A New Look at Some Ancient Words

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.
Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Psalm 23: 4a, 6

The other night at Bible study the leader asked us to tell which Psalm was our favorite and why. He quickly amended, “But you can’t pick the twenty-third. That’s too easy.” I almost laughed out loud. I wouldn’t pick the twenty-third, even today. Psalm 91 is my favorite psalm. Although having a favorite is highly unusual for me. I find it hard to pick a favorite anything. The reason I found Sam’s remark so funny is that until about a year or so ago, Psalm 23 would be my last choice! I might pick twenty-five or one hundred three. I might pick Psalm 27 but not twenty-three. Anything but twenty-three!

Psalm 23 used to be the death psalm to me. When do you hear it? At funerals! You know that’s true. Psalm 23 is on almost every funeral card I own. By that I mean the cards that give the person’s name range of life and then some uplifting message of comfort, aka, the 23rd Psalm!

Growing up Irish Catholic I attended more wakes and funerals as a child than I have as an adult. My grandmother took me to the wakes and funerals of all of her friends and relatives, and every time, there it was, “Yea, though I walk through the valley.” It ranks right up there with the song “Swing Low Sweet Chariot” in terms of creepiness for me. Or at least it did, until I read Max Lucado’s "Traveling Light". Prior to reading that book and answering the study questions, I could only see the gloom and doom. I do not want to dwell on walking through the valley of death. As far as my own death, I’m okay with going home. I’m just not so sure about the getting there.

Taking a closer, in-depth look with the help of Lucado’s book I began to see more of the comfort and protection, more of the beauty. I started to like the psalm. By the end of the book I really liked it. I recited bits and pieces in my head. God, in His inimitable way had brought me to that book and a new understanding of that psalm at the perfect time in my life. Every time I faced a challenge or adversity there was a phrase to see me through.

A few months after completing the book I had gone back to relying on my standard favorite Bible verses. They come from both the Old and New Testament and are tried and true for me. It wasn’t that I had forgotten the 23rd Psalm or gone back to shuddering at the thought of it; I had just slipped back into old patterns and wasn’t thinking about it as much. Then I went to a concert with my daughter-in-love, Stephanie. The first musician was someone we hadn’t heard before. He came on stage with a guitar and himself. That’s it, just a man and his axe, a small man at that. He looked about fifteen. Then he opened his mouth and we didn’t care if we’d ever heard of him or how old he was. (Turns out he’s thirty-something and has two children.) He sang a couple of songs and then told us he was going to sing us his favorite song. The one he was most proud to have written. I bet you’re way ahead of me here but the song isn’t based on the 23rd Psalm. It is the 23rd Psalm and it is amazing.

Now, a few more months down the road, as I go through my days I often have the words of Psalm 23 singing in my head. I don’t just like it now. I haven’t just gotten past my fear of it. I love it even though Psalm 91 will remain my answer when I’m asked if I have a favorite psalm. I just find it pretty funny that Sam just assumed we all loved Psalm 23! Then again, maybe he just knew we’d all be familiar with it.