Psalm 23—For Where I am, and Where You are, Right Now

Karl Crawford • February 12, 2022

I have been reading/studying/meditating my way through the Psalms in 2022. I am reading the Bible and through 4-5 commentaries and am at different points in each of them. This week, I came to Psalm 23 in one of the commentaries. I had already read it in the Scriptures and, like you, can pretty much quote it by heart. When I read it in the Word, my mind fell back on what I already knew, “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want, He…” You know the rest of the words too. I read them, I was blessed for reading them, but I did not “hear” them.


I have heard this Psalm in my profession as a cemetery worker many, many times. Standing within earshot of many graveside services, I have heard pastors, and sometimes mourners, say these words from memory. Everyone in attendance may not have known the entire Psalm, but all together they drew from each other the right words to say in the right order. It is a comfort, standing by the still empty grave to hear the promise, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me…” If ever there is a time that we want God to be near us, it is at the time of life’s greatest enemy—death.


I must confess, I have always looked at this Psalm in three sections: the green pastures as a short respite from the harshness of life now, the Lord walking with us through the valley of the shadow, and our future in heaven when this life is over. But this time when I read the same words, I remembered the words of another favorite Psalm, number 46.


“Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.” Psalm 46:2-3 KJV


No quiet pastures there, the mountains are crashing into the sea. No still waters there, the seas froth and churn as tons of mountain granite falls into them. And I wondered, how do I reconcile the two psalms?


As I stand with the psalmist who wrote Psalm 46, I can see in my mind’s eye, the roar of the waters and the mountains shaking and crashing into the sea. It is a fearful sight, maybe at the end of this age, that we see everything that we have held dear coming apart at the seams.  Who can watch it without fear? And yet, the same psalmist writes down God’s response, “Be still, and know that I am God.” Be still? Even when the world is coming apart? Be still? Even when MY world is coming apart?


It seems as though the two psalms must be written to different people, or at least, the same people at widely divergent times in their lives. And yet, if we look closely, the psalms are in complete agreement.


Psalm 23 is not the three-phased psalm that I imagined it to be. It is all for now, it is all for today, including the final verse. It is a deeply personal psalm. David writes: “The Lord is MY shepherd, he leads ME.” Each pronoun is personal. Some psalms are corporate and speak of the Nation of Israel and God’s judgement or protection over them. This Psalm is intensely personal. It is a pact between God and David. That same pact, between Father and child, that is ours.


Some think that Psalm 23 was written when David was a young lad, tending his father’s sheep. But many who write commentaries believe that this Psalm was written much later in David’s life, after he had killed the bear and the lion, after he had faced Goliath, after he had been chased by Saul, after his sin with Bathsheba, and after his murder of Uriah. He is able to write these words at this time of his life because God’s mercies are still new and fresh every morning, and God’s mercies follow David every day of his life.


David can enjoy the green pastures, even in the midst of enemies. David can drink of the still waters, even in the valley of the shadow. The Lord restores his soul, even when this life is at its worst. And this is the link between Psalm 23 and Psalm 46. There, the mountains are crashing into the sea and God says, “Be still, and be comforted by the green pastures. Be still and enjoy the still waters. Be still, I will walk with you through the valley. Be still, I will prepare a table for you in the presence of your enemies. Be still, because goodness and mercy will follow you every single day of your life. Be still and know that I am God.”


Psalm 23 is that idyllic psalm that we use to indicate that all is well in our world. Still waters. Green pastures. But it is every bit as much the psalm of shadowy valleys, and surrounding enemies. It is every bit as much a psalm of comforting rods, banquet tables, cups that run over with His plenty, anointing oil, goodness and mercy, restoration, and living in God’s presence forever.


Even if your life right now is a Psalm 46 experience with roiling waters and mountains crashing, be that one who is a Psalm 23 Christian who is longing after the intimacy of God’s heart no matter what you are experiencing. If David did it, you can do it, and so can I.


There is an old chorus from my youth that says, “God hath not promised, skies always blue, flower-strewn pathways all our lives through. God hath not promised sun without rain, Joy without sorrow, peace without pain.” The chorus goes on to tell us what God hath promised. “But God hath promised strength for the day, rest for the labor, light for the way, grace for the trials, help from above, unfailing sympathy, undying love."


But even better than the truths of the chorus is that God’s Word tells us what He has promised. He has promised us Himself—He has promised to be our Shepherd—and that is enough, for whatever the day brings.

Share this Post

The Baby Jesus - The Infant Savior

By Karl Crawford • December 24, 2025
I have thought for many years
shepherds in a green field tending a lock of sheep

