Psalm 23 in Quarantine

It’s so surreal, isn’t it? Coffee shops shut down. Museums shuttered. Churches live streaming.
Commitments cancelled, task lists reshuffled, priorities transformed.

It seems the only safe place is a wide, open field six feet away from your closest neighbor.

Wait—Isn’t there a verse about that?

He makes me lie down in green pastures.

He restores my soul.

This virus isn’t late-breaking news in heaven. Every time I compulsively check the news, tucked in between alarmist headlines and stories of intense need and worst-case scenarios, are stories of families connecting, artists sharing, teachers teaching, and humans generously reaching out to connect with their fellow planet dwellers. There is a silver lining inside this nasty respiratory illness.

Are you being made to lie down in green pastures? You are working from home, your favorite haunts have shifted to takeout, there’s no need to go to the grocery store because they don’t have what you need anyway. Your Bible study and book club have shifted online, and you had better not sneeze in public. Does it all feel so…compulsory? Take heart: God is in the business of restoring souls. Worry is wasted energy.

Here’s something interesting: It takes 20 seconds to recite Psalm 23:1-4, up to “Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” Quoting the rest of the chapter gives you just enough time to turn off the water, dry your hands, and take a deep breath. Want to join me in washing hands to Psalm 23 today?

All that you do, do it with love. As you practice social distancing, do it with love. As you check on neighbors, do it with love. As a lover of Jesus, you carry His goodness and mercy with you when you knock on a door to check on an elderly neighbor, when you pick up the phone to call a friend, when you graciously and patiently love your family with everyone under the same roof. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow you all the days of your life.

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul.
He leads 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 mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.

—Psalm 23