I was in Christchurch, New Zealand, just over a week ago. It is a beautiful city, with lush green trees all around the square by the Cathedral. I saw it as a prosperous place filled with happy activity. I felt I was in a community that cared about and loved the city and embraced visitors like me.

After the earthquake, a headline in the New Zealand Herald quoted the Anglican Dean of Christchurch Cathedral, Peter Beck, as saying: “The collapse of the steeple of the historic Cathedral building is nothing compared to the human cost of the earthquake. We ask for prayers in particular for those who are in high states of distress.”

Yes, we are praying with you, New Zealand! Newspapers around the globe are covering accounts of lives touched and changed as a result of the earthquake. And prayers are being given in response.

As a Christian who believes in a God who is all Love, I have found inspiration for Christchurch from the 23rd Psalm. Here are some thoughts that have come to me from this well-loved psalm. Other people will have many more!

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

The shepherding quality of divine Love is brought out so much in this psalm. Mary Baker Eddy in her book Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures wrote a lovely rendering of it. She equated the Shepherd with God—divine Love—bringing out the qualities of His care for all of us. And she started, “[Divine Love] is my shepherd; I shall not want” (p. 578).

Since divine Love is our shepherd, each of us has everything we need. Right now that promise of divine Love’s shepherding is with everyone in Christchurch, leading, restoring, and comforting. That shepherding of Love is ever present and ever available to us and to all.

He leadeth me beside the still waters:

Lack of drinking water seems to be a problem in Christchurch, and this lovely verse shows how the shepherding of Love alleviates fear and meets all needs. Sheep are timid animals. They won’t drink from a running stream. It frightens them. So it’s important for a shepherd to find quiet but safe water.

As a shepherd cares for the needs of his sheep, God cares for us and our needs. He is even now providing care for the people of New Zealand, by giving them the right ideas to find inspired solutions.

God, divine Love, is everywhere. His presence fills creation. And because He is in every place at every time, it means He is there to guide us in every experience and every situation. In this stillness and peace of God’s care, we connect to our spiritual sense of life. We feed in the green pastures. We have the food of Love. This peace and security bring a healing that is totally spiritual. God feeds us with all the right ideas and solutions.

He restoreth my soul:

Another beautiful part of the shepherding quality of Love is promised in this verse. A good shepherd loves his sheep. For him there is no greater reward, no deeper satisfaction, than seeing his sheep contented, well-fed, safe, and flourishing in his care. In the same way, divine Love is ever caring for all our needs wherever we are.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me.

In the original Hebrew, the word translated as “death” can also be interpreted as “deep darkness.” We all walk through valleys of deep darkness during our lives, perhaps even through times of great pain and tragedy.

But the key to this verse is “through.” Even though I walk through the valley of deep darkness, Love is with me. Divine Love is saying, “When you are in that valley, I will be there to strengthen and to comfort you.” Divine Love is there to lift us above and beyond the material picture of our lives. Divine Love’s strength is within us, to provide encouragement and direction.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

The original Hebrew root, radap, is more literally translated, “pursue.” So we could say, “Surely goodness and mercy shall pursue me all the days of my life.” The word is not a bit passive. God does not sit indifferently on some lofty mountain, looking down on us from afar.

Mary Baker Eddy wrote: “God is not the creator of an evil mind. Indeed, evil is not Mind. We must learn that evil is the awful deception and unreality of existence. Evil is not supreme; good is not helpless;…” (Science and Health, p. 207). God is irrepressibly benevolent. God pursues us with goodness and with mercy.

This goodness and mercy are with everyone in Christchurch—the rescuers and the rescued, the families waiting for news, and those who are in sorrow. Expressing God’s Love, the resilience and indomitable response of New Zealanders in the face of adversity, and the support from all corners of the world, will show the inevitable triumph of good.