Very early this morning, a state trooper was gunned down on the highway during a traffic stop just thirty minutes from where I live. The killer left him dying there in the road and fled the scene, later turning his gun on himself and taking his own life as SWAT approached the house in which he was hiding. That makes three shootings in just three days in this little place we once jokingly referred to as Mayberry. I feel sick. Trying in the only certain way I know to replace my worry with peace, I turned to my favorite standby, Psalm 23, the poetic description of the Shepherd-King. Nothing else will do on a day like today. I read the words over and over, and let the truth pour over me, washing away the anxiety and the fear.
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
He leads me beside quiet waters,
He restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness for His name's sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
No comments:
Post a Comment