Text: Psalm 23
Topic: Why we should persevere through difficulty

Introduction
• David walked with the Lord while caring for a flock of sheep.
• Pastors face the dilemma of being both sheep and shepherd.

The Lord sometimes has to make us rest
• God is so committed to blessing me that he will force me to lie down.
• My obsession with being a shepherd causes me to forget I'm a sheep.

When you are in a valley, remember a mountaintop is ahead
• A valley means I left one mountaintop and I'm on my way to another.
• The key is to walk through the valley because the journey is not complete.

God blesses us even in the valley
• In the midst of depression, failure, and challenges, God moves.
• He prepares a table before me is a preposition of location or an adverb of time.
     - Illustration: Benihana's restaurant prepares the food in front of you.
• Sometimes God positions you to see that he is up to something.
     - Illustration: The shepherd would put his sheep down for the night and then prepare a place for them to eat the next day.
• We must learn to follow, even if we don't see where God is leading us.

God blesses us as the enemy is watching.
• The enemy can see us, but cannot get to us because of the shepherd is there.

God protects us on every side.
• The devil and hell cannot stop you from receiving what God has ordained if you'll walk on by faith and not by sight.
• Illustration: Ulmer describes all the protections offered by the shepherd.

Praise God as he leads you out of the valley.
• Illustration: In cowboy movies, when the bad guys are surrounded they must come out with their hands up.
• God surrounds you, so come out of that problem with your hands up.

Conclusion
God is so committed to you that he'll meet you in your valleys.