Psalm 23 – How does God’s role as Shepherd provide comfort and assurance in your life?
UPDATE: A few days have passed since I wrote it. And I have just stumbled on this interpretation of Psalm 23. And it has left me uprooted and confronted with all the privileges and safeguards that I take for granted in my life. All of a sudden, I am faced with pain and fears I have never known. And therefore, I type and listen.
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
But I do Lord; I want to be safe,
I want to be heard, I want to cry.
All these are wants, but the Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
I want safety, health care. But where do I go to fix a broken heart?
I have no money, for I left everything behind.
All I have is in this plastic baggie, a paper, and a photo.
But the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
I’m in the valley, Lord, and this sun hurts my skin.
Kiss me Lord and quench my thirst. I want water, I want strength,
I want shade. Yet you remind me that you are my shepherd and
I shall not want.
If I cannot want anything or anyone else, I want you Lord.
You are my shepherd and I shall not want.
And I am your sheep, your sheep wanting again.
Cláudio Carvalhaes, Liturgies from Below: 462 acts of worship (Abingdom Press: Nashville, TN, 2020) p. 159.
ORIGINAL POST
Have you ever experienced decision-making fatigue? As a parent and a leader in my community, I make countless decisions. At times, I reach the point where I am simply exhausted by it all. In those moments, the best gift is someone who deeply cares about me and my well-being stepping in to make a decision for me. Because of the deep trust and love we share, I don’t need to question it or probe it—I can simply accept it.
There is so much unknown in our lives, so much we can’t plan or prepare for. When anxiety starts to take hold, I lean into Psalm 23 and the image of being part of God’s sheep-dom. My faith allows me to trust in God’s grace, which actively pulses through my life. I rest in God’s love, inseparable from my very being. I breathe easier knowing that generations before me have recited this Psalm in countless languages for centuries. Through it, we continue to find peace and rest in the loving care of the One who shepherds us.
What a stark contrast this is to the world around us, full of violence, pain, and brokenness! Yet God has chosen to be a part of this world. That is the Good News of the gospel: God invites us to rest among the sheep-dom, to find solace in God’s presence, and to trust in the grace that carries us through.