August 16, 2026
Beulah UMC
Don’t tell anyone, but I’m sneaking Psalm 23 into our Psummer of Psalms series. This is actually not the designated Psalm reading for this Sunday of the year but today seemed like the best day to include it.
Psalm 23 is the appointed Psalm reading during the spring on what is called “Good Shepherd Sunday.” On that Sunday, Psalm 23 is paired with the Gospel reading for that day which is where Jesus says that he is the good shepherd who cares for his sheep.
I just had to include this psalm during this series because it is a favorite psalm for many of us. We have often seen this psalm as a peaceful psalm with its image of still waters and green pastures, but it’s actually more of a psalm about protection and security. The psalmist is writing this psalm with danger close at hand.
We can divide the psalm into two main sections. And by the way, this is a very short psalm, just six verses long.
The first section, verses one through three, give us the beautiful image of the Lord as our shepherd. The psalmist tells us that this shepherd is able to lead us, restore us and provide for us even in the darkest situations we face in life because he is never far away.
Notice how the psalmist shifts from facing the threat of the valley of the shadow of death, also translated as “darkest valleys” to a more positive image of a banquet! That shift happens in verse five. “You prepare a table before me.”
And by the way, it’s so hard for me to not say this phrase the way the King James Version beautifully states. “Thou preparest a table before me.”
This psalm which begins with the image of a shepherd and a pasture moves into a different image of being in a house that includes a banquet. It’s like the psalmist is saying, “Yes, God is present with us when we are out in the open space of green pastures, but our truest security is when we are in God’s house for worship.” This is the place of ultimate security for this psalmist.
The phrase, “there’s no place like home,” is not only true with where we live, but also other sacred places like a church setting on Sunday morning. Over the course of my 40 years of pastoral ministry, I have had the privilege to be part of several churches, each with their own unique architectural designs like this sanctuary with the vibrant stained glass windows that follow the life of Jesus starting with his baptism all the way to his ascension into heaven.
Just walking into a chapel or a sanctuary can remind us that the Lord, our Shepherd provides more than enough holy space for us to feel a sense of peace and security.
Another aspect of this psalm that I find interesting is that this image of the Lord as our shepherd is actually a frequent image throughout the psalms. I counted at least seven other psalms that describe God as our shepherd.
Psalm 28 says, “O save your people, and bless your heritage; be their shepherd and carry them forever.”
Psalm 77 says, “You led your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.”
Psalm 78 says, “Then he led out his people like sheep, and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.”
Psalm 79 says, “Then we your people, the flock of your pasture, will give thanks to you forever.”
Psalm 80 says, “Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock!”
Psalm 95 says, “For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand.”
Psalm 100 says, “Know that the Lord is God. It is he that made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.”
Psalm 23 reminds us that the Lord, our shepherd will provide for all our needs, will give us rest when we get tired, and will guide and protect us along our journey in life. I love how the psalmist also emphasizes that the Lord, our shepherd is also our gracious host by preparing a feast for us that includes an overflowing cup.
This is an image that reminds us of God’s amazing grace. God’s grace is overflowing and abundant, like a great banquet spread of plenty of food and drink. We have more than we can possibly need because the Lord is our shepherd.
The other powerful part of this psalm is in how it concludes. “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.”
The thought here is that the enemies and the threat of danger that are pursuing the psalmist, are no longer a cause for fear because of God’s protection and overflowing blessings. And I love the very creative way the psalm concludes by saying that instead of enemies following him, the psalmist can look back and instead see “goodness and mercy” chasing after him.
I had an Old Testament professor tell us in seminary that a better phrase than “goodness and mercy shall follow” would be the phrase, “goodness and mercy shall CHASE me.”
What a powerful theological thought from this Psalmist. God’s goodness and mercy is chasing us down. This idea of God’s goodness and mercy chasing after us is at the center of John Wesley’s understanding of grace. It offers us the comforting thought that in any given moment, God’s grace is being extended to each and every one of us.
