Dallas Willard started every day by reciting either the Lord’s Prayer or the 23rd Psalm:
Personally, at the beginning of my day—often before arising—I commit my day to the Lord’s care. Usually I do this while meditatively praying through the Lord’s Prayer, and possibly the twenty-third Psalm as well. Then I meet everything that happens as sent or at least permitted by God. I meet it resting in the hand of his care.
—Willard, Dallas, Renovation of the Heart:
Putting On the Character of Christ
Notice that Willard is committing his day to the Lord and that the Scripture strengthens him to “meet everything as sent by God.” That is a healthy mindset!
Learn to Make it Personal
I spent some time personalizing Willard’s practice, but first, I needed to meditate on Psalm 23. It was familiar, but not in a good way. I needed help to receive the benefit from David’s psalm. My goal was to translate God’s goodness into daily life, and the result proved powerful. Here is a summary of what I discovered:
There are four great confessional statements in Psalm 23. The first is the theme: “The Lord is my Shepherd.” The big idea is that God provides for me personally and comprehensively. God meticulously takes care of all that I need. The next three confessions build that out:
“I shall not want.”
“I will not fear.”
“I will dwell.”
Because God cares for me, I will not lack anything. I will not fear. I will not fail.
If you go back to the text itself, you will see how David’s psalm beautifully builds out and illustrates these amazing statements. For me, it is the confessional aspect that energizes and releases God’s power. When I proclaim, “God cares for me, and today, I lack nothing,” I am literally lifted and emboldened to face the day.
I Will Not Fail
Are you wondering how I got “I will not fail” out of “I will dwell”? When David writes, “I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever,” he celebrates the secure embrace of God’s mercy and goodness.
“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
—Psalm 23:6
David belongs, is accepted, and is included. He is with God, and God’s goodness and mercy surround him. He will not come up short, miss out, or fall. He will not fail, but he will dwell with God forever!
Because I am not a farmer and not familiar with a shepherd’s life, it helps me to focus on the outcomes this beautiful psalm brings home through its imagery. Once I do that, the praise offered to my Shepherd comes alive in me, strengthening me to commit my day fully to God.
Obviously, David knew hard times and seasons of “lack.” But they were ordained by God, and the Shepherd of his life provided all that he “needed.”
Commit your day to God in the strength of His goodness and mercy with these words:
“The Lord is my Shepherd.
I will not lack.
I will not fear.
I will not fail.”