Psalm 23:(0) A psalm of David:
(1) Adonai is my shepherd; I lack nothing.
2 He has me lie down in grassy pastures,
he leads me by quiet water,
3 he restores my inner person.
He guides me in right paths
for the sake of his own name.
4 Even if I pass through death-dark ravines,
I will fear no disaster; for you are with me;
your rod and staff reassure me.
5 You prepare a table for me,
even as my enemies watch;
you anoint my head with oil
from an overflowing cup.
6 Goodness and grace will pursue me
every day of my life;
and I will live in the house of Adonai
for years and years to come.[Complete Jewish Bible]Even the darkest valleys seem brightly lit these days; the skies are not fit for star gazing for all of the light we have poured into the skies as if to beat back the darkness, to deny it its power.
But bright is not the same as no longer dark. We may deny that we are trying to beat back our fears along with the darkness, but in many ways we are doing just that, filling the margins of our lives with blinking, flashing, noisy and artificial fun while gender issues, poverty, questions of meaning, unresolved racial traumas, etc. all still haunt our public discourse and our private hearts—as if it were so difficult to truly defeat the darkness, as if the light were not always at our fingertips.
Rod and staff, symbols of physical might, remind us that we have Christ's power in his Body and simply at the speaking of his Name. We are fed at his table with words that nourish what is good in us and we are satisfied. We are anointed as Holy, not of our own doing but through magnificent grace, and we are healed of the pain of our sin. Truly, we have all that we need to face the darkness of the valley. Our cup overflows with the grace of God. All the days of our lives we have this assurance. It can bring us a peace that neon and endless entertainment apps cannot.
Dear Lord, these words are etched indelibly into our hearts. Let us never speak them lightly, blithely skipping over what they mean in an attempt to get to the end, or too loudly so as to demonstrate our mastery of them. Make them the master of us, so that we can find true freedom in running our earthly race, and at the end, find you waiting for us at the finish line. Amen.
R. Tim Carnahan
Santa Rosa, Cali.
Master of Divinity , 2005
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.[New Revised Standard Version]
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