The Lord is my shepherd
Psalm 23
1 The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters;
3 he restores my soul.
He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me;
your rod and your staff—they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
6 Surely 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.
God, Yahweh, the shepherd provides the needs of his sheep, and we are among his sheep if we are willing to be led and guided by God. We should not miss the balance between vs. 2 and 3 on the one hand (rest in green pastures, still waters (that is safe to drink from – a fast flowing stream is dangerous for sheep to drink from), a place to restore one’s soul), when all is right with the world; and vs. 4 on the other hand (the dark valley with all the threat that is implied in those words), when things are frightening and fearful. These two are linked by the end of vs. 3 “He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake” and the ending of vs. 4 – “your rod and your staff – they comfort me” (the rod and staff are the tools the shepherd uses to lead the sheep). Whether the way is easy and good like resting in a lush meadow, or if the way is hard and frightening like a dark alley at night, either one is the right path if God is leading, guiding. The psalm is very clear, God leads us at times into easy, pleasant paths and at other times into hard, difficult paths – both are part of the God’s action in our lives, and God is with us in both situations.
It is easy to assume that when things are good, God is present and we are where we are called to be, but that when things are hard, God is absent (or at least distant) and that somehow we have got off the right path. This psalm will not let us make that easy assumption. God is the shepherd who leads his people into both pleasant places and difficult places – into contexts where we are invited to do easy things and into contexts where we need to do hard, even scary things.
PRAYER:
Lord God, our Good Shepherd, teach us to accept your leading and guiding when your lead us on paths that are easy and comfortable, teach us to accept your leading and guiding when you lead us on paths that are difficult and challenging. In Jesus’ name. Amen.