"The Lord is my Shepherd..."

I am so glad that Katie's favorite Bible verse is the 23rd Psalm as I have wanted to share my thoughts on it for a long time...she has provided me with the perfect opportunity to do just that!
                              
Many years ago, I was given a challenge to consider the 23rd Psalm without God as my shepherd. I was asked to write my own version of the familiar Psalm except that I should leave God out of my version altogether. This is how it went:

I have no shepherd!

I feel alone;

my soul is never satisfied - and I am hungry.

Rest alludes me.

I am lost.

 I am not comforted.

My soul yearns and mourns;

I am empty!

I am always afraid. 

In darkness and in light -

no one protects me; I have no shield.

I will starve at the hands of my foes.

My cup is empty!

Destruction surrounds me all the days of my life.

I am alone!

After writing this dark version of this beautiful Psalm, I was terribly sad. The very thought of God not being present was terrifying!  I instantly understood why the human spirit is so resilient...why we keep on going even when there are times that we would rather not...God is profoundly with us always! If our days were as my version tells it we would most certainly be paralyzed in fear all the days of our lives...but this is not how it goes! After I wrote this I was asked again to write another version of the 23rd Psalm only this time put God back in the verse. It is as follows:

The Lord is my shepherd,

I am more than blessed!

He wants me to rest in beautiful meadows.

He leads me always to peace and tranquility.

He fills my soul.

He shows me the way because he loves me.

When I am in darkness
I will call on him and he will save me.

He protects me;

he provides all that I need.

He runs towards me with open arms - he welcomes me.

He waits for me.

He will be with me - never failing me;

and I will live with him forever!

After I wrote these versions I embraced God's presence in my life in a new way. I had always understood that God was with me in all things but now I wondered if maybe I had taken God's presence for granted...I had never really consciously considered how or why I got through each day, (joyous days and not so joyous days). But through this exercise I realized that the only reason I have ever been able to take on any day is because, whether it was a conscious thought or not - God is, was and always will be with me. I had an immediate deeper understanding that I never wanted to be separated from God and I wanted to be conscious of him in my life. The very thought of just getting out of bed in the morning would be so frightening without the confidence that God is with me, with all of us. He is the reason...he is our all in all!

P.S. Why not try writing your own versions of Psalm 23?
I promise you will be changed!