Track 3- Psalm 23

"Psalm 23"
by Josh Huff

Verse 1

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.

He leads me beside quiet waters,

He makes me lie down in green fields of warmth,

He guideth my soul for His honor.

And though I walk though the valley, the shadow of death,

I fear no evil for You guide me with Your rod and staff.

You prepare a table before me

In the presence of my enemies.

You anoint my head with oil. My cup overflows.

Surely goodness and mercy

All of my life will follow me.

And I will dwell in the house of the Lord,

And I will dwell in the house of the Lord,

And I will dwell in the house of my Lord, forever.

Verse 2

Christ is the Shepherd, He tends my soul.

His righteousness is my armor.

He leads me through trials with gentle love.

He'll satisfy for His honor.

Because You walked through the valley, the shadow of death,

I fear no evil for You saved me from the Father's wrath.

You pour out Your grace upon me,

Even though I was Your enemy.

You've blessed my life with joy.

My heart overflows.

Surely goodness and mercy
All of my life will follow me.
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord,
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord,
And I will dwell in the house of my Lord, forever.

This song is based on one of my favorite Psalms. As with many of my songs, this one began with the music. I was playing around with some major 7 chords, and I started to play the melody that would become the melody of the beginning and end of each verse. Once the melody came into play, I began thumbing through the Psalms to find one that fit the mood of the music and that also could be adapted to be sung in an instructive way. Soon, "Psalm 23" was born.

Almost a year after I wrote the first verse, Sovereign Grace Music came out with their Psalms CD, including a song based on Psalm 23. As I listened, I saw so much of the Christ focus in their songs. While I enjoyed my version of Psalm 23, I noticed that it lacked a pointer to the fulfillment of this Psalm. So, under conviction to be more Christocentric in my writing, I penned the second verse, trying to tie in the themes of the gospel with this Psalm. I was pleased with how it turned out.

Too often we stop with just a few Biblical ideas tied together without bringing in the truths of the gospel. Without the gospel, songs are just moral and we might as well be singing secular music. We can't have true morality without the Spirit, and we can't have the Spirit without the gospel, and we can't have the gospel without Christ. It is truly all about Him, our great Shepherd of the sheep.