"Let Him Lead": A Reflection on The Psalm for July 22nd, 2018: Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Psalm 23:1-3, 3-4, 5, 6

R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
In verdant pastures he gives me repose;
beside restful waters he leads me;
he refreshes my soul.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
He guides me in right paths
for his name's sake.
Even though I walk in the dark valley
I fear no evil; for you are at my side
with your rod and your staff
that give me courage.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
You spread the table before me
in the sight of my foes;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Only goodness and kindness follow me
all the days of my life;
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
for years to come.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.

A few years ago, I started the Bible in One Year reading plan. Full disclosure here: I didn’t finish it—but I did read up to the end of the Psalms. My favourite psalm without question is the Twenty-third Psalm. It is beautiful. It comforts me. It nourishes my faith.

I first started leaning into the Twenty-third Psalm the summer after my nineteenth birthday. That Spring had been a painful time. My father had died in a traffic accident the weekend before my university finals. As children of divorced parents, my siblings and I had to deal with a lot of old emotional baggage while coping with the pain of our recent loss. We had to travel to another country for the funeral. I had to defer my exams to the summer. Everything seemed so out of control and exhausting.

When the dust began to settle, a priest at the rectory where I worked gave me a book called Hinds’ Feet on High Places. It is a wonderful allegory about a young woman named Much Afraid who, despite her many fears and dearth of confidence, overcomes all obstacles to achieve her heart’s desire, which is to follow the Chief Shepherd to the high places. I read and re-read that book all summer long so that, in time, I began to recover. Now, for me, the depiction of the Good Shepherd is the most loving, comforting and life-giving image of Jesus.

For love of us, the Lord embraces the lowly role of a shepherd. In biblical times, shepherding was considered an unpleasant job, and it often fell to young children. David, the author of the psalm, was himself a shepherd in his youth. In writing this psalm, he knows firsthand the shepherd’s duty of care. Humble in his own right, David recognizes he is weak and he deeply longs to be a sheep under the care of the Lord of love.

David’s relationship with the Lord is personal: the Lord is my Shepherd, he says. Under his Shepherd’s care, David lacks no good thing. The Shepherd attends to the needs of the body, leading His sheep to green pastures and still waters. David doesn’t always know where or when to lie down, so the Lord “makes” him lie down and, trusting, David obeys. The Shepherd guides the sheep with His staff so that, even in “the darkest valley,” the sheep needn’t fear it will stray from the right path. The Shepherd attends to the needs of the spirit, restoring peace to the soul. The Lord provides in every way.

In addition to the role of shepherd, David praises the Lord as a generous host. The Lord honours David by anointing his head with oil. He carefully prepares a banquet of good food and protects David from his enemies as he enjoys the Lord’s generosity.

Knowing that he is loved by such a generous and faithful Shepherd, David can proclaim with confidence, “Surely, goodness and mercy shall follow me all … my life” on earth and, after that, the Shepherd will lead him to his eternal home. May we, like David, rejoice in the guidance and generosity of our selfless and loving Lord. ​

​Donna Davis

"May we, like David, rejoice in the guidance and generosity of our selfless and loving Lord. ​" - Donna Davis (Ora Reflections)