Psalm 23
Preaching
A Journey Through the Psalms: Reflections for Worried Hearts and Troubled Times
Preaching the Psalms Cycles A, B, C
Object:
Today's psalm is a poem for those who have planted their standard in the ground. It speaks to those who have made the choice and committed themselves to the God of Israel. "The Lord is my shepherd," and no other. From a host of idols and wannabe gods this is the one. This is the one who causes us to rest, who restores us, who walks with us into harm's way. In this commitment we find remarkable results.
This most familiar of psalms, this poem of comfort and commitment sits easily with those who have made the commitment. It feels good to have a shepherd God who watches over us. But more than simply observing us, this God accompanies us through the darkest valley. This God is so present that we are able to cease being afraid. What wonders emerge from hearts that are unafraid!
This is also a psalm for the weary and burned out ones; for those whose souls need restoration. It is a missive for the workaholic who is subsumed by work and rushes headlong into exhaustion and collapse. As a friend once commented wryly, "God makes you lie down in green pastures." The implication, of course, is that if we don't take sabbath, our spirits and our bodies will rebel. We will become emotionally unstable, and our bodies will grow ill. God will, quite literally, make us lie down.
And for those whose spirits have been wrung dry by the vagaries of conflict and strife, there is a God who sets the table of reconciliation and new beginnings. You are anointed with healing and the cup of abundant life overflows. You don't have to go it alone any longer.
Indeed, this psalm flies in the face of a culture that trumpets individualism and going it alone. It lays bare the delusion of independence and opens up the beauty and joy of surrendering to a God who is a partner for the journey; a God who lifts us up when we fall; a God who offers goodness and mercy throughout life.
Finally, this psalm is a call to "dwell in the house of the Lord forever." No, it doesn't mean that we move lock, stock, and barrel into the fourth pew on the right. Rather, it is an invitation to live into the rhythms and dance steps of God. It is a bidding to step into a way of being that is free of fear and anxiety, a path where we are wholly dependent upon God. Perhaps another way of rendering that last line is, "I shall live according to God's reality all the days of my life."
This most familiar of psalms, this poem of comfort and commitment sits easily with those who have made the commitment. It feels good to have a shepherd God who watches over us. But more than simply observing us, this God accompanies us through the darkest valley. This God is so present that we are able to cease being afraid. What wonders emerge from hearts that are unafraid!
This is also a psalm for the weary and burned out ones; for those whose souls need restoration. It is a missive for the workaholic who is subsumed by work and rushes headlong into exhaustion and collapse. As a friend once commented wryly, "God makes you lie down in green pastures." The implication, of course, is that if we don't take sabbath, our spirits and our bodies will rebel. We will become emotionally unstable, and our bodies will grow ill. God will, quite literally, make us lie down.
And for those whose spirits have been wrung dry by the vagaries of conflict and strife, there is a God who sets the table of reconciliation and new beginnings. You are anointed with healing and the cup of abundant life overflows. You don't have to go it alone any longer.
Indeed, this psalm flies in the face of a culture that trumpets individualism and going it alone. It lays bare the delusion of independence and opens up the beauty and joy of surrendering to a God who is a partner for the journey; a God who lifts us up when we fall; a God who offers goodness and mercy throughout life.
Finally, this psalm is a call to "dwell in the house of the Lord forever." No, it doesn't mean that we move lock, stock, and barrel into the fourth pew on the right. Rather, it is an invitation to live into the rhythms and dance steps of God. It is a bidding to step into a way of being that is free of fear and anxiety, a path where we are wholly dependent upon God. Perhaps another way of rendering that last line is, "I shall live according to God's reality all the days of my life."
