We can’t lose ourselves in the familiarity of Psalm 23. Otherwise, we miss its power and force on our lives. The Lord is my shepherd, but who is the Lord? He is the one the psalmist knows in the Old Testament. He is power itself, present in every corner and hidden part of the cosmos. This is the Lord who “dwells in unapproachable light” (1 Timothy 6:16). He is the God whom no one can see and live (Exodus 33:20). The Lord is the fire of the burning bush, before which we must remove our sandals as we stand in his holy presence. Such descriptions of the Lord shock us as we hear that this same Lord is shepherd. Rightfully so, because this all-powerful holy One is love!

The second half of this phrase is also striking: “I shall not want.” Not that we do not desire God, but that when we realize this all-powerful, holy One is our shepherd, we want nothing apart from him; we trust that he will provide for everything we need, taking all misfortune and evil in our lives and bringing good out of it. He will take any mess and make it into a message. Saint Paul calls this the secret of our lives when he said in the Second Reading, “I have learned the secret of being well fed and of going hungry, of living in abundance and of being in need. I can do all things in him who strengthens me.”

If you Google “Good Shepherd,” you’ll find images of Jesus with a plethora of sheep surrounding him as he holds his staff. You may even find him at the edge of a cliff, reaching out toward the one lost sheep who has left the herd.

Two phrases in Psalm 23 reawaken my senses to my relationship with God.

Even though I walk in the dark valley, I fear no evil; for you are at my side. With your rod and your staff that give me courage. Many of us have walked through the dark valleys of life. We all have them! They often reveal themselves as failures, disappointments, sickness, ruptured relationships, or the natural end of some lifelong friendships.

The psalmist says he fears no evil in this dark valley for the Good Shepherd is at his side. In a Christian context, this is a prayer of immense trust in my Risen Lord. I see his wounds, and I know that he has gone ahead of me in every dark valley of life, physically, psychologically, and emotionally. Jesus has been through everything I have. All I am invited to do is trust him, for he knows the way through the terrains of every valley. His rod and staff symbolize this certainty and trust.

Only goodness and kindness follow me
all the days of my life … In another translation, the text reads, “Only goodness and kindness pursue me all the days of my life.” What pursues me? The relentless love of Jesus. He desires my truest good, and He will chase us down with his grace, refusing to give up until we are crowned with his goodness. Jesus is the ultimate guardian of my life’s highest good, ensuring I am surrounded by His love now and in the life to come.

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Transform your prayer life and find true sanity in a chaotic world through Saint Benedict’s timeless wisdom!

Discover how the Psalms can become the vibrant heartbeat of your daily spiritual journey. Dive deeper today by securing your copy of The Upside-Down Kingdom: Living in Holiness and Sanity Through the Wisdom of Saint Benedict directly through my website! Want a sneak peek first? Catch a glimpse of the transformative insights waiting for you in my featured article published this week on Catholic Exchange.

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