Rereading a Famous Text

These words are some of the most famous in the world, bringing comfort through the millennia. Let them speak to you now.

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
    He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside still waters,
     he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
    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. - Psalm 23:1-4

In order to stay present to the Spirit, sometimes it’s helpful to look at things with a fresh perspective. Consider that ancient Hebrew had no punctuation marks. The means the phrases of this poem could be combined in slightly different ways. So one way to read this famous passage might actually look like this:

He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death. - Psalm 23:3

What do you think of the possibility that it is God who has led you to whatever valley you are in now? How does that sit with your first reading through the text? Talk with God about what’s coming up for you.