The first words of Psalm 23 may be among the most familiar in the Bible, quoted especially in times of sorrow. But they speak into lives through joy and praise also.

“This verse has been a comfort to me for many years even before my prison sentence began. I remember when my youngest son had been assigned Psalm 23 to memorize for Sunday school. Once after a particularly trying day at the office, I came home wanting to relax. I was greeted at the door by my smiling little boy telling me, ‘I rememberized the twenty-fird Psalm!’ He began to recite it for me like this: ‘The Lord is my shepherd, and that’s all I want.’

“Admittedly, I didn’t hear much after that. With those few words, he ‘preached a sermon’ to me that I would hold especially close during these years of my incarceration. In this world, people rush around with misplaced priorities and wants. We Christians often forget that Jesus is to be our focus. My son is grown now and is an associate pastor in a church where he still talks of Jesus who is all he wants.”

About the Authors:

Current Prisoners in Wakulla Correctional Institution, Crawfordville, FL

There are 28 male inmates who agreed to lend their thoughts for this Anchor. They are serving time in a correctional facility in northeast Florida. These are men clinging to the hope and joy they know in Jesus. They are real people—Chaney, Oscar, Daniel, Charles, Aland, Jeffrey, Luis, Garry, Craig, Gregory, Brian, Drew, Bobby, Paul, Michael, Jonathan, Brandon, Michael, Eddie, Eric, Brian, Michael, Michael, David, Pat, Colby, Edward, and Brian—with families who miss them. They would appreciate your prayers for them as they lean hard on Jesus.