Prayer for All Members Based on Pastor Barry’s Message, April 30, 2023 Psalm 49

The Other Shepherd – The Better Shepherd
1. The Great Call: Hear This, All Peoples! (1-4)
Hear this, all peoples! Give ear, all inhabitants of the world, both low and high, rich and poor together! My mouth shall speak wisdom...
The Psalmist calls on all peoples to hear. This is universal truth and wisdom that the entire world needs to gain.
2. The Great Conundrum: Why Should I Fear? (5-9)
Why should I fear in times of trouble, when the iniquity of those who cheat me surrounds me, those who trust in their wealth and boast of the abundance of their riches? Truly no man can ransom another, or give to God the price of his life...
Why fear people who have money and power? We may feel at their mercy, but we shouldn’t fear them because no man has enough wealth to ransom a life, to live on eternally. If we fear people, we’re missing thinking beyond the brackets of this life, beyond birth and death in this world. We miss fearing the One who is eternal.
Father, when we are tempted to fear mortal man, please remind us to fear only You, our eternal God.
3. The Great Constant: All Men Die. (10-14)
For he sees that even the wise die; the fool and the stupid alike must perish and leave their wealth to others... Man in his pomp will not remain; he is like the beasts that perish... This is the path of those who have foolish confidence... Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol; death shall be their shepherd, and the upright shall rule over them in the morning...
All men are facing the same outcome; we all perish and can’t take our wealth with us. The phrase “Man in his pomp...is like the beasts that perish” (v. 12) is repeated in v. 20 because it is an important theme in the Psalm: men who rely on their wealth have no eternal future. Death acts as a shepherd to guide them to the grave.
Father, please help us live in the reality that life and wealth on this earth are only temporary.
4. The Great Contrast: God Will Ransom Me! (15)
But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol, for he will receive me.
This is the good news, the pivotal point of the Psalm. This reverses everything. Man cannot ransom, but God can and will ransom my soul from death. When we turn to God, we gain the other Shepherd, the better Shepherd, Jesus, who rose from the dead and broke open the grave. Even though my body will go to the grave, my soul is still secure.
Lord, thank You for being our Good Shepherd who ransoms us to live with You forever!
5. The Great Conclusion: Be Not Afraid. (16-20)
Be not afraid when a man becomes rich, when the glory of his house increases. For when he dies he will carry nothing away... Man in his pomp yet without understanding is like the beasts that perish.
We never need to be afraid of man, but instead should trust in our Good Shepherd.
Lord, please help us to replace all fear with faith in You.