Dear friends,
There is a comfort in the familiar.
We feel it when we enter a familiar place.
This might be a church or a place of prayer where people have gathered for centuries.
Such a place seems to retain a certain atmosphere that can be felt even by someone visiting for the first time.
In the same way,
Prayers familiar from childhood become part of our being.
In a sense,
They become part of who we are and it can be a comfort to hear them again and again.
At the same time,
This very familiarity can result in the original meaning being lost.
Yes,
We can hear the words but we don't hear the meaning.
So from time to time it can be helpful to look at a familiar prayer and to try to express the same idea through different words.
The new words will hardly ever take the place of the old but the new words occasionally seen or heard they can remind us of the richness of the old.
The new version can help us better appreciate the original.
With this in mind,
I have taken a look at the well-known 20 Towards Sam and I've tried to express it in a way that would be of interest or that might be of interest to people of all beliefs.
For people familiar with the original I hope this version will help trigger some new reflections whenever you read or hear the old version again.
And for people who are unfamiliar with Psalm 23 I hope this will prove to be an introduction to a prayer which has been sung,
Recited and loved by countless millions of people for thousands of years.
So first of all,
Let me remind you of the original version.
The Lord is my shepherd,
I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures.
He leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul.
He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Yea,
Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil,
For thou art with me.
Thy rod and thy staff,
They comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies.
Thou anointest my head with oil,
My cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Psalm 23.
And now here is my reflection on it,
Offered to people of our time,
Not as a substitute but as a trigger for further understanding.
Day after day I walk through a paradise garden,
The sky above,
The good earth below.
Night after night I surrender to the gift of sleep,
To awake refreshed and renewed.
Numberless paths open before me,
But from past experience I know I will be safe,
Whatever my choice.
How can I fear for the future if I believe that all will finally be well,
Resting secure in the knowledge that no one can harm my soul without my consent.
I realise that I have more than enough,
If only I stop to compare my impossible wants,
Which are limitless,
To my real needs,
Which are few.
I believe there to be an underlying meaning and purpose in existence itself and in my own existence.
For the unimaginable gift of my life I will bow my head in grateful thanks all my days.
Namaste.
