The most popular passage in the entire Old Testament is surely Psalm 23. It is quoted at more funerals than any passage of scripture. Psalm 23 has given more comfort and hope than any of God’s word. I would encourage you to commit Psalm 23 to memory. It has six short verses and the psalmist paints several pictures in Hebrew poetry that are actually quite easy to memorize. Below is an excerpt from The Clown in the Belfry concerning Psalm 23:1 “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want”. I think he hits the nail on the head. The article parallels Psalm 73:25, “Whom have I in heaven but You? And besides You, I desire nothing on earth”.

In the Psalm 23 David writes, “I Shall Not Want” – is that true? There are a lot of things we go on lacking, go on wanting, whether we believe in God or not.  And they are not just material things like a new roof or better paying job, but things like good health, happiness for our children, relief from pain, some measure of inner peace not just for ourselves but for the people we love. Believers and unbelievers alike go on wanting plenty all our lives through. We long for what never seems to come.  We pray for what never seems to be clearly given. But when the psalm says, “I shall not want”, maybe it is speaking the utter truth anyhow. Maybe it means that if we keep our eyes open, if we keep our hearts and lives open, we will at least never be in want of the one thing we want more than anything else. Maybe it means that whatever else is withheld, the Shepherd never withhold Himself, and He is what we want more than anything else.  The Clown in the Belfry – Frederick Buechner

Read Psalm 23 and memorize if you’re really smart 🙂. Then listen to Psalm 23 in beautiful a cappella singing. Then faithfully follow the Good Shepherd AND share this devotional with others you love.

Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd,