By Lucas Newell
Psalm 23
I am not a Theologian. Nor am I a philosopher. Neither am I a half-decent devotional writer. So when I was asked to write a devotional, I freaked out. I hadn’t planned it, I wasn’t ready for it, and I didn’t really want to do it. However, it doesn’t seem that my shepherd was leading me away from the task, but towards it.
Nevertheless, when I sat down to write this, I immediately hit a wall. How exactly does one write about a Psalm that is universally well known? What should my focus be? How can I create this in a way that it relates to those who read it? Questions like these flew through my mind as I sat staring at a blank screen, thinking and thinking about what I should do. The path I was supposed to take was clouded, and I was stumbling around like a blind man.
After three hours and twenty-three minutes of agonizing, procrastinating, and eating ice cream, it finally hit me: the path I was supposed to follow was detailed right there in the words I was mulling over unsuccessfully. The reason I could not see the path was because I was supposed to be led down it. I was to be led by the gentle and comforting rod and staff of God “in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.”
Often, we get so caught up in trying to create the future that we forget that we are supposed to live in the present. We are where we are because our good shepherd has led us there. Despite the rough times, the inevitable treks through the “valley of death,” and the terrifying banquets held in the very presence of our enemies, we are promised that goodness and mercy will follow us all the days of our lives should we elect not to want the future, but instead to be content in the present we have been placed. Even if we cannot see such blessings in the fog of life’s uncertainties, we can be content in the comfort of direction of the Lord our shepherd. And that’s something I’m willing to put my faith in.
Ice cream must be very inspirational! Beautiful message.