I'm not afraid

God, my shepherd! I don't need a thing. You have bedded me down in lush meadows; you find me quiet pools to drink from. True to your word, you let me catch my breath and send me in the right direction. Even when the way goes through Death Valley, I'm not afraid when you walk at my side. Your trusty shepherd's crook makes me feel secure. You serve me a six-course dinner right in front of my enemies. You revive my drooping head; my cup brims with blessing. Your beauty and love chase after me every day of my life. I'm back home in the house of God for the rest of my life. (Psalm 23, The Message)

Do you recognize these words? In his translation of the bible called The Message, Eugene Peterson wrote Psalm 23 in a way that is contemporary and easy to understand. But when it comes to this very special and well known psalm, some people may prefer the more traditional language found perhaps in the King James Version of the bible.

I experienced this once while visiting a young woman at her deathbed.

As I walked into the room, her mother, who was sitting at her side, requested that I read Psalm 23 from the King James Version. Even though I had memorized the KJV of the psalm in confirmation many years before, I did not have the words at the tip of my tongue. I believe I disappointed the mother as I opened the small travel bible that I carried, the New International Version, and read the psalm from there. Surprisingly, the less well-known words of the very familiar psalm flowed easily off my lips and still felt familiar and comforting.

Rabbi Harold Kushner reminds us that Psalm 23 is a psalm that “answers the question, ‘how do you live in a dangerous and unpredictable world?’” Psalm 23 reminds us, whatever translation we read or memorize, that when we have God at our side, we are protected and guided even in the most frightening and dangerous situations. Life in this world is not safe or easy. But Psalm 23 reminds us that God’s beauty and love chase after us every day of our lives. And no matter what happens on earth or in heaven, we will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Amen.