Psalm 23 (NRSV)
Read Psalm 23 on biblegateway.com
Verse 1The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
Verse 2He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters;
Verse 3he restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name's sake.
Verse 4Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff- they comfort me.
Verse 5You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Verse 6Surely 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.
Devotion
Various surveys have asked people to name their favorite passage from the Bible. Often the answer has been Psalm 23. Faithful persons have held tightly to the promises of this psalm as they have walked through a valley of deep darkness, or have faced their own death or that of a loved one. It would be a rare funeral where this psalm is not read.
Though most of us are seldom around sheep or in the vicinity of shepherds, we like the image of God as shepherd. The shepherd (and, therefore, God) is the one who provides rest, food, water, guidance, security, protection from enemies, and the promise that all these good things will continue into the distant future.
Jesus claims the title of Shepherd for himself and thus identifies himself with the God of Psalm 23.
Prayer
O God, our good Shepherd, lead us, your sheep, in ways that you would have us go. Protect and keep us always, in this world and the next. Amen.