“The Lord is my Shepherd”
Psalm 23:1-6: A psalm of David.
1 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will 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 your goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.
Times of trauma, change, and transition are times that drive us to emotional extremes. We grieve at death and cling to promises of eternity. We rejoice at marriage as the lives of everyone change. Moves can unbalance us too. The Old Testament gives us many images of God that we draw comfort from during times of transition. The images based in a world we see, help us embrace a reality that we don’t understand. As a chaplain, I have often sat at a bedside and read one of the most famous images of God found in Psalm 23. The Lord is my Shepherd.
We lived in Africa with people who were shepherds. I could not tell a sheep from a goat so the people had great fun teaching me to milk animals in the dusk. The shepherd could not stop the lion or snake from attacking but the person could place their body between the animal and danger. The shepherd did not create rivers but directed the flocks in the right direction. The shepherd tried to prevent wounds took the flocks to get “dip” to stop ticks. The shepherd could not prevent the death of my husband forever but I am comforted knowing God walked with him, warding off unnecessary evils of disease, comforting him when he was thirsty, and being with him when I could not. The shepherd does not prevent the realities of life but helps us on this journey of life. I lack nothing – important – as I enter this new phase of widowhood. I am not alone. I have a shepherd and so do you!
On the Way to Wonder 