Why Psalm 27 is special to me

Designer Ollie Pike discovered Psalm 27 when attending a funeral. ‘Its hopeful message was very comforting at a time of sadness,’ he says.

Ollie first heard Psalm 27 at the funeral of a family friend and found the message ‘very comforting…in a time of sadness.

‘The Psalm speaks to me of protection and to be hopeful,’ he says. ‘It gives a feeling of comfort in difficult moments and to have faith that things will improve. 

‘The most comforting line to me is “to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living”. This meant a lot to me, provoking ideas of the beauty in our natural living world and that there is always comfort to be found in the beauty and calmness of nature.’

When looking for inspiration for the garden at the RHS Young Designer of the Year, Ollie was drawn back to Psalm 27.

‘It become increasingly visual to me,’ he says. ‘It gave me ideas of a guided path to safety (“lead me in a straight path”); protection in the form of hard, natural stone (“set me up upon a rock”), and ideas of a place of calm to be contemplative (“teach me thy way”). 

‘All the visual messages within Psalm 27 had strong links to all the beautiful churchyards that I have visited and provided a clear vision of what the garden might look and feel like.

‘I am looking forward to bringing the garden to life and working with all the amazing talented people that believe in this gardens message. I am also excited for people to see the garden and to talk about their ideas of Psalm 27 and how they can take these feelings home to their local churchyard and appreciate the calmness and beauty of these spaces for everyone.’

Psalm 27 Garden home