Life is full of ups and downs. Most of these are the minor fluctuations that keep us on our toes. But occasionally a profound tragedy or triumph stops us in our tracks and causes us to reevaluate our lives.
When circumstances seem impossible, the 23rd Psalm calls out to us. It is one of the Bible’s most encouraging passages. “The Lord is my shepherd…” has comforted people for three thousand years.
It is inspired and beautiful, but if that is all you know, get ready for the rest of the story.
King David wrote this psalm. He was born the youngest of eight sons and raised in the small village of Bethlehem. As the youngest, he inherited the unenviable task
of caring for his father’s flock of sheep. He spent many hours and days alone with the animals. Roaming the countryside, leading them to sources of food and water, he made sure they were protected from nature’s threats.
It was quiet, peaceful work, but
especially boring for an energetic child. I suspect he let his thoughts find freedom by singing as he played his small harp while the sheep rested in the sun.
He was a musical prodigy, and his gift was noticed by the king’s attendants. He was invited to the castle to play for the king. Instead of sheep, he was suddenly playing for royalty.
His musician’s life quickly transformed into that of a soldier. On a trip to visit his brothers in their battle camp, he volunteered to fight a death match with a man who was not just a giant, but also the champion of his nation’s army. That victory catapulted him into the spotlight – where his military and leadership genius were on full display. He rose quickly to general and the people of Israel would sing about the tens of thousands of enemies he had killed.
David’s success as a soldier transitioned smoothly into politics when Israel was in need of a new king. Under his rule, the kingdom expanded, and prosperity grew. He was fair to his subjects, even to the point that God called him a man after his own heart.
These successes came at a high cost. He spent years at a time away from home, living in harsh conditions with constant threats to his life. He was betrayed by those closest to him, and constant wars marked his lifetime.
His intense focus on kingship distracted him from his duties as a husband and father. His relationships with both his wives and sons were strained.
His sons had all the curses of children born into wealth and privilege without discipline. None of them possessed his strong character and heart for God. David was unable to control them. His son Absalom went so far as to murder his own brother and later stage a bloody coup to seize control of the kingdom from his father. David barely escaped the castle with his life and retreated into the wilderness.
In the wilderness, he faced hunger, thirst and constant danger as his life hung by a thread. He was forced to choose between relinquishing a divinely anointed crown to an unlawful usurper or to raise an army to battle his own son.
As he agonized with his decision, he had no one to share it with. The loyal people who had fled with him from the castle had risked their own lives as well as that of their families. Because they were plagued with their own concerns, David would not have burdened them with his.
Isolated and alone in his contemplation, his heart must have longed for the peaceful days of his childhood, spent roaming green, grassy fields and wading in cool creeks. How simple it must have seemed when sheep were his only responsibility.
In these dark times, he did not blame God for his struggles. Instead, through faith, he knew he would survive. Hope still filled his heart, and he could see visions of tomorrow that strengthened him.
With no one to talk to and few ways to sort out his jumbled emotions, he began to write.
If you’ve read these words during turbulent times, you have felt the pain they were born from. You have also felt the comfort of a loving Father. In about one hundred words, this passage captures the very essence of our collective hope.
If you feel overwhelmed, do what David did. Start with speaking who God is and what he has done for you. Then describe your situation and speak victory and hope into it.
The 23rd Psalm is David’s story. And now you know the rest of the story.
Sources:
1 The Story Behind The Psalms by Jack Hyles http://www.fbbc.com/messages/hyles_psalms.htm
My 23rd Psalm
