Clemens Gardens
St. Cloud MN
July 27, 2022

“For Thou Art With Me”  Psalm 23:4b

The psalmist, David, knew that God was with him. He knew it in the deepest levels of his consciousness. He felt God’s presence in the essence of his being.

We have no insight into when this treasured psalm was written, yet we see how David drew upon his experience as a shepherd. He knew that a faithful shepherd never leaves their flock unattended . . . never abandons them. He had experienced God’s care in that same sense of faithfulness . . . One whose presence was known to him in all of the experiences of life. When doubts arose, he could look at other moments, and see how God was stitching parts of his life together. He trusted God would always be near.

Whether walking through a dark valley today, or experiencing the peace of green pastures and still waters, know that God is part of it all. God is with us. God is with us when we are lost and when we are found. In God’s tender presence, we are treated with individualized care, compassion and love.

The Voice translation of this verse reads,

“Even in the unending shadows of death’s darkness,
I am not overcome by fear.
Because You are with me in those dark moments.” Psalm 23:4a (VOICE)

The apostle Paul put it this way, “I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39