SUNDAY

Psalm 23:1-3

• How do these verses help you understand God’s guidance?

“This is why I’m anti-hiking,” I complained loudly. It was past lunchtime–about 2 p.m.–and the sun was snaking its way through the trees onto our innocent shoulders. My legs ached with the day’s tread. We should’ve arrived at the “grassy knoll” (the outdoorsy lexicon is foreign to me, but this is what everyone referred to it as) a few hours ago, but we were lost. My friends continued to negotiate the map they had been consulting–both printed and on their phones. Left, right, left, left, right, about-face, it all felt the same after awhile, and it had been awhile. Finally, Jessi squealed with joy from the front of our little group. I looked up–were we finally here? Following her and the others, I marched forward until the dirt became luscious green. Suddenly, somehow, we had reached an expansive meadow of wildflowers and never-ending grass. We found a spot on a modest hill and set up our picnic. After eating, we laid in the field and stared up around us: the bordering trees, the daisies growing proudly in clumps, the bergamot and clovers dancing in the wind. It was idyllic. This was worth the hike.

The Psalmist describes the peace of being led by God as lying “in green pastures.” Trusting God to guide us is infinitely more reliable than trusting paper or Google maps. God will ultimately lead us to goodness. On our own, we get lost. With God, we are never lost. We can “walk through the valley of the shadow of death, and fear no evil.” Why? Because “[God] is with [us].”