The following excerpt is from Willowgreen Publishing’s book My Shepherd Is the Lord: The Timeless Message of the 23rd Psalm by James E. Miller.

The Lord is my shepherd.
Sheep are gentle animals.
Easily frightened,
     they may sometimes go astray and become lost.
They are vulnerable to attack by predators.
So sheep need to be watched over and protected.
They need to be coaxed and guided.
They need to be shepherded.

I shall not want.
In the land where these words were first heard,
     a shepherd was forever vigilant,
          looking for pasture where his sheep could graze,
     for much of that countryside
          was barren, rocky, and dry.
Once a flock had eaten what little was available,
     it was time to find new grassland.
So a shepherd was constantly on the move,
     day after day.
He was forced to be away from home
     sometimes for months at a time.
He worked from early morning until late evening,
     and kept vigil even through the night,
          ensuring his sheep were provided for and secure.

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures.
After grazing in the morning,
     sheep retreat from the midday sun,
          lying down to rest and to digest their food.
If possible, a shepherd finds somewhere comfortable,
     some safe and verdant place, for his sheep to settle.

He leadeth me beside the still waters.
Sheep are so timid they won’t drink from a stream
     where the water flows too quickly
          or bubbles too noisily.
So a shepherd must find water
     that gathers in fresh and quiet pools.
Or he must create such pools himself,
     using his ingenuity, his dexterity, and his muscle.

The book My Shepherd Is the Lord contains a number of pages of quotations related to the topics that the 23rd Psalm addresses. The book also includes a poetic rendition of this popular psalm, in today’s language. A video of the same title is also available. Like all Willowgreen books, quantity discounts are available.

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