The Lord is My Shepherd

Project 365 – #293

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:
he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul:
he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil:
for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:
thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
~Psalm 23:1-6~

As with most kids who grew up in a Christian home, attended church regularly, and went to a Christian school, I learned this passage at a young age.  It wasn’t really until D became an active duty Marine that it began to really play a big role in my life.  People talk about life verses, but I’m not exactly sure what that means.  What I do know is that this passage of scripture almost instantly pops in my head when something stressful happens or when I can’t sleep or when life gets complicated.  It isn’t a voluntary thing; it just happens.  It’s like a tape recording (oh, am I dating myself by saying that?) playing in my head over and over again until a peaceful feeling (or sleep) washes over me.

Back when I had to memorize the scripture passage, I’m sure I wasn’t overly thrilled about it since it was a longer passage and thus more difficult.   Now, many years later, I am extremely grateful for all those verses that I was told to memorize – “hide in my heart” – in my youth.  I am grateful that verses do pop into my head when I need them most.  Times like that remind me once again of the importance of making sure Munchkin is memorizing scripture, claiming scripture, and making it her own.