The Gospel Story - Week 18

This week is going to be one of the few times this year that we are going to journey into the Psalms. The Psalms are songs and prayers written either by King David of one of the priestly psalmists. In Hebrew tradition they act as the “prayerbook of God’s people” and are continually returned to in order to teach us how to pray and speak words of prayer that we may find difficult to utter ourselves.
Psalm 23 is arguably the most popular of these song-prayers, and there really is no questioning why. These are words that pastor our hearts with the shepherding image of God. It is a reminder of God’s provision, a kind of rest only he can provide, comfort through disconcerting paths, and strength in trials. These words could have been penned in the face of something daunting, in the midst of a trial needing a reminder of who God is, or even in reflection of God’s presence, and they could be heard and applied in the same situations. The truths in Psalm 23 serve as a reminder that the God who is spoken about here is perfectly reflected in the Good Shepherd, Jesus, with whom we are invited to have a personal relationship and communion with through prayer. In praying the words of Psalm 23, may we be reminded of the Good Shepherd who desires to pastor our hearts in the various situations of life and calls us near to guide, comfort, and restore us.