Probably the best known Psalm in the Bible is Psalm 23: “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want . . .” And I do like this Psalm. I particularly like the part that says “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, you are with me.” I like this part because of the preposition “through,” which indicates the valley of the shadow of death is not a permanent dwelling place, but rather a place we travel through to get somewhere else. But this is not my favorite Psalm.
Psalm 22 is also another popular one, especially since Jesus quoted it on the cross when he said, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” I like this Psalm because of it’s prophetic nature. Looked at closely you can find many of the things that would later happen to Jesus talked about by David in this Psalm even though David did not know that is what he was doing. But this is not my favorite Psalm either.
Psalm 27 is another favorite of many because it gives courage when it says, “ The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” In a sometimes terrifying and wearying world, this Psalm provides great comfort to those enduring trials. But this is not my favorite either.
If you ask most Christians (and even some non-Christians), they will have a favorite Psalm, and I am no different. My favorite is Psalm 116. This Psalm starts in verse 1 with: “I love the LORD, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy.” This is a Psalm of David when he was in great anguish and danger. The verses that speak to me the most are 3-4 and 8-9.
3 The cords of death entangled me,
the anguish of the grave came upon me;
I was overcome by trouble and sorrow.
4 Then I called on the name of the LORD :
“O LORD, save me!”
8For you, O LORD, have delivered my soul from death,
my eyes from tears,
my feet from stumbling,
9 that I may walk before the LORD
in the land of the living.
Reading this Psalm reminds me of my journey through major depression and how God was with me in it all. It reminds me why I trust in Him – because He has proven Himself faithful to me in the past and has heard my cries for mercy. I supposed Psalms 23, 22, or 27 could serve the same purpose, but the language of Psalm 116 more closely fits the trouble and sorrow I went through, especially the part about delivering my eyes from tears. If you have ever experienced major depression, or known someone who has, you know that tears are an almost constant companion, and yet there is no understanding of why they are there.
I still have times of melancholy, and I certainly cry from time to time. But now I can identify what is making me blue and my tears have a reason and purpose when they come. And my God is always there to hear my cries of mercy.
So this is my favorite Psalm. What’s yours?
ysic, Linda K.
Broken Believers 
ohh.. I remember my grandmother. she is with Jesus now.
Psalms 23 was the psalm she painstakingly taught me to memorize – every night before to bed. I was like 9 years old.
countless years I held this psalm into my head.
past few years, I learned from pastors that God only answer your “Needs”
that God does not answer “Wants”. so we have to consider our prayers first.
recently I learned. God answers your “Wants” as well!
“.. The Lord is my shepherd I shall not WANT” – Psalms 23
grace and peace
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Oh yes, I do believe God answers our wants, but only when they are for our good. There are some things in life I’ve wanted that I didn’t get, but in hindsight I’m glad of it because God has something else better in store. Sounds like you had a wonderful grandmother who left you with a gift of peace from this Psalm. Peace, Linda
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Beautiful Linda . . .thank you for sharing your favorite Psalm with us and sharing why. :) That last verse is one that really sticks with me too. It’s hard to name a favorite. But one that really blessed me during a rough time of feeling so helpless and hurting was Psalm 121. God bless you. There was something about this today, and seeing your face, that did indeed bring me peace.
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Deb, Psalm 121 is a great on, too. To think of God keeping watch over us is so comforting. And then your nice comment on top of it all made me smile. :) :) Peace, Linda
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I learned PS 23 as a child so it seems as much a part of who I am as my eye color and Ps 19 was the psalm that established the truth of God’s greatness and perfection like bedrock, but Ps 139 is the one I return to almost daily. My biggest struggle is with anxiety when the thoughts bear down on me, the Lord has used vs 2, You know my downsitting and my uprising, YOU UNDERSTAND MY THOUGHT FROM AFAR OFF. Jesus has been kind and gentle to me through this psalm. He brings calm to my crazy storms and restores peace just by my knowing that even though I don’t understand, he does. Knowing that He knows us through and through, the good and the bad, and loves us through it all brings peace. This is also a Psalm that I sometimes pray as an intercessory prayer over others.
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Mary, Psalm 139 is a good one. The knowledge that we can never flee from His presence because He is always there is a comfort. I remember the time, when I was at the worst of my major clinical depression, that I realized the truth of this Psalm – that God knew EVERYTHING about me and loved me anyway, enough to die for me – and that truth brought me such a blessing. I am so glad you find comfort in this Psalm, too. Peace, Linda
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“I would have lost heart, unless I had believed That I would see the goodness of the LORD In the land of the living.” (Psalm 27:13)
When I was going through my worst trial, Psalm 27 blessed me, especially verse 13. I used to add these words at the end of the verse: “…and that includes even Iowa.”
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Larry, I like Psalm 27 a lot, too. When I feel like the world (or a few individuals) are all against me, I come to this Psalm to be reminded that I need not fear because God is with me. I like your addition to the verse, and I’m glad I can see His goodness even in Oregon, too. Peace, Linda
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