Thought for the Month - May 2021

"The Lord is my Shepherd" by Barry Adair

I may have mentioned before that I'm a football fan. Not that there were many fans in the football stadiums during the UK Coronavirus lockdowns, of course. However, the lack of fans did reveal the odd interesting thing. Please read on…

Many will not be aware that the lovely hymn on the 23rd Psalm, "The Lord is my Shepherd" is sung with vigour by West Brom football fans, usually after a West Brom goal. And at the Hawthorns stadium, home to West Bromwich Albion football club in the Midlands, they have "The Lord is my Shepherd" captioned within the stadium seating - see above pic. I took this photo while watching one of the few 'free to air' Premiership football games on the BBC.

Now, as for the reason why West Bromwich fans sing "The Lord is my Shepherd", the World Wide Web isn't exactly sure! There aren't too many shepherds in the 'Black Country' and many of the other football chats aren't exactly suitable for any church service! By the way, the Black Country gained its name in the mid nineteenth century due to the smoke from the many thousands of ironworking foundries that sprung up near the coal seams in this area of the UK. But getting back to "The Lord is my Shepherd", my mind was left to ponder on Psalm 23 after I watched the West Brom game.

Psalm 23 has to be the best loved psalm in all the Bible. It is also the best well known and is one of the few parts of the Bible that can still be recited by a good number of people in the country today. And it is not hard to see why it remains so popular. It is a psalm of hope in times of adversity. It speaks of a loving Shepherd who cares deeply for His flock. It transports us to a place of peace, calm and quiet when our world is full of angst, panic and noise! It is a wonderful depiction of a God who cares deeply for His 'flock' and who wants to intervene for our ultimate good. No wonder it still strikes home to us now, as it did when it was first penned many hundreds of years ago.

For a quick video of the West Brom fans singing "The Lord is my Shepherd", you can have a look here…

And for a more tuneful version, this one shows a young and very talented West Brom fan (Emily Badger) singing "The Lord is my Shepherd" at the start of a West Brom football game.

And, of course, if you do not know God as the Shepherd of your soul, then please read the link at the bottom of this Thought.

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. (Psalm 23:1)

The Lord's my Shepherd, I'll not want;
He makes me down to lie
In pastures green; He leadeth me
The quiet waters by.

My soul He doth restore again,
And me to walk doth make
Within the paths of righteousness,
E'en for His own name's sake.

Yea, though I walk in death's dark vale,
Yet will I fear no ill;
For Thou art with me, and Thy rod
And staff me comfort still.

My table Thou hast furnished
In presence of my foes;
My head Thou dost with oil anoint,
And my cup overflows.

Goodness and mercy all my life
Shall surely follow me,
And in God's house forevermore
My dwelling-place shall be.
                                   (Francis Rous)

Until next month (DV)…

(All Bible quotations are from the KJV, unless stated)

Are you SURE that you have your place booked in Heaven? Read this if you're not!