Read the Word:
Psalm 23:1-6
Meditate on the Word:
I remember as a teenager memorizing this psalm for Sunday School (in the King James version, of course). I did not give this psalm a great deal of thought back then, because the goal was to memorize. I’m certain that the Sunday School teacher who had us memorize this (and other scriptures) wanted us to hide God’s word in our hearts, not just in our memory banks. Now, I mostly read it as the introduction to a funeral service. However, if we stop to pay attention to the words, the poet King David gave us some very comforting imagery.
As someone who previously did not appreciate relaxation (it was boring), I now, in the whirlwind of life take comfort in the thought of lying in a green pasture with fresh clear water nearby. Life is fraught with activity and can be extremely stressful. As I have matured, I understand the simple need to set all that activity aside and relax and enjoy our Lord. There are times when we must go through the valley of the shadow of death. But if we have not nurtured a relationship with God during the good times, we will not realize that we can rely on Him when things get tough.
Pray the Word:
Go through this psalm line by line and thank our Lord for being your shepherd, for lacking nothing, etc.
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