The Lord is My Shepherd : Walking Through the Valleys
Scripture: Psalm 23
There’s something wonderful about the Word of God. You can read a passage 100 times, and each time, God gives you a new lesson and fresh insight. Even though we are very familiar with the words of Psalm 23, my prayer is that as we dwell on them, God will reveal Himself in a more perfect and complete way in each of our lives.
Today, we are picking up the second half of this Shepherd’s Psalm.
The Danger of the Rat Race (He Leads Me in Paths of Righteousness)
“He leads me in right paths for His name’s sake.” (Psalm 23:3b)
Most of us have a daily routine. In England, we call it a “rat run”; here in America, you call it a “rat race.” From the moment you wake up until you drop the kids off at school, every second is budgeted. We run on autopilot.
Sheep are no different. They are creatures of habit. Without a shepherd to lead them, they will walk the same path across the field every single day. They won’t go left or right. Eventually, that path turns into a muddy rut, then a gully. The grass is destroyed, the water is polluted, and the ground becomes teeming with disease and parasites.
If left to their own devices, sheep will devastate their own environment.
We are more like sheep than we care to admit. “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way” (Isaiah 53:6). We cling to our fallen tastes and self-destructive behaviors. We rationalize our habits. Proverbs 14:12 warns, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.”
The truth is, most of us don’t want to be led in paths of righteousness. We want Jesus as Savior (saving us from the consequences of sin), but not as Lord (submitting to His commands). We want eternal life tomorrow, but we want to follow our own desires today.
The greatest safeguard against self-destruction is a Shepherd who leads us to new pastures. Jesus has walked the path before us. He knows sorrow, grief, betrayal, poverty, and even wrongful execution. Because He has walked it, He knows how to lead us.
The Intimacy of the Valley (Yea, Though I Walk)
“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” (Psalm 23:4)
Notice the shift in the Psalm. In the first three verses, David speaks in the third person (“He makes me lie down”). But in verse 4, it switches to the first person (“I walk… Thou art with me”).
Why? Because now the sheep and the Shepherd are leaving the safety of the sheepfold. They are climbing up to the summer grazing grounds on the high mountains. To get there, they must go up through the narrow, dangerous canyons—the valleys of the shadow of death.
This is the most intimate relationship between the Shepherd and the sheep. They are bound together, facing predators, flash floods, and cold storms. There are no pens here. Just the Shepherd and the sheep.
The Psalmist doesn’t say we die in the valley. He says we walk through it.
We aren’t defined by the valleys. We move through them. You cannot get to the mountaintop without going through the valleys. When you face a cancer diagnosis, a divorce, bankruptcy, or depression—that is when you discover God’s presence in a way you never did during the good times.
I once compared marriage to a colonoscopy (stay with me here). When I came out of anesthesia, I wasn’t awake. I was walking around, but my brain wasn’t present. My wife took care of me. She put me in the car, did the groceries, and put me to bed. When I finally woke up, I realized she had been doing good for me the entire time, even when I wasn’t aware of it.
That is what the valley is like. God is providing for you in ways you don’t even realize. He is carrying you.
The Rod and the Staff (Comfort in Discipline)
“Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.”
The Rod (The Word of God)
A shepherd’s rod is a short club with a heavy knob on the end. The shepherd throws it to drive away predators (wolves, lions) and to correct wayward sheep who are wandering off. It is an extension of the shepherd’s will.
For us, the Rod is the Word of God. It drives away Satan (as Jesus did in the wilderness). It corrects us when we wander. It also has a sharp point. The shepherd uses the sharp point to part the wool and examine the sheep’s skin for hidden cuts, sores, and bugs.
When we read the Bible, we often think we are reading the text. But in reality, God is reading us. He probes our hearts. He reveals the hidden bitterness, the festering anger, and the infestations of sin we try to hide. “Search me, O God, and know my heart” (Psalm 139:23). The Rod comforts us because it heals what is hidden.
The Staff (The Holy Spirit)
The staff has a crook (a hook) at the end. The shepherd uses it to gently pull a wandering sheep back to himself without breaking it. He also rests the staff on the back of a troubled sheep as they walk, so the sheep feels the Shepherd’s constant touch.
The staff represents the Holy Spirit. The Spirit draws us to Jesus when we are lost. He walks beside us, guiding us at the forks in the road, whispering, “This is the way, walk ye in it” (Isaiah 30:21).
When you feel the conviction of the Holy Spirit, don’t run from it. That pressure on your back is the Shepherd saying, “I am with you. Keep going.”
The Table in the Wilderness (Anointed with Oil)
“Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.” (Psalm 23:5)
When the sheep finally reach the top of the mountain (the mesa), the Shepherd has already gone ahead. He has removed poisonous weeds, fixed the water supplies, and cleared the pitfalls.
But the mountain has enemies: predators and, worst of all, nose flies. These flies burrow into the sheep’s nasal passages, lay eggs, and drive the sheep crazy. They will bash their heads against rocks or jump off cliffs to escape the torment.
The only solution is the Shepherd’s oil. The shepherd mixes a special repellent and anoints the sheep’s head, pouring it into their ears and nose. Instantly, the flies leave. The torment stops.
Spiritually, we are tormented daily by the “flies” of life: strained marriages, backstabbing coworkers, anger, and anxiety. The antidote is not found within us. It is the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Jesus promised that the Father will give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him (Luke 11:13).
We need the oil daily. Sin passes from mind to mind like infection. When we allow our minds to dwell on garbage—impure shows, toxic media, gossip—we pass the infection. But when we think on what is true, honest, just, pure, and lovely (Philippians 4:8), we are anointed. We find relief.
The Legacy We Leave (Goodness and Mercy)
“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.” (Psalm 23:6)
What follows you? Not what goes before you, but what follows you. Do you leave a trail of broken relationships, bitterness, and anger? Or do you leave a trail of goodness and mercy?
When you leave a room, do people feel blessed or relieved that you’re gone?
If we follow the Good Shepherd, we will leave footprints that lead others to Jesus. Our legacy will be mercy.
And finally, we have the promise: I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. This is not a deconstructionist’s trap (where the sheep is led to slaughter). This is the Good Shepherd leading His sheep home.
Jesus said, “Let not your hearts be troubled… In my Father’s house are many rooms… I go to prepare a place for you” (John 14:1-3).
That is our hope. A world with no predators, no flies, no shadows. Just the Shepherd and His sheep, forever.
Closing Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank You for being our Good Shepherd. Thank You that You lead us, correct us with Your Word, and comfort us by Your Spirit. Forgive us for following our own self-destructive paths. Today, we choose to listen to Your voice. Anoint our heads with the oil of the Holy Spirit. Let goodness and mercy follow us all our days, and give us the assurance that we will dwell in Your house forever. In Jesus’ name, Amen.