Everything We Need – Psalm 23

A text – 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.

A reflection:

This little psalm is the most famous one of all. Even non-churchgoers know it (or parts of it) and find it comforting. I love it, too. Probably because it talks about relying on the Lord to give you everything you will ever need. And since we can rely on the Lord, our confidence can be always unshaken. We are not afraid. We are sure there will always be enough. Not because of our provider-ship, but because the Lord provides abundantly.

I remember an Old Testament scholar once said that a word that we often mistranslate in the 6^th verse is a great example of that abundance that the Lord brings. He said the word “follow” is not quite right. He said the word ought to be translated “pursue” – apparently it is the same word as was used to describe Pharoah chasing the Israelites when they escaped Egypt. Pursue! “Surely goodness and mercy shall pursue me all the days of my life.” They will always catch up to me, no matter what. That is abundance that chases us!

I do feel sometimes as though the Lord’s goodness has pursued me, no matter how stupid or reckless I have been. I surely don’t deserve to be so blessed. But the Lord is like that. Blessings abound. We have to make sure we are paying attention – when we are paying attention, we will notice God is near and is leading us. Like a shepherd. And goodness and mercy will pursue us. We are loved and blessed by the Lord, no matter what.

A prayer:

Lord God, Thank you for loving us. Thank you for blessing us so richly. Thank you for leading us to good places, for being with us in the bad times, and for giving us everything we need so abundantly. Help us to share from our abundance with those who will also enjoy the blessing. Amen.