5. God: Our Best Friend!

A Meditation of Psalm 23

Psalm 23 is a short poem expressing the poet’s feelings about his/her personal relationship with God. The pictures drawn here with carefully chosen metaphors get into the subconscious mind of the readers/listeners. The poet compares God to a shepherd and him/herself to a sheep. Life is compared to the sheep’s journey with the shepherd. Toward the end of the poem, God is also pictured as a very close friend.

We humans are very much like sheep. We do not know for sure what we are, where we are, or why we live. Our only option is to trust and follow God, our shepherd, who alone knows the answers. God is also like a friend who invites you to eat with him, not secretly but openly, while your enemies watch. Doing this, God openly declares to be on your side. God cares for your friendship. Whether you have popular support or not doesn’t matter to God.

The poet expresses total trust and confidence. There is a great sense of security, affection and self-esteem. This is the most desirable attitude and feeling for our healthy existence. Basic to a life which is healthy, fruitful, and meaningful is the sense of security. It is the foundation on which we build up our lives. In the absence of such a sense, we feel fear and anxiety. The sense of security itself exists on our trust in God, which in turn rests upon our understanding of God’s unconditional acceptance of us.

It would simply be wonderful if we can find our best friend in God and open up our innermost feelings, motives, and desires to God day after day. Such active practice of being in the presence of God, and walking with God as a constant companion is probably what prayer really is.  Compared to such meaningful prayer, uttering a few sentences as a ritual may be seen as a waste of time. A real communication with God fills our hearts with joy, and makes our lives fruitful.

Back to Contents