Paths of Righteousness

By Phil Wood

The LORD is my Shepherd;

I shall not want.

He makes me to lie down in green pastures;

He leads me beside the still waters.

He restores my soul;

He leads me in 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 you are with me;

Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

 

You prepare a table before me

in the presence of my enemies;

You anoint my head with oil;

My cup runs over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

All the days of my life;

And I will dwell in the house of the LORD

Forever.

                        Psalm 23 (NKJV)

 

I wonder if you were required, as I was, to memorize the 23rd Psalm when you were a child. I chose the New King James Version for today because that's the version I memorized way back then. If you're older than me, maybe you memorized it with "maketh" and "leadeth" and "restoreth." (You have to be careful with that version during these days of COVID-19. There would be a lot of droplets flying around if you read it that way out loud!)

 Anyway, the 23rd Psalm has been with me for a long time. I have turned to it many times in my life, not in the Bible but in my mind. It's stuck there, and I don't have to flip through pages to find it. I even wrote another devotional about it way back on April 18, 2012. If you're curious, you can read it at this link.

https://epcdevotionals.blogspot.com/2012/04/who-are-my-enemies.html

So the 23rd Psalm is very familiar to me. Sometimes, when I become over-familiar with a passage of Scripture, I can tune out. I recite it by rote, without dwelling on the real meaning behind the words. But this has never been the case with the 23rd Psalm.

Usually, I can count on it to bring me a deep sense of peace when I am desperately in need of it. I grew up around lakes, and just the words "still waters" or "quiet waters" speak to my soul. By the time I get to the part about my soul being restored, I need go no further, I am at rest.

The other day, though, I got a little further before the Lord stopped me and let me know this is the sentence I need to hear today: "He leads me in paths of righteousness, for his name's sake." I had to admit, I've always just sort of blown right by that sentence. Upon reflection, I began to wonder how often have I failed to notice that path and taken the road more traveled. How many times have I chosen another path and wandered off on my own? How many times has my shepherd had to come and rescue me from some precipice?

And isn't following that path the most important thing I can be doing right now when things seem to be so not right with the world, when I'm being pulled away in so many different directions?

Perhaps it hit me this way because I've been so focused on the Kingdom of God in my recent writings. Perhaps it's because the main point I've been driving at over the past many weeks is the importance of leading a life that points to Christ, so that others may see the Kingdom of God at work in the world.

Or maybe – and God does this when you're reading his word – maybe God just put it on my heart that I need to start paying more attention to that line in Psalm 23 that I have skipped over for so long. It could just be the key to the kingdom.

Lord Jesus, teach my heart. Teach me to seek first your kingdom and your righteousness. Guide me along that path and keep me from going astray. For your name's sake, amen.