What do you feed your soul?
- Christine DiGiacomo
- 6 days ago
- 3 min read
Along with the great Christian thinker, A. W. Tozer, I believe that "what comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.”1 And as I think about him, I want to get closer to him!
There is no getting closer to God without getting to know Him--God of Creation, Savior, Lord, Friend, Father and Good Shepherd, a shepherd such as the One described by David in the 23rd Psalm. While I memorized the six verses of Psalm 23 from the King James Version when I was a wee girl, I had no idea the comfort the psalm could provide; I also had no understanding about how the words inform us of an all-loving, ever-present God.
But now I know a little more.
And now we have more easily grasped translations so we can see how scriptural truths apply to our lives.
The 23rd Psalm.
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.
3 He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
4 Even 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 overflows.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. ESV
Here is a link to Bible Gateway with three more translations of Psalm 23:
As I have read Psalm 23 at the bedside of languishing friends, I have watched the effect the words had on them; fact is, they calm the soul.
David was probably king when he wrote this song. He who had been a shepherd knew all about the care and leading of sheep--how dependent and needy they were, how lost if left to their own devices. David also vividly remembered running for his life from Saul and how God, his good Shepherd, had protected him in the darkest valley.
When I was in high school choir at Redwood Christian School in Castro Valley, California, we sang The Living Bible’s paraphrase of the psalm; the lines and melody are still fresh in my mind. (Note: I love to compare and contrast different versions of Scripture. And while The Living Bible and The Message are good to use as supplemental, they are both paraphrases, not translations from the original languages, which makes them less reliable for accurate study).
Read the few verses slowly, please, savoring the content, considering their meaning. O, do step a little closer, my friend.
And then you might do yourself a favor--get alone, (maybe in your car or something) and read Psalm 23 out loud. Let the poetic words of comfort and hope land on your ears as you take them in to your soul.
In the last couple years, I have taken to praying the psalms. There is no dearer psalm, none more apropos than this one. Write out Psalm 23 as a personal prayer: 'Lord, because you are my shepherd, you will take care of my needs . . .'
Pictured above is the Eastern shepherd - one of my favorite sights when I am traveling in Israel, the flocks tended in much the same way as in the time of David. Notice how arid, rocky and barren is the land. When David speaks of green pastures and still waters, I always pictured a lush green landscape with rippling streams . . . but in reality, the shepherd often has to find a water source. And as for green pastures? They too have to be searched out by the shepherd. So rich in meaning, so vast in application is the treasury of scripture!
Having many years of ministry in my heart and mind, I have beautiful recollections and memories. One afternoon, I was summoned to the bed of a woman in the last stages of cancer, suffering from restless leg syndrome, which was very unsettling to her family. Sitting next to her bed, I quietly read the 23rd Psalm to her, and suddenly, her legs stopped their incessant movement; peace came over her. It was beautiful.
Huh, what is your comfort food? Mashed potatoes, pasta, pralines n cream ice cream (that's mine!!), good chocolate? Those may comfort for a minute, but the soul food of Scripture sates again and again.
The Lord is your Shepherd ~ your very faithful Shepherd ~ if you will follow him.
Thank you, Father, for The 23rd Psalm - truth, reminder, comfort for our souls, and hope for the future too. Amen.
Be blessed today by watching this rendering of Psalm 23 in music, at the Brooklyn Tabernacle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtuhHbXbaTY&list=RDFtuhHbXbaTY&start_radio=1
Christine
pictured--a lamb and me in Bethlehem
Comments