Words of David are important at this time
WE continue to live in the strangest of times, don’t we.
The news that reaches us each day brings real potential for anxiety and I guess we all look for ways to balance that in order to just get through each day.
It won’t surprise you that I do this by reading the Bible. In fact over the years I have sought to commit verses and passages of Scripture to memory so that in whatever situation I am I can recall the words and so claim the truths that they hold pointing to God’s love for me and His care of me.
One such passage for me in recent days is Psalm 23, possibly one of the most wellknown. Penned by David who in time became King of Israel but who was drawing from experiences from his younger days as a shepherd boy, this gives to us the lovely image of God as Shepherd and us as His sheep. It is thought that David was writing at a more challenging time, however, when he was on the run for fear of his life and therefore when the potential for anxiety was great.
“The Lord is my Shepherd” he wrote before declaring “I shall not want.” He was lacking in material comforts at the time, and yet clearly did not lack the assurance that God was with him in his difficulties, managing his affairs, turning stumbling blocks into steppingstones. David was testifying to a trust in God’s provision in whatever situation he found himself to be – and when we read the Psalm through (you may like to do that) we see that this was so for both for this life and the next.
The picture of the Shepherd and the thoughts that this Psalm offers have been helpful ones to me in these unsettling days and you may wish to claim them for yourself too. The Shepherd knows His sheep and God knows us. The Shepherd understands each of their needs and will be out in all weathers to care for them. God cares for you and me.
There is story of a Sunday school teacher who encouraged the children in her class to learn and commit Scripture to memory. She set them homework to learn the 23rd Psalm. The following week the teacher asked who would like to be first to come and recite as much as they knew. Most of the children’s heads went down and they looked awkwardly at one another except for four-year-old Katie whose hand shot up in the air.
Katie was invited forward, she faced the class, gave a little bow and began confidently “The Lord is my shepherd,” and then she stopped. “That’s all I know,” she said before making her way back to her seat.
The other children giggled but the teacher stopped them. “Katie has taught us something important today”, she said. “The Lord is our Shepherd – and actually that’s all we need to know!”
I would be surprised if many reading this haven’t at least heard of this Psalm and it is quite possible that some could recite it by heart. I believe there is great value in knowing the word of God in that way, but that it is even more important to know God Himself. My prayer for these unsettling days is that you will be able to declare with David – and along with me:
“The LORD is my shepherd;” for when it comes down to it, that’s all we need to know.