Psalm 23
We like to be in control.
Even when we say we’re willing to let go and trust, many of us still keep a hand on the wheel, just in case. But the life of faith calls us into a different rhythm. One where we don’t always need to have the map, because we trust the One who is guiding us. Psalm 23 invites us into that different way of being. It doesn’t offer a checklist or a strategy. It offers an image: a shepherd leading, a sheep following.
“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.”
Not I will get everything I desire, but I will have enough.
Not I am strong enough to manage on my own, but I am held by One who knows the way.
It’s not easy. Trust rarely is. Especially when we don’t know what’s coming next. But what if trust isn’t about knowing where we’re going? What if it’s about knowing who is with us along the way?
So let me ask you:
- What are you holding onto that makes it hard to let go?
- Where in your life are you being invited to loosen your grip and follow?
There are seasons where we’re drawn toward stillness, where the soul longs to slow down, to breathe again. Sometimes it takes being brought to a full stop before we can receive what we need.
We often resist that kind of rest. We convince ourselves we have to earn it, or that things will fall apart without us. But trust means believing that the world won’t end if we take a deep breath.
But that kind of rest isn’t always easy. Even when we’re weary, there’s a temptation to push through, to earn rest, to prove ourselves, to stay useful. The Shepherd, though, invites us to lie down not because we’ve earned it, but because we need it.
- When have you resisted rest even when you knew you needed it?
- What might your soul be asking for right now?
And then there are the valleys.
Those moments when things feel uncertain or heavy. We don’t choose those places. But we do get to choose how we move through them, and whether we walk them alone.
Sometimes trust is as simple, and as profound, as taking the next step. Not because the road is easy, but because we are not walking it alone.
- What valleys have you come through that changed you?
- Where have you sensed presence, peace, or strength that wasn’t your own?
Sometimes, when we look back, we begin to notice something we couldn’t see at the time: The unexpected grace. The quiet companionship. The moments of provision that helped carry us through.
That’s the thing about trust. It doesn’t always come at the start of the journey. Sometimes, it’s what we grow into as we go.
Questions to Take With You:
- What would it look like to live today as if you truly trusted in God’s presence?
- Where might you be invited to let go of control and follow with more courage?
- What helps you pause and receive the care you need?
- When you look back, where have you noticed grace catching up to you?
Let’s pray:
Loving Presence, when the path ahead feels uncertain, remind us that we are not walking alone. Help us to release what we cannot control and find peace in being led. In the still moments, restore our weary hearts. In the shadowed places, steady our steps. And when we look back, may we see the grace that followed us all along. Amen.