Even when we have no thought of God, God is still reaching out to us and pursuing us with goodness and mercy. And all we need to do is to be open to receive God’s grace. And this grace never runs out. Our cup is always overflowing. God is always chasing after us.
And when the Psalmist talks about our enemies, sometimes those enemies are invisible like fear of the future and things from our past that still haunt us. Our invisible enemy might be our own self-doubts and unnecessary worry that keeps us awake at night.
Whether our enemies are visible or invisible, the good news that the psalmist wants us to know is that as we face these enemies, take heart. The Lord is our shepherd; we shall not want.
About 16 years ago at a church I was serving, I officiated for the funeral of an elderly church member. She didn’t have a lot of surviving family members, but her brother who lived in South Carolina drove to Ohio and met me at the church to help me prepare for his sister’s funeral.
He was really nice and told me a lot about his sister. And then I asked him if there was any particular scripture that he wanted me to read during the service. And he said to me, “Yes, my favorite scripture is Psalm 23. I’d like you to read that during the service. It has special meaning for me.”
And so, I asked him what he liked about this psalm, and he told me the most amazing story.
He said that he was in his hotel room in Philadelphia many, many years ago. He said that he couldn’t get to sleep because he was feeling very nervous and anxious that night. He said that he opened the nightstand drawer in his hotel room and found a bible. He opened it to Psalm 23 and after he read it, it really helped him to feel at peace, and he was able to get to get a full night of sleep. When he woke up, he felt a renewed sense of energy and a tremendous sense of peace about the day ahead.
But he wasn’t done with his story. He said that the reason he was nervous was because he was the starting pitcher for a baseball game the next day. And he said that he ended up pitching one of his best games he ever pitched. He said that they beat the Philadelphia Phillies and he was able to strike out Richie Ashburn to help win the game.
And it was at that point when I said, “Excuse me? What did you say? Are you telling me that you were a major league pitcher?”
To make a long story short, I discovered that I was talking to Jim Waugh who was a starting pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 1950’s. He grew up in Lancaster, Ohio where I was serving as pastor. And he told me that he had the record for being the youngest pitcher to win a game for the Pittsburgh Pirates when he was just 18 years old. Joe Garagiola was the catcher for that game.
And he said that’s why Psalm 23 has so much meaning for him. It helped him to know that the Lord was his shepherd, and he didn’t have anything to fear.
Just one month after that funeral for his sister, I read the sad news that Jim also passed away here at his home in South Carolina. The local newspaper up in Ohio had a really nice article about his life and career. While the article focused on his life as a Major League Baseball player, I will remember him more as someone who learned to trust in the Lord as his shepherd, and who came across this psalm one night in his hotel room many years ago.
This psalm reminds us that enemies, both visible and invisible may chase after us, but they are no match for God’s goodness and mercy that pursue us all the days of our lives. We can always find our security in the Lord who is our shepherd. He is the one who leads us to green pastures, still waters, and a banquet table filled with all that we need.
When you are feeling the anxiety from all the negative news that comes at us every single day, remember that the Lord is your shepherd. When you are anxious about what the future may hold, remember that the Lord is your shepherd. When you find yourself all alone in a hotel room and you just can’t get to sleep, remember that the Lord is your shepherd. When worries over things that are beyond our control continue to cause fear and uncertainty, remember that the Lord is your shepherd.
When one of my uncles died several years ago, my family asked me to read this Psalm during the funeral service which was held in northern Maryland near where he lived. My uncle was a farmer all his life and that small country church was packed with other farmers and their families. I began reading this Psalm like I usually do, using the King James Version which is the common way this psalm is read and the way most of us have learned it.
And so, I started reading it, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures.”
And I just stopped reading it after that first line because I realized in that moment that Uncle Bill’s whole life was about spending time in green pastures on his farm. I think people were wondering if I was OK because I just stood there for a few moments thinking about that line from Uncle Bill’s perspective.
I say this because maybe we need to take our time whenever we read this short psalm. Even if we know it by heart, read it like you are reading, or I should say, praying it for the very first time.
And as you pray this psalm and savor each verse, may God’s goodness and mercy chase after you all the days of your life and may you dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
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