This is a rendition of Psalm 23 that I wrote one morning during my quiet time. With the last name of Herder I find it rather appropriate that I have been in positions of leadership on my race. You will notice near the end of the psalm that God has called me to be a herder… someone who goes out and helps guide His sheep back home.
But God has also made this psalm very sweet to me because though I may be a herder, sometimes I’m the one who wanders. Through this little rendition God has brought me back to feeling like a child before Him, knowing that as I “herd” others, He is “herding” me back home. He looks after me when I can’t look after myself. So I hope all of you reading let God speak to you through the words He has given me.
A Rendition of Psalm 23:
I am your sheep and you are my shepherd. I will listen to your voice and be without want. In you I will find my rest, leading me to green pastures, walking with me beside still waters, your presence oh Father, it restores my soul. Take away my pride and lead me to path’s of righteousness to bring glory to your name.
Even if I should find myself amidst the darkest and deepest of forests, lifeless shadows hovering all around me, I will not fear. For you are right there with me. With staff in hand you stand beside me and I know I do not go alone.
You guide me to the edge of the trees and there I see your fortress. I stand before your door like a child, in awe of the majesty of your works. Watching me you chuckle softly. You then command the doors to open with nothing but a whisper.
Awestruck I walk beside you until we enter into the King’s hall. But instead of everything one might imagine in such a hall, there is but one simply crafted wooden table accompanied by two chairs of the same wood.
In one chair sits a figure of bright light and the other chair left vacant.
I tip-toe closer to the table and peek my eyes over the edge. There is one table setting in front of the empty chair.
Without words I am invited to sit beside the figure before me. Like a small girl I crawl up onto the chair, not quite tall enough, and my feet swing back and forth below me.
There is a silver plate with a stack of three blueberry pancakes lathered in syrup with a small glass of milk on the side, just the way I like. I cut into the stack with the side of my fork, pop the bite into my mouth and savor the sweet tastes covering my tongue. A joy radiates from the figure, knowing I delight in what has been given to me.
My eyes settle on a small jar sitting in the middle of the table. I look at it curiously. Without taking my eyes away, I two-handedly reach for my glass of milk. I take a big gulp, leaving a milky mustache right above my lips.
He knows my child-like curiosity and reaches out for the jar. He takes the lid off and shows me the golden oil held inside. He dips His thumb into the jar and gently presses it across my forehead. A sense of the spirit overcomes me and without moving his mouth, I hear the voice of the figure say, “You are my child, my precious child. My goodness follows you and my mercy is kept close to your heart until all your days here are done. And when they are done, here you will return to live with me, in my house, forever.”
The oil dripped down my face and collided with a tear. In that moment I knew this was the presence of the Lord before me. When He spoke,
life was breathed into me and the shadows that clung to me could not stand the presence of the light.
Then releasing His thumb from my forehead, the words He had spoken were sealed upon my heart. Shadows that had followed me in fled back into the forest, screeching, for the presence of the Lord was now upon me.
The figure was then gone. I reached up to touch my head, to see if the oil was really there or if I was simply lost in my own imagination. I felt the oil across my forehead and it was hot to touch. I pulled back my hand and realized the same light that had been radiating from the figure now radiated out of me.
I got down from my chair and walked myself out of the house. I looked out upon the expanse of the forest and saw small lights shining throughout the darkness. The light inside me pulsed with a sense of love and urgency. The pulse of love and urgency then transformed into a deep longing for the little lights in the darkness to find their way home. For them to be able to know what waited for them at the edge of the forest. And then in a still small voice I heard Him whisper, go.
