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
“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” These words are so familiar that we may forget their power. To say we lack nothing in a world of scarcity is an act of trust. To follow the shepherd through green pastures and dark valleys alike is to confess that we depend on someone else to guide us. That someone, blessedly, is Jesus.
Psalm 23 does not promise an easy road. There are still valleys of shadow, still enemies at the table. But it’s right there—in the presence of fear and hardship—that God shows up. “You are with me,” the psalmist says. God is with us, too. We are not left to fend for ourselves. We are not abandoned even in the darkest valley. Jesus the Good Shepherd leads us, and his grace will not let us go.
Prayer
Shepherding God, when the path is uncertain and the shadows deepen, remind us that you walk beside us, leading us with love. Amen.
Interested in digging deeper into today’s text?
Read more here.