Monday, October 17, 2011

Psalm 23 ~ Yahweh My Shepherd


When David and his band of soldiers returned home to Ziklag, they found that it had been burned with fire, and their wives and children had been carried off by the Amalekites. “Discouraged” is not a big enough word to describe the state of their morale. They wept bitter tears until they simply had no more power to weep. For David, it was even worse, for he was their leader, and his men were so consumed by grief that there was even talk of stoning him. He was in distress, and it might have destroyed him completely, except that David learned how to encourage himself in the LORD (1 Samuel 30).

We may not really know exactly what that looked or sounded like, but I expect it included singing some of the psalms he had written about the Lord, going over again the many times he had experienced the faithfulness of Yahweh in his life, confessing them over and over to his soul until he was ready to rise up, pursue and “recover all” (v. 8).

David’s most well-known song is, of course, Psalm 23, the “Shepherd Psalm.” I have adapted it here as a personal confession. My hope is that you also might find this and my other psalm confessions helpful for encouraging yourself in the Lord.


Yahweh My Shepherd ~ from Psalm 23

Yahweh is my Shepherd;
I will never be in lack,
For He supplies everything I need.
He leads me to abundant, green pastures,
Where I lie down, satisfied.
He refreshes me beside calm waters.
He restores my soul, renews my life.
He leads me in the paths that are right and good
And bring honor to His name.

Even when I walk in the low places
Where death casts its shadow,
I fear no danger,
For my Shepherd is with me.
He will guide me through and protect me.

Yahweh prepares a table before me,
A rich feast spread for me ~
Right in front of my enemies!
They cannot stop His blessing in my life.

He welcomes me with His favor;
And anoints me with fresh oil
I am revitalized.
He fills my life to overflowing,
With good things.

His faithful love and goodness
Is with me wherever I go,
And I will dwell with Him forever.



Personal Confessions from the Psalms
Personal Confessions from the Psalms
Prayers and Affirmations for a Life of Faith, Happiness and Awe in God
by Jeff Doles

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Available in paperback and Kindle (Amazon), epub (Google and iTunes) and PDF.

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