Psalm 23:4 (ESV)
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
Life can be hard. Sometimes, life can be brutally hard. We want to keep those lovely Christian smiles on our faces as we tell those around us that everything is OK. But, if we are honest, we need to do better. A false smile means nothing. What we need is the kind of understanding of suffering that we see right here in the most famous of psalms, Psalm 23.
What happens here is something hard. It is the valley of the shadow of death. This may be the psalmist facing danger or even his own death. It may simply be him facing a truly dark moment of life, a shadow like death. But whatever this shadow is, the psalmist is facing it. In fact, he is walking through it. There is no shrinking back from death or its shadow. The follower of God, on occasion, will walk through the pain. How we handle ourselves in those moments speaks volumes about what we truly believe about God.
Notice also that you walk through the valley. No valley, no dark place is ever permanent. Even if the psalmist is walking to his death, as a believer in God, he knows that death is not the end of life, but it is the beginning of a new life. Like a dark valley, there is light on the other side of the trial. There is eternity on the other side of death. There is a new day on the other side of the hurtful, difficult, painful moments of life. And the psalmist, and any Christian, finds that hope in God.
How, by the way, did the sheep get into the valley of the shadow of death? He walks there. In verse three, he was being led down paths of righteousness for God’s name’s sake. Here, he walks into a difficult, hurtful, frightening time. Perhaps he walks eve into his last moments of life. But there is no indication that he is still not following his shepherd. In fact, we know that the shepherd is right there with him, comforting him. So, the shepherd led the sheep into the valley for his name’s sake in just the same way that he led the sheep along paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. When we go through hard times, we do not go through them without God. God is our shepherd, leading us into and out of the valley for the sake of his own glorious name. Never miss that, or you will miss much of the purpose of your own life’s struggles. No, I do not pretend to know why God chooses to do things the way that he does in our lives, but I can guarantee that, when it is all said and done, all will be for the praise of Gods’ glory.
The shepherd’s rod and staff comfort us. Those are the tools that the shepherd uses to lead and protect the sheep. Sometimes, those are even the tools that the shepherd uses to discipline a wayward sheep. They remind us that, even when we are going through the valley, God is right there. He is strong and able to deliver us. He is powerful and able to protect us from all enemies. It is not that we never fear, but our fear is actually driven away by his protection. It is not that we never hurt or are in danger, but we find our comfort in his mighty protection.
So, are you in the valley? Do the times of green grass and still waters seem so far in the past that you cannot remember them? If so, then remember that God is still right there. If you are in Christ, you have a shepherd who walks by your side through this valley. He protects you. He will comfort you. He leads you, even through the pain, for the glory of his name. And he will lead you out of the valley to the other side.
Pastor Travis Peterson 