A Reflection on Psalm 23
All are the first line of the Psalm 23.
“Yahweh is my best friend and my shepherd. I always have more than enough.” The Passion Bible.
“The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing that I lack.” New American Bible. Also Catholic Study Bible.
“God, my shepherd: I don’t need a thing.” The Message Bible.
“O my beloved. You are my shepherd; I shall not want.” N. Merrill’s Praying the Psalms.
Read each one at least three times very slowly. Which one “speaks” to you?
This is what Lectio Divina is like. Deacon Karen Klemens reads a scriptural passage three times and then asks what word or phrase “speaks” to us. And then we “sit” 20 minutes in contemplation reflecting on why or what is God “saying” to us personally.
When I thought about these passages initially, my focus was on the second phrase because I saw each differently. But on further reflection, it is the phrase “best friend” that catches my attention this time.
I want, I need, and lack an assurance that Yahweh is my best friend.