“Yea, 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.” (Psalm 23:4)
The great Shepherd psalm of David is the most familiar chapter in the Bible. It is loved by Jews, Catholics and all shades and grades of Protestants. Psalm 23 is the greatest description ever written of what the relationship between God and humankind can be.
After declaring that his God makes him lie down in green pastures and leads him beside still waters, David also declares there to be times when he finds himself in a valley that is so dark it is like the shadow of death. However, he is comforted by the staff of his Shepherd. He is referencing the confidence he has in the ability of his Shepherd to lead him through that valley, not just to that valley.
He is also comforted by the rod of his Shepherd. A shepherd uses a rod as a defensive weapon to keep predators away from the sheep. David is saying here that he has great confidence in the ability of his Shepherd to protect him from anything he might encounter in that valley.
The bottom line: David knows his Shepherd God can not only lead him to a valley, but through that valley.
Are you in a valley right now? If you are, realize your Shepherd God wants to lead you through your valley. Trust God’s perfect ability to lead and protect you all the way through your valley.
Faith nearly always involves choices. The choice is yours. So, which is it going to be?
Is it going to be “To it, or through it?”
Dick Woodward, 16 March 2013
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