“In the Darkest Valley, You Are With Me”

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.  

   He makes me lie down in green pastures;

he leads me beside still waters; 

   he restores my soul.

He leads me in right paths 

   for his name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the darkest valley, 

   I fear no evil;

for you are with me;

   your rod and your staff—they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me 

   in the presence of my enemies;

you anoint my head with oil; 

   my cup overflows.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me 

   all the days of my life,

and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord 

   my whole life long.

     If someone asked you to name your favorite Psalm, or the one you felt you knew best, would you have a ready answer?  For many, Psalm 23 comes to mind very quickly.  There are 150 psalms in our Bible, but this beautiful poem of trust is the one that touches our hearts, soothes our troubled spirits, and reassures our anxious minds.

     The church in which I grew up had beautiful stained glass windows, and the three windows behind the altar featured a large center panel of Jesus, the good shepherd.  Our Lord is pictured carrying a lamb in his arms, and the ewe is walking at his side, watching closely.  As a youngster, looking around at the beauty of that little church, I was sure that Jesus had just rescued that lamb from danger.  That image of being safe in the arms of Jesus has stayed with me always.

     Most of us don’t know much about sheep and shepherds, but we do know it was hard, dirty, often thankless work.  Shepherds were rough and rugged men who spent most of their time with the sheep, herding them from one pasture to another.  Small farms, fields of grain, and flocks of sheep were the backbone of the regional economy.  The great King David was a shepherd boy, and many of the psalms use the imagery of the dedicated shepherd who cares for the flock, seeing that they are fed, protected, and, if lost, found and retrieved.  

     In the Gospel of  John, Jesus says, “I am the good shepherd.”  “The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”   A hard, dirty job is made a holy calling through these words.  And if we take a few minutes to think about it, Jesus’ ministry was, in many ways, a hard, dirty job.  People demanded so much of him — “heal me, my loved one, help me, feed me, take care of me, I’m frightened, I’m poor, I don’t know what to do.”  And every day he healed, fed, comforted, loved, reassured, and taught those around him of God’s endless love and forgiveness.  These lessons of love and compassion have shown generation after generation how to be kind and to care for one another.

     During these frightening times, many are walking through the darkest of valleys, needing to be assured they are not alone.  Let us pray this psalm on their behalf, that they will feel God’s goodness and mercy.

Grateful to be part of the flock,

Your friend in Christ,  Mary Rogers