Sometimes in life, you just want the classics. A classic New Jersey hoagie…Italian of course, not tuna and avocado. A pepperoni pizza, not Hawaiian with pineapple. (Who does that??) A ‘63 Mustang convertible, not a Mini Cooper. Beethoven’s Fifth, not the Electric Slide.
If I were to ask you which scripture you think is the most recognized, you would probably default to the classics. John 3:16. Genesis 1:1. Psalm 23. These passages are well known because they are memorable and timeless.
One of the reasons that the 23rd Psalm pops up to the top of the classics chart is our familiarity with it. Many of us memorized it as children. Bible Study writer Dick Murray once said that it was while crouching in a foxhole in the war that he realized that the only available “bible” he could access in that moment was the one he had in his mind, and it was sadly limited to the few passages he had memorized. He was trying to calm himself by reciting scripture, only to discover that the ones he had memorized were few and far between. This motivated him to go back and memorize more when the war was over.
So, what’s in your bible?
The 23rd Psalm is said at every funeral in my denomination. It conveys a timeless message of beauty, hope, assurance, and peace. It is a classic for a reason.
Psalm 23 (New King James Version)
The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
3 He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.
4 Yea, 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 mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord
Forever.
My challenge for you today is to spend time memorizing this beautiful piece. Take it apart, study it line by line, make picture-memories of it, walk around your house saying it out loud, and add it to your mind. This one will never let you down. We need it now more than ever.
Like you, it‘s a classic!
At Water’s Edge 
As I met up with my two daughters for a vacation in Asheville, NC, I was brave enough to enter a tattoo parlor for my first tattoo ever. I chose for him to tattoo a cross on my wrist. When I came home to the OBX, it looked a bit barren to me. I decided to visit a tattoo parlor on Colington Road, and had them etch the words ‘Psalm 23 ‘ above and below that cross. I am very proud of that tattoo and am always willing to show it to anyone who wants to take a look at it, and of course, I know it by heart! I truly enjoy reading atwatersedge. I sent the link to my sister in Oregon and she too enjoys reading it each day!
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I literally just drove by that tattoo parlor 5 minutes ago! You could not have chosen a better scripture to go around your cross. Thank you for sharing the link!! That means the world to me.
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