Shepherd

The Lord is my shepherd…

               Across the rugged mountains, the stony passes giving way beneath them;

               Under a canopy of stars, shivering in the chill of night;

               Through the storm that sweeps the valley and rages and howls,

               Soaked by rain and sleet;

               Across the rivers, the waters rushing, pulling, sweeping,

               Sometimes carried, sometimes coaxed;

               His watchful eyes scanning the horizon as they sleep,

               Keeping vigil against the wild animals;

               He is with them,

               In the very midst of the flock.

               They lack nothing.

               The Lord is their shepherd.

He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters…

               Pastures that appear, as oases, in the rugged places,

               The reprieve in the mountain pass;

               Waters that churn and rage, frothy and violent,

               Now subside,

               A tributary of peace, a moment of quiet;

               Here he stops them, here they lie down;

               The quiet and rest made more beautiful

               Because they are found in the midst of the unquiet.

               He restores their souls.

               The Lord is their shepherd.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death…

               The valley of the storm,

               Of the raging river,

               Of starvation, and thirst, and plague, and loss.

               Though ten thousand fall at their side,

               Though the danger is real,

               His rod and his staff, they guide them.

               They hear only the shepherd’s voice,

               And he has saved them before.

               Even though they walk through the valley,

               They fear no evil.

               The Lord is their shepherd.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies…

               Before the lion, the bear

               Before the attacker of the herd;

               In the very face of danger,

               In the moment of fear,

               When all is lost or could be lost,

               In the very presence of opposition,

               He prepares a table.

               Their cup overflows.

               He provides.

               The Lord is their shepherd.

Surely goodness and love will follow me…

               Every valley

               Made good.

               Every storm

               Made good.

               Every death, and loss, and fear, and moment before the enemy

               Made good.

               There is nothing left to fear,

               For goodness and love surround them,

               Nothing can take them from the presence

               Of the one in their midst, in the very middle,

               In the very valley in which they walk.

               Goodness and love surround them,

               Hem them in,

               Hold them fast,

               Stand watch over them,

               Guide them and carry them,

               Redeem the storms and the brokenness and the darkness.

               For the Lord,

               The Lord Emmanuel, God with us,

               The Lord is their shepherd.

               The Lord is our shepherd.