In the Eye of the Storm or On the Mountaintops

The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want.  

He makes me lie down in green pastures. 

He leads me beside still waters.

  He restores my soul.

  He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name's sake. 

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.

  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 shall follow me all the days of my life,

and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. 

Psalm 23

David had been in the eye of the storm and would be many more times during his reign as king of Judah.  He knew the ups and downs of life at this point, and this man after God's own heart would know more difficult times during his kingship.  How, then, could he write such a beautiful and encouraging Psalm that is memorized more often than any except perhaps the Lord's Prayer?

He knew the Author!  Sure, David penned the psalm, but God inspired it.  As David wrote he gave credit to the One who brings about all things good. He recognized that "every good and perfect give is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no shadow nor variation due to change." ( James 1:17 )

 Notice how many times David speaks of God in this psalm of 6 short verses:  "the Lord,' "He," "He,"  "He," "He," "He," "His," "You," "Your," "Your," "You," "You," "the Lord."  

How often my prayers are centered around "I," "me," and "mine."  I can only recognize who God is when my focus is on Him.  As I take my gaze off myself and set it on Him, then I can say with David, "The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not lack for any good thing."  And once again I can say in full assurance that He will be there in the midst of the storm and on the mountaintops of life.

In Him and Him alone,

Gloria