2nd Sunday after Pentecost: Psalm 23 -- I WILL NOT FEAR

Psalm 23 / English Standard Version Anglicised

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
    He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
    He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
    for his name's sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
    I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
    your rod and your staff,
    they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
    in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
    my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
    all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
    for ever.

Psalm 23 / The Message

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 Voice 

The Eternal is my shepherd, He cares for me always.
He provides me rest in rich, green fields
    beside streams of refreshing water.
    He soothes my fears;
He makes me whole again,
    steering me off worn, hard paths
    to roads where truth and righteousness echo His name.
Even in the unending shadows of death’s darkness,
    I am not overcome by fear.
Because You are with me in those dark moments,
    near with Your protection and guidance,
    I am comforted.
You spread out a table before me,
    provisions in the midst of attack from my enemies;
You care for all my needs, anointing my head with soothing, fragrant oil,
    filling my cup again and again with Your grace.
Certainly Your faithful protection and loving provision will pursue me
    where I go, always, everywhere.
I will always be with the Eternal,
    in Your house forever.

[Today was another discussion sermon]  The word is that even in the midst of our confusion this is no need to fear.  We may not know where we are going right now -- but God, our Shepherd -- does know -- and that is the main thing we need to remember.

I've included three different translations of Psalm 23 today.  The first is closest to the King James version that many of us may have first learned as children.  The second and third are from more modern translations.  While they say basically the same things -- they sometimes allow us to see from a different angle -- and give new life to older concepts that have lost some of their impact through sheer repetition.  True to your word, you let me catch my breath somehow puts a new slant on "he restores my soul."  You care for all my needs ..... filling my cup again and again with Your grace is a wonderfully rich way of saying "my cup overflows."

I don't know about you all, but I am feeling a little stressed by the questions and decisions we are facing.  Spending time hearing these ancient promises of care and guidance -- in whatever language -- brings me to a sense of peace with their reminder that we are not in this alone.  It is God who calls us to a new thing.  Therefore, God will guide us through it.  I don't have to know our ultimate destination -- I just have to recognize and follow my shepherd.