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One of the most beloved Psalms of the Bible is Psalm 23. This Psalm likens us to sheep, which are vulnerable. We as Americans do not like to feel ourselves as weak or vulnerable. We have as one of the major national symbols of our country the Bald Eagle. The Eagle is a symbol of strength and majesty. To see ourselves as sheep makes us feel weak. Perhaps one of the reasons we see the Bald Eagle as a symbol of strength is because of its spirit of independence. The spirit of independence is woven into the fabric of this country’s way of thinking and history. Today, as never before we must realize, as Christians we must depend on our Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ. 

John 10:11 – I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. 

On September 11, 2001 the United States of America became a victim of an act of cowardice when terrorists launched an unprovoked attack. Terrorists are nothing more than international bullies who want to strike without warning and cause great loss to life and limb and peace. They like to instill fear into their victims making them afraid. They want to traumatize our way of everyday life. The terrorist succeeded in terrorizing us, but unless we let them they have not, will not and cannot defeat us. Psalm 23 reminds us of how God takes care of us even in times of danger, even when we encounter threatening circumstances in the valley of the shadow of death.  

We have heard the cry throughout the land “Where is God” or “Where was God”, let me assure you God is everywhere and He knows our pain. We know that He is with us through His Holy Spirit. When we cannot pray or feel we are at a loss for words, He is interceding for us (Romans 8: 26-27). The Shepherd is still with us. He is still our refuge. 

During childhood, most of us associated darkness with fear. When we were but a child, we wanted a night light in our room. As we grow older we are not as afraid of the dark as we once were. However, when we face a crisis such as the one we faced on September 11, 2001 when the cowardly terrorists attacked us, there is a part of us that is afraid. We are no longer afraid of monsters under the bed as we were when we were children. No, our fears are much more serious. We are afraid of the darkness because of how we associate darkness with evil. As children of God, we know that Jesus is the light of the world. 

John 8:12 – Then spake Jesus again unto them saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. 

If we put our trust in Jesus who is our Good Shepherd, then we will begin to realize that there cannot be a shadow unless there is a light. Jesus is our light when we find ourselves afraid of the dark! We do not have to fear evil because Jesus has conquered evil. Where there is light there is life.  

John 3:19 – And this is the condemnation that light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 

The terrorist who loves darkness would love nothing more than for us to live in darkness and be afraid. The Shepherd’s protection in this Psalm reminds us of the fact that the shepherds had a rod and a staff. (Psalm 23:4). The rod was an instrument that could be used like a club on predators of prey. The staff was an instrument like a long cane where the shepherd could pull a sheep back to safety from the danger of falling off a cliff. The shepherd also carried slings. Remember the story of David and Goliath.  

Again, someone might ask where was God when the terrorist attacked our nation? God was with those who were attacked. And God is with us. Jesus is our Emmanuel (God with us). According to God’s Word, nothing can separate us from the love of God. This is where free will comes in. It was not God’s will for the terrorist to attack us. The enemy attacked out of their free will, apart from the will of God. Paul says nothing can separate us from the love of God! Jesus told us not to fear those who can kill the body, but cannot kill the soul. Fear Him who is able to destroy both the body and soul in hell (Matthew 10:28). Dying apart from God is a guarantee to spend eternity in hell. The terrorist might have succeeded in killing innocent people, but they did not succeed in stealing the souls of God’s sheep.  

Psalm 23:6 - ends in saying that His sheep will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Jesus has told us He is preparing a place for us in His Father’s house. If we are Christians, then death will have no sting and the grave will have no victory. Christ conquered sin, death and the fear of death. Therefore, we should not fear when we walk through the valley of the shadow of death.  

We have the God-given strength that enables us to endure and to stand. He gives strength to the weary. Surely God’s love will and does follow us all the days of our lives. Our cup is over flowing. It has been said many times that we do not always know what the future holds, but we do know who holds our future. When we have that kind of hope, it is then we realize that nothing can separate us from the love of God.

Copyright 2001 by Betty Lester