Psalm 23 (A Free Paraphrase)

It was recently suggested to me to try a ‘free paraphrase’ of the famous 23rd Psalm.

Here’s the “original” King James version:

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:
he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

Here’s my ‘free paraphrase’:

The Lord is ineffable, I shall never presume to comprehend Her at all.
He shows me Unfathomable Shining Mysteries. In every moment for all time
She sings Her Great Omni-Fecund Silence-—and all that Is springs anew,
transformed and renewed again and again, eternally.

I have no soul apart from Him.

She leads me, and all of humanity, in our lurching, staggering first
baby steps toward the Greatness for which He created us in Her image.

Yea though I be crushed by Fierce Graces* beyond enduring, I know that
His Love will ultimately triumph in ways I may not live to see. Her
chastening, and His embrace—-they both sustain me through each day.

In my Darkest Night, You are the dim, sputtering candlelight that
nevertheless never fails. You anoint my broken heart with Your Own
tears. My puny cup and I are simply lost, carried away by the mighty
currents of Your Great Ocean.

Surely Love, Awe and Forgiveness shall enfold me all the days of my
fleeting life, and I bow down with gratitude beyond expression to have
been even a forgotten whimsy in the Heart of God forever.

—-

*Seeming tragedies that turn out to [spiritually] benefit us in the long run.