You know better than I do that being a teenager these days is far from easy. There is a lot of pressure from your parents and teachers. Life moves faster now than in any other generation and that brings with it more demands on your time. There is increasing violence in society and even in schools, you have readier access to drugs than ever before and diseases like AIDS make the world a scary place. Add to that the pain of heartache and the need to fit in that every young person has to cope with, and life can totally suck sometimes.
Psalm 23 has in it realities that people don’t simply associate with religion and spirituality. It isn’t an escape from the world or some kind of avoidance technique. It’s an acknowledgement of real life. “I walk through the valley where the shadow of death is” sings Kanye West in Jesus Walks. He paints a picture of the people around him — and he understands that harsh reality is where God the shepherd is needed most.
That is exactly what Psalm 23 offers. It is a psalm of trust and it is generally thought by scholars that they are a direct response to the psalms of lament. Where the other psalms of lament lay out the difficulties of life with its loneliness, despair, betrayal and pain, Psalm 23 replies with images of God’s goodness and love. It recognizes trouble but refuses to let it have the final say. It not only affirms the goodness of God but it talks back to the world. No matter what comes, God is good. The despair of the world isn’t all there is. God can rescue. God can heal. God can save.
This psalm is a touchstone for us in our private moments or bad days. If you memorized it in Sunday school, you can recite it anytime you want. If you didn’t, you probably know a few lines off by heart anyway: The Lord is my shepherd; my cup runneth over; I will fear no evil.
It may also be, however, that the psalm becomes a touchstone in your life. It may lead you to a life in which the defiant character of the psalm is lived out through acts of charity, service, teaching, sharing and helping. You might become a physician who acknowledges illness but works with God to bring healing. You might become an artist who knows a world of darkness but creates images of light and laughter. You might simply share your money or your time as a sign that you trust that God is up to good things, and you believe it so much that you want to help.
We know that this psalm has had staying power in the world for generations. May it also have staying power in your life, becoming a touchstone for living and a defiant word in the face of whatever trouble the world can dish out.
