Psalm 23: Keeps on Giving
My blessing cup of joyous energy overflows.
Whenever I want to remember how much the Lord loves, keeps, and guides me, I repeat Psalm 23. At night when I can’t sleep, I don’t count sheep, I repeat Psalm 23. Lately, this psalm has come to me in various versions: “Psalm 23 Redux” and “Psalm 23 for Busy People. “
I offer them to you. Let me know what you think. You could rewrite the psalm in the way it resonates with you.
Psalm 23 Redux
This I know:
My life is in your hands.
I have nothing to fear.
I stop,
breathe,
listen.
Beneath the whirl of what is
is a deep down quiet place.
You beckon me to tarry there.
This is the place
where unnamed hungers
are fed, the place
of clear water,
refreshment.
My senses stilled,
I drink deeply,
at home in timeless territory.
In peril, I remember:
Death's dark vale holds no menace.
I lean into You;
Your eternal presence comforts me.
I am held tenderly.
In the midst of all that troubles,
that threatens and diminishes,
You set abundance before me.
You lift my head; my vision clears.
The blessing cup overflows.
This I know:
You are my home and my hope,
my strength and my solace,
and so shall You ever be.
In Carla A. Grosch-Miller, Psalms Redux: Poems and Prayers,
(London: Canterbury Press, 2014), p13.
Psalm 23 for Busy People
THE LORD IS MY PACE SETTER, I shall not rush,
He makes me stop and rest for quiet intervals,
He provides me with images of stillness,
Which restore my serenity.
He leads me in ways of efficiency,
through calmness of mind; and his guidance is peace. Even though I have a great many things to accomplish each day,
I will not fret, for his presence is here.
His timelessness, his all-importance will keep me in balance.
He prepares refreshment and renewal in the midst of my activity,
by anointing my head with his oils of tranquility,
My cup of joyous energy overflows.
Surely harmony and effectiveness shall be the fruit of my hours,
For I shall walk in the pace of my Lord,
and dwell in his house for ever.