The Shepherds Returned

By Karl Crawford • December 23, 2025
Every Christmas season for the past few years, my thoughts have gone back to the shepherds to whom Christ's birth was announced. Everything we know about those shepherds is recorded in just thirteen verses in Luke 2. We all know that story: from the angel’s first, “Fear not!;” to seeing the heavenly hosts, to visiting the Baby Jesus in Bethlehem. They never dreamed they would experience anything like this night—ever! And then verse 20 says, “And the shepherds returned...” Did you ever stop to think about what they returned to? It was the same world they had left only a few hours before. Herod still ruled over the Jews. Roman soldiers had free reign to do pretty much as they pleased. Loved ones still got terminal diseases. Spouses and parents still died way too soon. Hucksters still cheated people out of their life’s savings, even in the temple. Children still went prodigal. And possibly, one of their young sons was killed in Herod’s vendetta to do away with the Baby King. Maybe that father wondered why the Infant Savior was hiding in Egypt and his son was killed. Shouldn’t the Savior save; instead of letting innocent babies die in His place? They had to wonder when they would experience this great joy and peace and goodwill that was to be to all people. We can understand their questions. We can understand why the luster of that night with the angels and Baby Jesus would wear off for the shepherds who returned to the same problems they thought had been put behind them. But we know that the shepherds did not see the whole story. We know “the rest of the story,” that the Baby came back from Egypt, we know that He healed the sick, raised the dead, and fed thousands of people with a young lad’s lunch. We know that He confronted the religious leaders who were perverting His Father’s message. And we know that He went to the cross, rose from the dead, and ascended into Heaven. But just like the shepherds, we live in a world that has not yet been redeemed, we know what it is like to have a dear friend stab us in the back, to have a child go prodigal, to suffer financial ruin, to hear the doctor say, “you have cancer,” or to drive home from a cemetery, leaving behind the dearest person on earth to us. Like the shepherds, we live life on this side of our Lord’s return. Many of us have faced great loss in the past year. Some of us carry a new grief into this Christmas season that we have not known before. But we do not grieve like those who have no hope. We reluctantly yet confidently face the days ahead with a tear in one eye and a ray of hope in the other. We look up for the glorious appearing of our Great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. We are to live life looking forward, knowing that someday death will be defeated, disease will be eliminated, sin will be judged, and evil will be banished to hell, never to be heard from again. The angel’s promise of good tidings of great joy will be fully realized when we see Jesus face to face and we are reunited with loved ones who have gone on before. The angel said that night long ago, “Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.” Just as prophecy was fulfilled in that little Baby in a manger, so will the promise of the Baby’s return be fulfilled. But this time, that little Baby will return as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. And the song will be sung, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.” “For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.” And that is the promise He made, and this is our hope today and every day, no matter what grief our hearts may carry.
Woman in headscarf with baby in a manger, hands touching baby; dim lighting.

When Hope First Spoke

By Jodi Crawford Potgeter • December 19, 2025
Jesus was long before Christmas, long before he was born in Bethlehem.
People overlooking the Grand Canyon at sunset. Mountains and hazy landscape in the background.

Envy the Youth

By Karl Crawford • February 13, 2023
It is common for old-timers, a group in which I am solidly ensconced, to envy the strength and vitality of the youth.  I envy the number of years they have ahead of them.  I would love to do life over again, assuming I would know on the second pass through what I have learned through toil and trouble the first time along life’s journey. But there is no guarantee of days.  The “three score and ten” (Psalm 90:10) is an...
Suspension bridge silhouetted against a vibrant orange and pink sunset sky, seen through tree branches.

Wayne Foote

By Karl Crawford • December 19, 2022
I received news just recently that one of my heroes had left this land for the better one. It was not unexpected, he had been in failing health for many months, needing more and more care from his family to stay in the home he loved at age 91. We, my wife and I, became friends with his daughter and son-in-law many years ago when we all attended the same church. They invited us to St. Ignace to visit Glen...
Woman with head in hands sits by a wall; a dark shadow extends a hand toward her.

God is in Your Crisis

By Karl Crawford • December 10, 2022
We might say to a group of people, “God is in your crisis.” But it is entirely different to look into the eyes of a hurting believer and say, “God is in your crisis.” This morning, as I read a commentary on the book of Isaiah, those words, “God is in your crisis,” popped off the page to me. I underlined them…and then I chewed on them as I drove to work. And God rephrased them, He re-emphasized them, “God...
Sunlight streams through clouds in a blue sky.

Steve

By Karl Crawford • November 24, 2022
I remember the evening a few years ago now when a visitor attended our church service.  He was a slender man with lots of energy and it was obvious he was trying to find a place to sit.  Certainly, he was aware of the rules for the Crawford Section; that we were very selective about someone invading our turf…but alas, he was not cognizant of our rules made for such a time as this.  I made casual eye contact with...
Hands gently cradle two tiny baby feet on soft, white blanket.

Roe v. Wade? Or love?

By Karl Crawford • July 10, 2022
Roe v. Wade is the name of a Supreme Court case decided back in 1973.  A case that has divided much of the nation since that day.  In my social circle in my tiny berg in Northern Michigan the 1973 decision did not have much impact at the time.  Over the years, the gravity of taking the life of an unborn human being by the choice of the mother seemed very wrong to me.  I began to be more involved...
Man with long beard and boy kneel over a bundle on a rocky hillside.

Do You Trust God?

By Karl Crawford • March 26, 2022
We all remember the story of Abraham and Sarah waiting so many years for the male child that God had promised them.  This was the only child who could fulfil the promises God had made to them on multiple occasions. (That promise to Abraham and Sarah was made to you and me too.  The promise was not only for their progeny as the sands of the seashore but for a Deliverer.  That Deliverer is as important to me thousands of...
Woman in mask sits on suitcase in an empty airport. Black pants, cream jacket, headphones, check-in desks behind.

A Long Decade? Or a Few Short Years?

By Karl Crawford • March 12, 2022
The last few years have been difficult since we were made aware of some new type of flu found in a place called Wuhan on the other side of the world.  “Normal” has become a fading dream as the results of that medical discovery have changed our personal world and our greater world.  I remember the first time I heard on the news of this new virus: “It will affect mainly older people and those with comorbidities” the young newscaster...