Psalm 23 (NKJV)
The Lord the Shepherd of His People
A Psalm of David.
The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not [a]want.
2 He makes me to lie down in [b]green pastures;
He leads me beside the [c]still waters.
3 He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
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 runs over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will [d]dwell in the house of the Lord
[e]Forever.
Poetry by Joseph Addison based on Psalm 23
The Lord my pasture shall prepare
And feed me with a shepherd’s care;
His presence shall my wants supply
And guard me with a watchful eye;
My noonday walks He shall attend
And all my midnight hours defend.
When in the sultry glebe I faint
Or on the thirsty mountain pant,
To fertile vales and dewy meads
My weary, wandering steps He leads,
Where peaceful rivers, soft and slow,
Amid the verdant landscape flow.
Though in a bare and rugged way,
Through devious lonely wilds, I stray,
Thy bounty shall my pains beguile;
The barren wilderness shall smile,
With sudden greens and herbage crowned,
And streams shall murmur all around.
Though in the paths of death I tread,
With gloomy horrors overspread,
My steadfast heart shall fear no ill,
For Thou, O Lord, art with me still;
Thy friendly crook shall give me aid
And guide me through the dreadful shade.
Meditation
Reflection
The twenty third Psalm is probably the most popularly memorised Psalm. It has provide comfort and joy to people through various phases, stages and trials in life. It is a shining example of an Affirmation of Faith. The final verses are particularly uplifting:
Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me
Psalm 23:6 (NLT)
all the days of my life,
and I will live in the house of the Lord
forever.
Let us pray for ourselves and everyone on our prayer list that we will truly believe the the “goodness and unfailing love of God pursues all the days of our life” and we can have peace knowing that after all our trials we “will live in the house of the Lord forever”
Upward Ever... 