The Valley of the Shadow of Death

A Look at Psalm 23

There are times in our lives when we feel down, the Bible talks about these times as valleys, but that is an old term for depression or feeling down. Probably the most famous chapters in the Bible, Psalm 23, talks about going “through the valley of the shadow of death.” How many times do we feel like we have so much going against us that we think we feel the fingers of death closing around us? Depression, I’ll just call it what it is, has a way of making us feel this way. The “valley” can be rough and steep with no hope in sight, how depressing is that?

There are those who go into this “valley” of depression but never find their way out. The “shadow of death” can seem like the real thing and sometimes it overtakes its victim. That’s just like Lucifer, throw up a fake and convince us that it is real. Well, we don’t need to fall for his trickery. He is like the lion who roars loud but has no teeth, not only that, he is chained and cannot reach us unless we move towards him. The Psalm says that we go through “the valley of the shadow of death,” we are not dealing with death itself, only the shadow. Have you ever paid attention to your own shadow? It is dark and can be scary, but it has no substance and no way of hurting you or anyone. Try using your shadow to step on a bug, nothing happens. 

The good news is that the shepherd’s psalm does not stop with that statement, the Psalmist goes on to say “I will fear no evil for you are with me, your rod and your staff comfort me.” The amazing thing about going through even the deepest depression or most frightening valley is that God is with us. We can rely on him to carry us through. If you find yourself in that “valley of the shadow of death,” keep reading for the promise, “for [God] is with me.”

The “rod and staff” are very significant here as well. Shepherds use the rod and staff to guide and discipline the sheep they are responsible for. The psalmist, who is David the shepherd turned king, understands this more than most. God is always with us but he brings his rod and staff to guide us through that valley. If we feel his rod on our side to redirect our steps, we must heed it, or his staff around our chest to stop us, we must stop. He is keeping us from the evil that wishes to devour us and keeps us on the path that is safe to trod. Sometimes the rod of correction can be painful but we need to understand that he knows us better than we now ourselves and wants the best for us. 

Though the “rod and staff” are meant for our discipline and direction, they are also meant to protect us. As he is guiding us through the valley, we must heed his instruction, but we also will see how he uses the same tools of correction as weapons against the enemy. The shadow of death is nothing but an absence of light, but the toothless lion can still devour. The Shepherd’s rod and staff give us comfort when we see them used to defend and protect us. The great thing is that our Shepherd is the Creator of all things good who is also the all powerful God. This is the one who is with us through our depression who also takes us to the mountain and guides us through our lives, if we will just follow him.