The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for His name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Psalm 23
“And when I must lead you on a path different from the one you see, I will prepare you; I will carry you in my arms; I will let you find yourself, like children who have fallen asleep in their mother’s arms, on the other bank of the river. What troubles you and hurts you immensely are your reason, your thoughts and worry, and your desire at all costs to deal with what afflicts you.
O Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything!
O Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything!
O Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything!
O Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything!
O Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything!
O Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything!
O Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything!
O Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything!
O Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything!
O Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything!”
Day 5 of 9 of The Surrender Novena by Dolindo Ruotolo (1882-1970).
Three promises in today’s reading led me to soak in Psalm 23.
“I will prepare you”…”I will carry you in my arms”…I will let you find yourself…on the other bank of the river.” The first two are common expressions. The fact that Jesus prepares us and carries us are not new ideas but refreshing ones.
The third, however, spoke to me as a fly fisherman. One of the most challenging things for an angler often is crossing the river to get the best angle on a drift to catch a fish. Often you feel like the current will wash you away.
I think there’s a lot of people out there who feel like the current of life is washing them away. If that’s you, soak in the fact that your shepherd will take care of everything. Ask him to another 10 times over.
Give Him the river you feel like you can’t cross, the challenge you think you can’t sort, the problem too great for your best efforts. O Jesus, we surrender ourselves to you, take care of everything.