Last night I was caring for a family in the Emergency Department. I listened to their stories, found tissues, and was liaison between them and the nursing staff.

Part of the ministry was saying Psalm 23 with them. My Bible was somewhere else (I have lost two in the nine months I’ve been at the hospital!) and so I relied on memory. In that moment of their stress and grief, the words flowed…

“The Lord is my Shepherd, I have everything that I need…”

But then a funny thing happened. As their tears flowed and as I had to focus deep within in order to keep myself present and emotionally able to help them, I reverted to a version that was deep in my memory.

“He maketh me to lie down in green pastures; He leadeth me beside the still waters…”

Their tears ran. They held each other.

“He restoreth my soul. He leadeth me in paths of righteousness for His Name’s sake…”

One of them had told me how his family had helped him come back to God. How he now had a faith that held him together. A faith this relative had taught him by example.

“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…”

The tears were flowing in earnest now. The shadows seemed so deep. The work of evil so prominent. In their faces, I could see the question, “Is God here?”

“Thou preparest a table before me in the Presence of mine enemies; Thou annointest my head with oil; my cup overfloweth…”

I don’t know what opposition they had faced in the last week. Probably nothing like what they were going through at that moment.

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the House of the Lord forever.”

The only comfort they found, small as it was, dwelled in the promise that they would see her again.

And all I could say was, “Amen.”

As I reflected on this event today, I realized that the words I knew the best were the ones that I reverted to in times of grief and stress. The “leadeth” and “prepareth” rolled off my tongue like warm, caring friends. It was remarkable.

I whine about memorization. In fact, I buck the practice of doing it. But this weekend reminded me… it’s a great way to walk in hard places, and it really is a practice that is to my benefit. Much as I don’t like to admit it, I need it.

So I’m slaving away at Romans 12 which is the text under study for my church this month. If you want to join me in memorizing it, the version I am using is here…