March 15, 2026
Theme: Led by the Shepherd, Seen by the Savior
Psalm 23 & John 9:1–41
This morning, I want to draw our attention to Psalm 23, the song of a shepherd‑king who knew God’s guiding hand, and the gospel of John 9, the story of a man who met Jesus and walked away seeing the world for the first time.
These scriptures speak to every heart that has ever felt lost, overlooked, or in the dark. They remind us that God not only leads us-He sees us. And when God sees you, your story cannot stay the same.
In Psalm 23, David speaks of The Shepherd Who Leads
He begins with a declaration that is both intimate and unshakable: “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” Not a shepherd. Not the shepherd. My shepherd.
This is the language of relationship, not religion. David is saying, “God knows me. God guides me. God provides for me.”
And look at how God leads: 1. Green pastures – places of nourishment 2. Still waters – places of peace 3. Paths of righteousness – places of purpose 4. The valley of the shadow of death -places of fear, yet not abandonment.
David doesn’t pretend life is always green pastures. He acknowledges valleys, shadows, enemies, and uncertainty. But he also knows this: Wherever I am, my Shepherd is with me.
In the gospel of (John 9:1–41)- we meet with The Savior Who Sees Us
In John 9, Jesus encounters a man born blind. The disciples want to debate theology- “Who sinned, this man or his parents?”
But Jesus refuses to reduce the man to a case study. He says, “This happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.”
Before the man ever sees Jesus, Jesus sees him.
And that is the turning point of the story.
Jesus kneels, makes mud, places it on the man’s eyes, and sends him to wash. The man obeys-and suddenly light floods in. For the first time in his life, he sees the world, sees faces, sees possibility.
But the miracle doesn’t end with sight.
The man is questioned, doubted, rejected, and pushed aside by religious leaders who cannot accept what God has done.
Yet through every interrogation, his testimony grows stronger.
At first he says, “The man called Jesus healed me.”
Later, “He is a prophet.”
Finally, when Jesus reveals Himself, the man says, “Lord, I believe.”
He receives not only sight for his eyes, but vision for his soul.
When the Shepherd Leads and the Savior Sees
Psalm 23 and John 9 are not separate stories. They are threads of the same tapestry.
- In Psalm 23, God leads us. 2. In John 9, Jesus sees us. 3. In both, God is with us.
The blind man walked in darkness his whole life, yet the Shepherd had not forgotten him.
David walked through valleys of shadow, yet the Shepherd never left him.
And the same is true for usin the contemporary world.
You may be walking through a valley right now. A valley of uncertainty, illness, grief, financial strain, or spiritual dryness.
But hear this truth: Your Shepherd has not lost sight of you. You may feel unseen by people, by systems, by the world.
But hear this truth: Jesus sees you fully, lovingly, and purposefully.
Both Psalm 23 and John 9 invite us to trust.
• Trust the Shepherd who leads us even when the path is unclear.
• Trust the Savior who sees us even when we feel invisible.
• Trust the God who can bring light into any darkness.
The blind man didn’t understand everything Jesus was doing.
David didn’t always understand where the Shepherd was leading.
But both chose to follow. And that choice changed everything.
May we walk in the confidence that we are led, we are seen, and we are loved by the Shepherd.