Thesis
Drawing from Psalm 23:1, Pastor Bill teaches that worry is like a fog — unhelpful, unreasonable, unhealthy, and unnecessary — because at its root, worry is an attempt to control life apart from God. The antidote is not mere positive thinking but a genuine surrender to Jesus as Lord. When the shepherd truly is our Lord, we can trust that He provides everything we truly need: guidance, protection, redemption, and even the sure hope of eternity — making worry, even the fear of death, lose its power over us.
Key points
- 1
Worry is like fog — it takes a small concern and expands it until it obscures everything, paralyzing us.
- 2
The Lord is not your shepherd unless the shepherd is your Lord — genuine care from God requires genuine surrender to Him.
- 3
In John 10, Jesus describes His sheep as those who know Him, listen to Him, and follow Him — all three are required.
- 4
The root of worry — and of all sin — is the attempt to control our own lives rather than trust God, echoing Satan's lie to Adam and Eve that God is holding out on them.
- 5
Begin praying about everything, casting your cares on God and truly letting them go rather than immediately reeling them back in.
- 6
Consider one day at a time — Jesus instructs us not to worry about tomorrow, but to focus on following Him today.
- 7
Even death holds no ultimate power over those whose shepherd is the Lord — Jesus walks with us through the darkest valley and into eternity.
Outline
The Fog of Worry
Pastor Bill uses the illustration of a childhood walk through a literal Arizona fog after watching a horror movie to show how worry compounds itself. A scientific fact anchors the metaphor: a large glass of water can produce seven city blocks of fog 100 feet high — just as a small concern can fog up our entire mind.
Why Worry Doesn't Work
Worry is shown to be unhelpful, unreasonable, unhealthy, and unnecessary. Whether the concern is something we can act on (making it procrastination) or something outside our control, worry drains us and produces nothing.
Introduction to Psalm 23 and the Big Idea
Pastor Bill introduces the series through Psalm 23 and states the big idea plainly: believe God will take care of you. Background on David's context and the trilogy of Psalms 22–24 is given, showing Psalm 23 as the present-tense shepherd psalm.
The Shepherd God — A Complete Picture
Pastor Bill reads all of Psalm 23 aloud and explains how its six verses contain all seven Old Testament names of God, forming a complete portrait of who God is and what we truly need. He highlights Jehovah Ra (God the Shepherd) and Jehovah Jireh (God the Provider) in verse one.
Point A — Accept Jesus as Lord
The controlling truth of Psalm 23:1 is unpacked: the Lord is not your shepherd unless the shepherd is your Lord. Drawing on John 10, Pastor Bill explains that Jesus' sheep know Him, listen to Him, and follow Him. He traces worry back to the Garden of Eden, where Satan planted doubt that God was holding out — the same lie that drives every sin. A prayer of salvation and surrender is led for both first-time believers and those needing to re-yield to the Holy Spirit.
Point B — Begin Praying About Everything
Using 1 Peter 5:7 and the image of a fisherman casting and immediately reeling a line back in, Pastor Bill challenges the congregation to truly release their worries to God in prayer rather than taking them back. A personal anecdote about spilling tea on his shirt moments before preaching illustrates how even small, unexpected worries respond to prayer.
Point C — Consider One Day at a Time
From Matthew 6, Jesus' instruction not to worry about tomorrow is applied practically: deal with the concern of today and trust God with the rest. Pastor Bill distinguishes between needs God promises to meet and greeds we want Him to satisfy.
The Ultimate Hope — Even Through Death
The sermon closes with the deepest application of Psalm 23 — even death is covered by the shepherd's care. The story of a dying 10-year-old boy who clasped his index finger on the words 'my shepherd' illustrates that trusting God's care extends all the way into eternity. Pastor Bill points to the resurrection of Jesus and the vision of dry bones in Ezekiel as proof that the shepherd brings life out of death.
Memorable moments
The Lord is not your shepherd unless the shepherd is your Lord
We take a little bottle of something to be concerned about and we let it take up seven blocks of real estate in our head
the root of worry is to try to control your own life and not trust God
He doesn't take us around it, He walks with us through it
That little boy is more alive than you and I are right now
He gives us all of our needs, not all of our greeds
Application
Pastor Bill frames the takeaway as a simple but demanding choice: do you actually believe God will take care of you — or are you still trying to be your own shepherd? He calls listeners to three concrete responses. First, accept Jesus as Lord — not just as Savior in name, but by genuinely knowing, listening to, and following Him each day, yielding afresh to the Holy Spirit. Second, begin praying about everything, especially the small sideways worries, and practice truly releasing them rather than casting and immediately reeling them back in. Third, consider one day at a time — unhook from the fog of future fears and deal with what Jesus is putting in front of you right now. The ultimate anchor: even if the worst happens and death itself arrives, the shepherd walks right through it with you into eternity.
