Psalm 23:1-6
Psalm 23
Psalm 23 is short enough to read in a minute and full enough to sit with for a long time. Many people return to it when they are tired, grieving or simply wanting quiet. It speaks of green pastures and still waters, of a dark valley walked through and a table set, and it ends with goodness and loving kindness that follow all the days of a life.
On this page we pair the psalm with prompts about rest. You can read one verse, pause, and write what comes. Many people write their answers as prayers, speaking to God in their own words. There is no right length and no need to finish every prompt. Pick the line that holds you today and stay with it as long as you like.
1 Yahweh is my shepherd: I shall lack nothing.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.
3 He restores my soul. He guides me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
4 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.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil. My cup runs over.
6 Surely goodness and loving kindness shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in Yahweh’s house forever.
Reflection prompts
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Verse 1 says "I shall lack nothing." Write about a moment this week when you had enough. What was there, and what turned out not to matter after all?
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Verse 2 says "He makes me lie down in green pastures." Rest does not always come easily. Where in your life right now do you resist lying down, and what might rest look like there?
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"He leads me beside still waters." Describe a quiet place, real or remembered, where your thoughts slow down. Then write a short prayer asking to be led toward that kind of stillness in the days ahead.
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"He restores my soul." What feels worn thin in you lately? Name it honestly, and write to God about what you hope restoration could look like.
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Verse 4 says "for you are with me." If you are walking through a hard stretch, or remember one, describe it in a few plain sentences. Then write about any moment, however small, when you did not feel completely alone in it.
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Verse 5 begins "You prepare a table before me." Picture a table set for you. What is on it, and what would it mean for you to sit down and receive instead of serving?
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"My cup runs over." List the good things that have spilled into your life this month, even the ordinary ones. Which one surprised you most?
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Verse 6 speaks of goodness and loving kindness that "shall follow me all the days of my life." Look back over the past year. Where can you see goodness that followed you, even if you only noticed it later?