Getting Through the Valley
Psalm 23

Most of us could quote this psalm by heart—or come pretty close.  We’ve heard it at funerals, recited it in church, prayed it in hospital sick rooms and waiting rooms.  It’s one of the passages we turn to whenever we find ourselves in hard times.  These are comforting words to sustain us no matter what the circumstances.
The trouble with this psalm, as with so many other familiar passages of Scripture, is that we know it too well but not well enough.  We can recite it without really thinking about it, as we so frequently do with the Lord’s Prayer.  When we look closer, we may find that we have some questions.  What is the psalmist saying about God and his relationship with God?  What does the psalm promise about God’s providence and goodness?  Are we simply comforted by the sound of familiar words, or is there something we can hold on to—a hope that can sustain us in trouble?

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