The Valley

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.  (Psalm 23:4)

This is easily one of the most recognizable verses in the entire Bible.  How telling that a verse that deals with the worst experiences of our lives - death, tragedy, loss - is the one many of us can recite from memory.  It is in those darkest times when we seek comfort and reassurance.  And it is in our Shepherd that we find comfort and reassurance.

In his book "God's Psychiatry," Charles Allen states: "The Basque Sheepherder describes an actual Valley of the Shadow of Death in Palestine.  It leads from Jarusalem to the Dead Sea and is a very narrow and dangerous pathway through the mountain range.  The path is rough, and there is danger that a sheep may fall at any moment to its death.  It is a forbidding journey that one dreads to take.  But the sheep is not afraid.  Why?  Because the shepherd is with it."

As Mr. Allen points out, the Twenty-Third Psalm is the nightengale of the Psalms.  The nightengale sings its sweetest when the night is darkest.  When I have found myself in the valley of the shadow of death, it is daunting, overwhelming and terrifying.  But always I find God to be nearer and clearer in the valley than at any other time in life.  Sometimes I don't fully realize His nearness until the darkest part of the darkness has passed, but always I find Him.  He doesn't "fix" things or erase the tragedy that has occurred, but He holds me as tightly and as long as I need.  I can scream and cry, I can even question His place in it all...but still He holds me tight.

If you're like me, the second part of this verse - "your rod and your staff, they comfort me" - has always been a little confusing.  What rod, what staff, and how could such things be comforting?  Charles Allen explains:  "The sheep is a helpless animal.  It has no weapon with which to fight.  It is easy prey to any wild beast of the field.  It is afraid.  But the shepherd carries a rod, which is a heavy, hard club two to three feet long.  Also, the shepherd carries a staff, which is about eight feet long.  The end of the staff is turned into a crook.  Many paths in Palestine were along the steep sides of mountains.  The sheep would lose its footing and slip down, hanging helplessly on some ledge below.  With his staff, the shepherd could reach down, place the crook over the small chest of the sheep and lift it back onto the pathway.  The sheep is instinctively comforted by the shepherd's rod and staff."

With the state of our world, it seems impossible that God could be near enough to comfort and protect us.  But let's not forget that if the shepherd has the wisdom, compassion and know-how to protect and comfort a simple sheep, how much more does our Shepherd endeavor to do the same for us, His most prized possession?  The valley may be dark and treacherous, but if we grab hold of God's hand, He will guide us back into the light.