Sunday, November 04, 2007

A Sunday Reflection - Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd,
I shall not be in want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness
for his name's sake.
Yea, 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.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.
***
The pantry is empty and the well is dry,
but I need fear neither famine
nor drought.
In quiet joy,
I know my God will provide what I need.
Though temptation screams from without
and my own sin snarls within,
my Good Shepherd
leads me
guides me
prods me
back to his straight path
that no-one may deny him
on account of my wandering.
I rest secure,
even though terror and trouble stalk me
every moment of this precarious life:
cancer and car wrecks,
far-away war and all-too-near hatred.
You stand ready to defend me
at a moment's notice.
You stay the hands of those who wish me harm,
laying a picnic in a battlefield -
so strong are you,
so protected am I.
I'm like the kid in the orchard
whose arms can't contain another apple,
your blessing so far exceeds my capacity to contain it.
You surround me with
goodness
mercy
love
every minute of this broken earthly life
And in the end
I'll dwell with you
in perfect peace
In the end that has no end.

5 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hey Meika - I really like your version of psalm 23 - it is beautiful. Jenn Myers Grady (from seminary!)

11/04/2007 03:11:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

thank you

11/04/2007 06:36:00 PM  
Blogger Heidi Sue said...

ooooo, meiks,

I'm really going to like this Meika-posting-every-day thing. I missed the memo... so maybe next November? :)

11/04/2007 07:35:00 PM  
Blogger Misty said...

the photo couldn't be more perfect... Loved this... we always need reminders!

11/05/2007 11:08:00 AM  
Blogger Meika said...

Jenn! What are you up to?? It's good to hear from you!

11/06/2007 07:29:00 PM  

Post a Comment

Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]

<< Home