Both new authors with Hope Books & a beloved friend whom I highly esteem, I’m in awe of Annie Weber’s knowledge on the Bible. She has this knack of taking Bible’s stories and making them relatable for today. She truly allows us to see our real God in our real lives work. She is passionate about helping people become more familiar with the Bible through bite-size pieces. You will love her first book Astounding Truths of the Bible.
It’s an absolute joy to welcome Annie to the kitchen sink today…..
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 23:4
I was unfamiliar with the Bible when I heard Coolio sing a borrowed lyric from Psalm 23:4 to open his chart-topping song “Gangsta’s Paradise.” The song won a Grammy Award and was the best-selling single of 1995. It was released in conjunction with the film Dangerous Minds, which highlights the challenges of teaching underachieving teens in an inner-city high school. Coolio included the psalm lyric to evoke feelings about the challenges of life as a gangster in southern California.
On the contrary, King David wrote Psalm 23 as a declaration of trust and confidence in God’s character. David is boldly professing his complete confidence that God’s character will be consistent every day of his life. Writing this Psalm, he acknowledged God’s track record of caring for His people. This includes every individual sheep that has been placed in His care.
David had the advantage of looking back over his life and seeing how God cared for him through the seasons of character refinement he experienced. In writing this Psalm, he expressed his genuine thoughts on how he evaluated his relationship with God. This Psalm should remind us how God still cares for his people today. It is an encouraging reminder that God is faithful to his people, even when His people stray from the flock.
Psalm 23 is only six verses long. The sixth and final verse is what makes this psalm so hopeful. This grand finale of Psalm 23 states, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever.” This means that those who know Christ are guaranteed a never-ending relationship. God will never leave you.
Unlike our relationships on earth, where people come and go into our lives, God will never abandon us. He will not leave us, regardless of how difficult, emotional, or wayward we become. He will chase us every moment, every day, until we comprehend the vastness of his faithfulness. His “goodness” and “mercy” are two astounding character traits that God has revealed to David through the highs and lows of David’s life, which are written with transparency in the Psalms. God reveals those character traits to us when we seek Him through the challenges of daily life, just as David did as he navigated the peaks and valleys of life.
Guided Prayer:
Lord, Thank You for Your promise to never leave Your people. Help me remember to look for ways You reveal Your goodness and mercy. Allow me the grace to have a heart like David, who spoke honestly about his journey of living a God honoring life.–Amen
