"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 right paths for his name's sake.  Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I 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" (Psalm 23. 1-5).

 

What images does this psalm conjure up for you?  It used to be that when I read this psalm I imagined a lush valley, with green grass growing knee high and a cool stream flowing down the middle of it.  Perhaps there were some blooming trees nearby.  I imagined a flock of sheep standing lazily in the sunshine grazing on the abundant green pasture and the shepherd sat nearby keeping watch, maybe even with his feet soaking in the cool water.  That is what I used to imagine, that is before I spent time in Israel and among Bedouin shepherds. 

 

But the valley is dry, and at first glance it looks as though the sheep are eating rocks.  The sheep do not graze in the areas of Israel where crops easily grow, so you will see them roaming the hillsides of dry valleys where there is little rainfall.  But the humid breeze blowing in from the Mediterranean Sea provides just enough moisture for the rocks to collect and so you can find little sprigs of grass growing around the rocks.  You must look close for it, but it is there.  Amidst the sea of the dryness, where you might expect to wander across the dry bones of a wayward shepherd, there is life. 

 

Just as the shepherds lead these flocks to places of green in the otherwise dry valley, so our Lord leads us to the places of life.  We may not see it if we are relying on our own knowledge, reason, and skill, but the God who loves us as his own and has promised to care for our needs knows where to find the grass to eat and the water to drink.  Sometimes when we ask God to provide for us, we expect that lush valley with the abundant grass, and blooming trees, and cool streams, and we may often be disappointed.  But when God answers our prayers by providing us with a seemingly dry and barren valley, look closer, because there will be just enough grass to eat and water to drink to provide for our needs.  And for this we must remember to be thankful. 

 

"Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long" (Psalm 23.6).

Father Jeremy
Associate to the Rector