Psalm 23 (NRSV)
Read Psalm 23 on biblegateway.com
Verse 1The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
Verse 2He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters;
Verse 3he restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name's sake.
Verse 4Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff- they comfort me.
Verse 5You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Verse 6Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long.
Devotion
Before I could even read, I knew Psalm 23 by heart. I am not sure why, but we all loved it. “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want” was on my lips and in my heart. Then when I was twelve, my oldest brother was killed in the Vietnam War. I was devastated. During the funeral, Psalm 23 was read. How dare they take my favorite psalm and use it at this time of terrible heartache? In my sadness I never wanted to hear this or any of the psalms again. My lament was too deep and praising God was not going to happen in my deep sorrow and darkness.
It was many years later I heard this psalm and realized that it spoke to those walking through hard times and still knowing the joys of a God who loves us. God prepares before me a table giving me confidence that God is in charge, and I can sing once again, “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.”
Interested in digging deeper into today’s text? Read more here with Enter the Bible.
Prayer
Dear Good Shepherd, thank you for walking with us in times of praise and times of deep darkness. May you continue to show your love and beauty in our lives. Amen.