“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.”

In troubled times, I have recited this entire psalm over and over, and have been calmed by the beauty of the images it contains. As a musician, I wonder how it might have sounded in the original language. Or how might David have sung and played it on his harp? But, whether in Aramaic or English, played on a harp or pipe organ, or spoken aloud for the comfort it brings, this message transcends time and language.

DEAR LORD, HELP US, THROUGH OUR BELIEF IN YOU, TO BELIEVE IN OURSELVES, AND OUR ABILITY TO DO YOUR WORK IN THE WORLD. LET US NOT BE WEIGHED DOWN BY SELF-CONSCIOUSNESS AND DESPAIR. RESTORE US BY THE STILL WATERS OF YOUR LOVING CARE. AMEN.

-Shared by Ann Chadwick