Scripture: Psalm 23: "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.2 He makes me lie down in green pastures.He leads me beside still waters.3He restores my soul.He leads me in paths of righteousnessfor his name's sake.4 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. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever."
Psalm 23 opens with one of the most comforting declarations in Scripture: “The Lord is my Shepherd.” This is not a bunch of fluff. No, it is a statement of identity and security. A shepherd’s entire life revolves around the care, protection, and provision of his sheep. When David calls the Lord his Shepherd, he is saying in effect, “God Himself takes responsibility for my life.” And when doubt rises, this is the first truth that steadies the soul.
Please notice that David is not claiming he will never feel need. He is declaring that with Jesus as his Shepherd, he will never lack anything essential, anything that is truly needed in his life. The resurrection proves this. If God did not withhold His own Son, if He raised Him from the dead, then He will not fail to give His people what they truly need. Doubt says, “God won’t come through.” The empty tomb says, “He already has.”
Sheep don’t know where the safe places are. They don’t know which waters are calm enough to drink from. But the Shepherd does. And He leads His people to places that restore the soul. These places are not always the places they would choose, but always the places they need.
This challenges our categories. We often assume we know what will refresh us or make us happy. But the Shepherd has resurrection authority to redefine what “green pastures” truly are. If Jesus is your Shepherd, then you lack no good thing, even when His provision looks different than your expectations.
The Shepherd’s leading is not only for our comfort. Rather, it is for His glory. His purposes are broader, deeper, and wiser than our immediate desires. The resurrection proves that God’s purposes are never derailed, even when the path looks like loss. Doubt says, “This path makes no sense.” The empty tomb says, “God’s plan is bigger than you can see.”
Make no mistake, the valley is real. The shadows are real. The danger is real. But fear does not have the final word because the Shepherd is with us. The presence of God is one of the central promises of the gospel. Jesus’ presence in suffering transforms suffering—not by removing it, but by assuring us that life waits on the other side of the valley. The resurrection guarantees that no valley is final. Doubt says, “This darkness will swallow me.” The empty tomb says, “Death itself could not swallow Him.”
Jesus is not a passive shepherd. He is a resurrected warrior‑Shepherd who stands over His sheep and destroys anything that would ultimately harm them. Doubt says, “I am unprotected.” The empty tomb says, “Your Shepherd has already defeated your greatest enemy.”
The metaphor then shifts to a banquet table. This is not a meal of survival. No, it is a banquet of honor where God seats you as the honored guest. He anoints your head with oil, marking you as chosen and set apart. He mocks the enemies that once threatened you by blessing you right in front of them.
What’s it like to be pursued? Have you ever been chased by something to the point you know you can’t escape? Now, it’s good for us to pursue God. But it’s even more important to know that He is pursuing us.
Psalm 23:6 is often translated as goodness and mercy following us. Almost every commentator agrees that “follows” is too weak for what is happening. Instead, at the very heart of the word is the meaning “pursue.” Goodness and mercy pursue David; they do not merely follow him.
The goodness which pursues us is the covenantal goodness of the Lord. Hot on the heels of his goodness is also His covenantal mercy, or His steadfast love. Up until this point in the psalm, it seems as if we have been pursuing God, but now we see that He is pursuing us.
God wants us. God isn’t satisfied to hope that we make it and draw near to Him. No, He pursues us. And the reality is that Jesus Himself is pursuing us. His grace and mercy aren’t mere impersonal forces. No, they communicate the truth that Jesus, who is good and merciful, is now after us. What we have then in the journey of life is the promise that the Lord will go before us and after us.
As David reflects on things, he can see the Lord’s goodness and mercy in and through all that he has faced. Just as he experiences it in the good pasture, he also experiences it in the valley of the shadow of death. No matter the pain, hurt, trouble, or trials in life, the Good Shepherd is leading and pursing His sheep in a way that is only good and loving, all the time.
Consider this now. The Lord is “only” like this to you every day of your life. There is no day or time in which God is not good and merciful to you. There is no day in which Jesus is not pursuing you. Instead of a heated argument in which you are accused of “always” doing the wrong thing, this psalm is a love song to the Lord confessing that no matter what we have done to Him, He is always, without exception, good and loving to us.
Can you take this in today? Can you take in the fact you are being pursued by God Himself? David looks back and sees that goodness and mercy were present in every season—green pastures and dark valleys alike. The Shepherd never stopped leading, never stopped pursuing, never stopped loving.
But what if you’re in the valley right now? What if darkness feels like your closest friend? What if grief, illness, loss, or fear have ravaged your life? If that is where you are, notice the vantage point of verse 6: goodness and mercy are behind David. He is moving forward, and they are pursuing him. Sometimes we only see God’s goodness and mercy in hindsight. Sometimes the valley blinds us to what is true.
But blindness does not change reality. If you cannot feel His goodness now, the Shepherd is still with you. If you cannot see His mercy now, it is still pursuing you. If you cannot sense His purpose now, the resurrection guarantees it is still unfolding.
And one day—perhaps not today, perhaps not soon—you will look back on the darkest valley and say: “I see it now. God’s goodness and God’s mercy never left me, even then.”
What part of your valley do you need the risen Shepherd to speak into today?
Pastor Josh
Where in your life right now does doubt whisper, “You lack something essential,” and how does the resurrection—God’s ultimate proof of provision—speak directly against that fear?
When you walk through your own “valley of the shadow,” which part of Psalm 23 is hardest for you to believe—the Shepherd’s presence, His protection, or His pursuit—and what does that reveal about the kind of doubt you wrestle with?
Looking back on past valleys, where can you now see goodness and mercy pursuing you—even in places where, at the time, you felt abandoned or confused? How does that hindsight strengthen your confidence in the risen Shepherd today?
Identify one specific doubt that tends to rise in your valley—perhaps fear of being alone, fear of lacking what you need, or fear that God has forgotten you. Write it down. Then write a resurrection truth from Psalm 23 that confronts it (e.g., “He is with me,” “I shall not want,” “Goodness and mercy pursue me”). Pray through that truth each day this week, asking the risen Shepherd to silence that doubt with His presence and power.
