Prayer and the PsalmsSample

Psalm 23 - The Lord is my Shepherd

How quickly things can change.  This is exemplified in the differences between the last Psalm and this one. Could two scenes be more different, and how like life is this?  One is of initial despair and anxiety, the other a pastoral scene of tranquillity and provision.  

A mature spirituality lives between these Psalms – neither denying the one and demanding the other (it should be obvious which is which), nor thinking life will be, should be, predictable and comfortable.  The Apostle Paul said the secret to living was learning to face and live with “plenty and hunger, abundance and need.”  It was this he referred to when saying that he could do all things through Christ who strengthened him.  We need real strength to not allow either a little or a lot to shift us, to modify our behaviour.  This scripture is often ripped out of context and employed to, hopefully, make us invincible.  That wasn’t Paul’s point.  It isn’t the point of the Psalms either.

Psalm 23 has a tri-partite structure.  The first three verses speak of an idyllic pastoral setting, and the shepherd leading his flock. It contains restorative motifs, due to the place (pasture and stream) and the person (the shepherd).  It is these peaceful settings that restore the burdened, the over-busy, the anxious, all of us. 

The second part recognises that we don’t luxuriate in green pastures and dwell besides still waters all day long.  We walk through valleys as well, even the very shadow of death itself.  But here, as in the pastures, the guidance and protection of the shepherd is with us.  Fear in dark places isn’t abnormal, but it isn’t the last word.  It need not dominate and define us.  God’s methods – rod and staff – are to comfort us.  The rod and staff were essentially protective weapons, employed by the shepherd at his discretion and when danger appeared.  The Lord’s Word is this – comfort and protection, and Jesus is the Good Shepherd.

The final segment of this Psalm is a fitting finale.  The Lord prepares a table, a place of fellowship, communion, in the very presence of our enemies.  They might not disappear, but we sup in full view. This is a great picture of snubbing the taunts of our enemies.  We eat while they can only watch on.  And not only that, but we are also filled with the spirit, followed by goodness and mercy, and we get to “dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”  Amen.