words of importance. In a single phrase there might be several words to stand out and to “punch” vocally. Any of the five words of this first phrase can be emphasized with spe cial blessing. “The Lord is my Shep herd.” The definite article being em- S U F F E R I N G I laid my head upon His breast And let the teardrops rain, No word my aching throat could wrest To free my heart from pain. He laid His hand upon my heart M y feverish tears to claim. And I but wept and wept instead M y grief a mighty flame. “Let not your heart be troubled, child," He gently said to me, "This pain you cannot understand Was in M y plan you see. "It was not meant your soul to bruise But only to refine. The little plans you want to use Were not as great as Mine. "Someday you'll see and understand AM trials such as these, Just wait and trust and hold M y hand, And try your GOD to please. "And leave your footsteps all with Me Forgetting all your plans, The way, the dreams, I have for thee Heaven knows and understands." So in His way my feet now tread He, too, has walked this way. He bore this burden in my stead To comfort me this day. 'Tis now revealed to me in part His plan is good I see: I am to comfort other hearts As He now comforts me. ployed means that to be able to say, “The Lord,” we must realize that there is no other God and Saviour. For “there is no other name under heaven, given among men, whereby we must be saved.” David, of course was a monotheist. He believed there 12
need of the Lord as his Shepherd, even as he had seen his sheep’s need of him to guide them. The 23rd Psalm has been called, “The Nightin gale’s Song.” Like the bird for which it is named, it causes us to sing even when all about us is darkness and despair. In a day of so many new versions and translations, the fact of the mat ter is that the authorized King James Version really never has been improved upon. For grandeur of style and composition it is unsur passed. Oh, there have been critics with the cry for “relevancy” who have endeavored to make it fit the Word for their own use. A well- known professor at Swarthmore Col lege, addressing a group of religious leaders, took occasion to point out that, in his opinion, the Bible had outlived much of its usefulness. His suggestion was that it should be completely modernized. As an ex ample, he worked over the 23rd Psalm. His point was that people who lived in the city couldn’t begin to comprehend what the Psalm meant, therefore it should definitely be brought up to date. Would you like to hear a sample of the way he would do it? “The Lord is my automobile’s low gear to help me in climbing the high hills. The Lord is my antiseptic in times of dangerous epidemics. The Lord is the sunlight in my room, bringing me health from the ultra violet rays.” Frankly, such terminol ogy is not only foolish, completely inaccurate and ridiculous; it is also nauseous. Even a child can under stand the sweet, simple sentences of of this Psalm. They apply to all ages and all classes of people. David begins by saying, “The Lord is my shepherd.” Back in 1943, when I started working in radio, the chief announcer tried to give me a few pointers, which, as I look back on them now, were extremely helpful. One thing he suggested was that we should learn to emphasize certain
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker