywhere; let this be A COMPELLING THOUGHT! When David considered the nature of the Shepherd, it compelled him to look upward and offer his praise directly to the Shepherd, and we should do no less! Oh that we might follow this grand example of the psalmist! You see, whether we need comforting or convicting, we ought to be ever thankful that God's presence offers us exactly what we need! Thus, we should sing His praise as we cling to His promise, for He hath said, “lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world” (Matthew 28:20)! Dear friend, let this blessed promise be more than a doctrinal distinctive! Let the certainty of His closeness settle into your soul as more than just a theological talking point! Instead, let us lift up our voice with the psalmist to exalt the name of Him who is called Jehovah Shammah – “The Lord is there” (Ezekiel 48:35)!