Saturday, September 17, 2016

Today’s Reading  |  Psalm 23
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
   He makes me lie down in green pastures;
he leads me beside still waters;
   he restores my soul.
He leads me in right paths
   for his name’s sake.

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.

You prepare a table before me
   in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
   my cup overflows.
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. (NRSV)

Reflection
The Twenty-third Psalm is the most eloquent expression of faith in the English language. Six verses—118 words many of us know by heart—spoken together after Communion here at Fourth Presbyterian Church, always from the King James Version of the Bible. It’s the church version of comfort food for the soul.

Rabbi Harold Kushner in his book The Lord Is My Shepherd says:

In a mere fifty-seven words of Hebrew . . . , the author of the Twenty-third Psalm gives us an entire theology, a more practical theology than we find in many books--[teaching] us to look at the world and see it as God would have us see it. If we are anxious, the psalm gives us courage and we overcome our fears. If we are grieving, it offers comfort and we find our way through the valley of the shadow. If our lives are embittered by unpleasant people, it teaches us how to deal with them. If the world threatens to wear us down, the psalm guides us to replenish our souls. If we are obsessed with what we lack, it teaches us gratitude for what we have. And most of all, if we feel alone and adrift in a friendless world, it offers us the priceless reassurance that “‘Thou art with me’.”

Prayer
God of peace and comfort, thank you for your presence. Even though I may be walking through the valley, I am reassured that thou art with me always. Amen.

Written by Lesley Conzelman, Member of Fourth Presbyterian Church

Reflection and Prayer © Fourth Presbyterian Church

Devotion index by date | I’d like to receive daily devotions by email