The 23rd Psalm for the Hurried Life

Hurry — it could be one the most damaging curses in our modern life. Since the beginning of the industrial age we have bemoaned the pace of modern life. As we have moved from the industrial to the information age, the pace of our lives only increased. We live in a constant-on state; constantly connected and reachable.

We commute, we work, we update and check our social media feeds, we stream our entertainment, we text, we email, we Skype and Face-time. In our state of perpetual connected busyness our attentiveness to our souls and to what God is doing in our lives — what he is calling us to — is one of the first casualties.

God is always interested and active in our lives. He wants us to know him and his good plans for us. We just need to learn to slow down and quiet ourselves so that we can hear him. Earlier this year I attended a workshop with Alan Fadling, the author of An Unhurried Life: Following Jesus’ Rhythms of Work and Rest and the just released An Unhurried Leader: The Last Fruit of Daily Influence. During that workshop, I was inspired to write this “version” of the 23^rd Psalm, for the hurried life.

The 23rd Psalm for the Hurried Life

The Lord has my back,
I don’t have time to seek him.
I hurry past green pastures and still waters,
seeking restoration for my soul.
I bypass the paths of righteousness,
for productivity’s sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
if I stay busy enough I can pretend not to notice.

The Lord prepares a table for me in the presence of my enemies.
I may grab a quick bite on my way past.
I anoint myself with accomplishments,
draining my cup dry.
Surely stress and fatigue shall follow me all the days of my life,
and I shall rush past the house of the Lord forever.

Over the next few installments I’ll dig a little deeper, comparing the 23^rd Psalm, what God wants for us, to the Hurried Life version. Follow this blog and join the (unhurried) conversation!