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 congregation I serve faced a lot of death and dying during the season of Lent. In addition to losing a few beloved congregational members, we also received a larger than normal number of requests for funerals from the surrounding community. Many congregations seem to go through such seasons. As it turned out, we held memorial services every week during Lent, sometimes multiple services in a weekend. Of course, almost every service included a reading of Psalm 23. There is something timeless and hopeful about these familiar words: "Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me." We take comfort in knowing that even though God as our shepherd cannot circumvent the darkest valleys for us, God does stay with us. We have no need to fear the unknown—even the unknown of death—because there is no place where God's love cannot find us.
Prayer
God, our shepherd, thank you for your faithfulness to us in all the seasons of our lives. Give us strength to let go of our fear so that we can follow you with open, trusting hearts. Amen.