Psalm 23:1 (NIV)
The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.
Psalm 23 is a very beautiful psalm written by King David. Sometimes we become so familiar with a passage of Scripture that we run the danger of reciting it by rote, failing to hone in on the powerful words of Scripture handed down to us through the ages by at least 35 authors. Mechanical prayers or readings have far less value when we distance ourselves from the words we are speaking. Examples of this could be John 3:16 or the Lord’s Prayer (Matt. 6:9-13, Luke 11:2-4). Even with our nation’s anthem, “The Star Spangled Banner,” we can sing the song but not pay attention to the words. Who really engages in the words from baseball’s infamous “Take Me Out to the Ballgame”? We simply sing it with gusto having absolutely no idea what we are communicating to those around us. This melody and words have been engrained in our memories for years.
It is good to step back every once in a while and focus on the words we read or sing. Let’s examine a phrase from each of the six verses King David penned in Psalm 23.
• The Lord is my Shepherd (v1)
• He leads me beside quiet waters (v2)
• He restores my soul (v3)
• His rod and staff comfort me (v4)
• He anoints my head with oil (v5)
• I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever (v6)
These are powerful passages of Scripture. We can take any one of the examples above and meditate on it for several minutes, if not the entire day. When we do so we discover things about the passage that grant us more insight.
For instance, you could meditate on, “He restores my soul” in the following ways:
• HE (not my spouse or friend, but the Lord) restores my soul
• He RESTORES my soul (He takes what is broken and makes it whole like a woodworker does with a piece of furniture)
• He restores MY soul (not my neighbor, my work associate, my best friend…MY soul)
• He restores my SOUL (not my broken finger, my relationship with someone, or my broken down car)
I would encourage you today to meditate on Psalm 23. Take the four bullet points above and read them out loud. If time allows, meditate on all six verses. His Word is alive at all times but when we meditate on His Word it becomes very personal; He becomes very personal.
Copyright 2025 Michael Callahan Ministries, LLC
This is interesting. I am a worrier. The 23 Psalms was given to me last Thursday to dwell on and dive into after I read my prayer and I am to focus on verses 1 to 6.
Hi Felicia. This is a great psalm from a great King. In verse 5, David writes, “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.” Years ago while meditating on this I imagined a battle field. And in the midst of my spiritual enemies the Lord preparing a table just for me, right in the center of it all. Of course, He is the Lord, so He prepares the best! Nice table, the best china, the best foods and drink, etc. Me with the Lord, surrounded by enemies (worries), sitting at an undisturbed table. His calming Spirit takes away any concerns we may have.