"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. " Psalm 23

Most of us have heard these comforting words. We say them at funerals and weddings and see them on Facebook pages.

The Psalm is only six verses long, and there's a reason it is among the most beloved of scripture passages. In just six short verses, it journeys through our human faith, our human joy, our human fear and doubts and our human desires.

"Yea, though I walk through the valley" whatever that valley is - we will walk through darkness. We walk through; we're not meant to camp there. David, the Psalmist, had walked that way himself and the words of the Psalms indicate that their writers knew times of loss and hardship.

Ultimately, Psalm 23 is a Psalm of life. Life is not always pleasant and good. But the Divine Spirit is not fear, death or despair. The Divine Spirit is the Spirit of life, hope, goodness and mercy that will follow us all the days of our lives.

Chaplain Dave