The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
for his name's sake.
Even 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 overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.
Almost everyone knows this Psalm, or has at least heard it quoted; but I discovered something new about it today. Notice that in the first few verses life is peaceful and prosperous, and the sheep (us) speak of their Shepherd in the third person: "He" leads me, etc.. However, when troubles came, "the valley of the shadow of death", the person of the pronoun changes. No longer is it "He leads me", but "You are with me". The relationship changes and all at once the Shepherd is closer than ever before. It didn't happen, though, until life got harder and things weren't all clear and sunny anymore. So that's one good thing to look forward to in the shadows: the Light is more pronounced.
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