I memorized the 23rd psalm when I was a child, back in the day when the King James version of the Bible was the only one available. I don't remember why I learned it by heart. A Sunday School "contest" was probably my motivation. In any event, this comforting song / poem has served me well over the years, as an antidote to fear. But as with all things familiar, it's good to sometimes encounter a slightly different perspective. Which is why I'd like to share the comments of David A. Redding, a Presbyterian minister:
"Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for art with me..." The psalmist does not say he is not afraid. But these "dark shadows" do not make him die a thousand deaths. Dying is bigger than going down to the barber shop, but "I will fear no evil..." The key to our last errand is not a pocketful of grit saved up, but a strategic friendship made while the sun was still shining. In the darkness when I cannot see, "... thy rod and thy staff they comfort me." God is not a strange prosecutor waiting for us in a foreign court, but the familiar Counsel for our defense...
(Before You Call I will Answer, pg 90.)
No comments:
Post a Comment