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God With Us in the Valley

There’s a chance you’ve come across Psalm 23 before. If not, it’s one you’ll come back to many times. Either way, will you for a moment suspend all your preconceived ideas about this passage and open your mind to a new layer of meaning?

Many Bible historians believe David wrote Psalm 23 in the middle of puberty, right about the same time he was anointed as the next king of Israel. Imagine for a minute those two life experiences colliding. Maybe you don’t have to. Maybe you were a teen when you experienced some of the most life-altering news in your story. 

We tend to read this famous Psalm as a reminder from a well-experienced pro to trust God in difficult times—in the valley of the shadow of death. Today, let’s read it through the mind of a hormonal teenager who’s just received word that he’s way less prepared for his life than he’d ever imagined. Also, keep in mind David lived before Jesus came to Earth, before Jesus promised the Holy Spirit, during a time when faith in God was culturally less intimate and more based in religious, transactional practices.

David started by calling God a shepherd. This wasn’t the first job description the typical Israelite would drum up to flatter God. That’d be like if one of us said, “The Lord is my cattle rancher ...” Yet, we know David himself was a good shepherd. He was so good at caring for sheep, God thought he should take care of a nation. In calling God a shepherd, David is kindly connecting with his heavenly Father in his own words. He’s not worried about making an impressive speech to God. He’s basically saying, “God, first of all, you get me. I think I get you, and I like you.” In this one choice of words, we see a teen who could relate personally to God. He knew God with us. 

How do we talk to God in the valley? Constantly. Personally. Honestly. Kindly, as if we know Him and He knows us. Why? Because we do, and He does. 

David goes on to compliment God in ways that feel increasingly warm, close, and personal. If you read David’s thoughts in the past tense, they’re reminiscent of what you might hear at a loved one’s funeral. Yet, it’s the opposite. David had this loving conversation in real time with a living God. Read Psalm 23 differently today. Read it like you’re speaking directly to God. Because you are.

What valley are you facing? How can you relate to God differently, like David, in the valley?

Pray: God, thank You for being with me, in the midst of my enemies, in my lowest place. You never leave me. You never stop loving me. I love You, and I will follow You.