Many people are familiar with Psalm 23 as something read at funerals. It brings us peace and comfort to remember God is with us even in the darkest valley. When David wrote this psalm, he was going through an incredibly hard time.
David was a young man, loved by the people and especially by King Saul’s daughter. David was a strong warrior, having killed Goliath, a notorious and intimidating Philistine soldier, not too long before. While God has taken his blessing away from Saul, as we read in 1 Samuel 13, God seems to be blessing David right and left.
Saul is filled with anger and jealousy, and is waiting for his opportunity to kill David. Their story goes on for many chapters in 1 Samuel. David eventually has to go on the run, hiding from Saul. He has a small band of warriors with him, but he is separated from family/ He has no income, no shelter, no food (except what he can find along the way), and his life is hanging in the balance.
You can imagine David might be asking God to explain himself, or to get rid of Saul, or to change the circumstances one way or another. In many of the psalms he wrote, David does exactly that. But in Psalm 23, he writes words of peace and contentment. It is God who leads, provides, and shelters him. Saul compared himself to David, and was miserable; David simply sought after God, and had peace.
Pray: Dear God, thank you for providing for me, for leading me, and for giving me a place to rest. Help me to focus on you instead of how my circumstances aren’t exactly like I wish they were. Give me peace through this time. Amen.