Just want to share a song that we sang at church today. The words are as following:
The Lord's my Shepherd, I'll not want.
He makes me lie in pastures green.
He leads me by the still, still waters,
His goodness restores my soul.
And I will trust in You alone.
And I will trust in You alone.
For Your endless mercy follows me,
Your goodness will lead me home.
He guides my ways in righteousness,
And He anoints my head with oil,
And my cup, it overflows with joy,
I feast on His pure delights.
And though I walk in the darkest path,
I will not fear the evil one,
For You are with me, and Your rod and staff
Are the comfort I need to know.
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This song is based on Psalm 23. Of the 150 Psalms, this is probably the most popular, or at least the most recognisable one. However, the reason for this is because it is the Psalm that is most often read during Christian funerals. I think the reason for this is because of verse 4 which says "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, For You are with me......". It is a great reassurance and comfort to the relatives of the deceased that at the threshold where one passes from life to death, that God is there leading him or her through. Indeed, it was a great comfort to me personally, as my own dad passed away not too long ago. It was good to know that he was not alone in that journey through the valley of the shadow of death. I still miss him greatly.
So, why do I call it a "Psalm for the Living", when it has such a strong association with death? This is because it speaks to my inner being directly. It calms me in all the turmoils that I had gone through. It rises above material and physical needs. It gives me hope for the future. And because of this, I believe that life is for living. I try not to let fear hold me back from the things that I would like to do. His goodness indeed restores my soul. The chorus sums up my feeling best. Yes, I will only trust in Him. He has shown His mercy to me time and again, and I have enjoyed His goodness. And when the time comes for me, it will indeed be a homecoming. Maranatha!!
2 comments:
I am not a Christian/Catolic, so I hope you don't mind my one cent.
To me, it talks about death as a reminder to us to appreciate life...It is reminder to us that we are spiritual beings in a physical world, and really, we are all a part of a bigger existence, and picture...
Hi Daphne,
Thanks for your comments. I know that you are Bahai, right? Your blog is one of my favourites. I'm afraid I don't know much about the Bahai faith. Perhaps, you would enlightened me.
The point I am making about Psalm 23 is that although it has a strong association with death; actually it is not about death at all. It talks about a personal relationship with God in our daily lives. And that relationship carries on through the process of death, in that God doesn't abandon us in our hour of need.
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