Even in the darkest times, God will never let go (Psalm 23, Part 3)
By Dean Collins
What happened? David said the good shepherd would lead us in the paths of righteousness for his glory. Now we are walking right through a deep dark valley. Are we still on the path of righteousness? The valley of the shadow of death isn’t the path I expected with God as the shepherd. I’d rather walk on a broad street with bright lights shining both on the way forward and on all the successes I’m enjoying! But it is dark. Really dark. Did I miss a GPS turn?
Dead dark
I remember memorizing Psalm 23 either at church camp or Sunday school as a kid. Maybe it was at VBS. But then I don’t recall many other lessons about this psalm until I started attending funerals. It’s the preacher’s go-to Scripture for these tough moments. The familiar words are comforting and almost expected when we stop to say good-bye and try to imagine a way forward without our loved friend or family member. We don’t have to stop using this verse at such occasions, but there are scholars who translate our verse differently. Instead of the valley of the shadow of death, a better translation might be a deep, dark ravine. David is describing the kind of dark where you can’t see your hand in front of your face. You might say it’s dead dark.
You might be more brave than I, but when it’s dead dark I can get a bit anxious. I want to see what’s around me, what’s ahead of me, what I might bump into next. But as David continues he says, “I will fear no evil.” How is this possible? The answer quickly comes next: “For you are with me.” God is with us even in the darkest of times. Even when we can’t see the next step, he is right beside us. He carries a staff to hook us and pull us away from falling off the path. He wields it like a club or rod to swat the approaching enemy when he attempts to harm us. Our shepherd is fully capable and always present in our dark moments. Our shepherd may even hand us the staff so we can brace ourselves when we are too weak to take the next step.
Leading with light
Until we see the light of God’s glory in eternity we will sometimes experience deep, dark days. They may come for a moment or a month, but they will come. It’s because we are dwelling in a world that still feels the effects of the fall all these centuries since the Garden. But our shepherd is the light of the world. He won’t allow us to stay stuck on the deep, dark path; he will always lead us through it. He will also protect us while we are on it. And he will nudge you and me to reach out and help others as they experience their dark days. As believers we are hands and feet of the good shepherd.
Hang on to our shepherd today. He is with you in the darkness. He will lead you through it. His paths are sometimes scary, but they always lead us back to the light. He has walked these paths many times with others, and he will walk them with you. And, as Matt Redman has written and. Guy Penrod has performed, this shepherd will truly never let go! (See and hear Guy Penrod’s thrilling rendition of the song here.)
Psalm 23:4
”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” (ESV).
”Even when I walk in a deathly dark ravine, I’m not afraid of bad fortune, because you’re with me; your club and your cane—they comfort me” (The First Testament).
Your time with God’s Word
2 Thessalonians 3:3; Psalm 5:11-12; Isaiah 9:2 (ESV)
This is the third of five devotions based on Psalm 23 , appearing here now on Saturdays .
Some readers will remember today’s devotion, which was first posted in March of 2021.
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Photo by Rendiansyah on Unsplash
