In this sermon Walter V. Murray reflects on Psalm 23:6, warning listeners against the common reading that the verse guarantees a life of uninterrupted goodness, mercy, protection, and provision. He argues that the text actually promises God’s continual presence, even in hardship, and that believers often hear what they want to hear, especially in dark or dry seasons. Murray identifies a theological impasse: the assumption that God’s presence automatically means protection versus the biblical claim that God is present in the valley of shadow, not necessarily removing the valley. He connects this tension to the broader problem of evil, citing Jesus’ cry on the cross, “Why have you forsaken me?” as an illustration of perceived abandonment. The sermon invites the audience to embrace the tension, recognize that God’s goodness and mercy are experienced through presence rather than the absence of suffering, and to hold faith amid unanswered prayers and life’s hardships.
Chapters
and mercy of God. It feels like a warm blanket on a cold and rainy day, gives me that sense of comfort and assurance. But if we're not careful, if we don't read between the lines and read the unwritten subtext of the text, we might hear what we want to hear We might hear that Psalms 23:6 is promising that all the days of our lives will be filled with goodness and mercy, protected and provided from within the confines of the Shepherd's house forever. We may hear a promise of protection and provision, and we may miss the promise of his presence. You know, often when we read a text, we hear what we want to hear. We're all guilty of it. I know for myself, and in my dark moments and my dry seasons, I have read Psalms 23, verse 6, and I've heard it say to me that with the goodness and mercy of the shepherd pursuing me, That my dark days will turn into sunshiny days. That's what I heard because in the moment, that's what I wanted to hear. But there's a tension in this text. There is a conceptual contradiction. There is what I call a theological impasse. Between Psalms 23:6 and the context of a daily human life. We've got to dig into the text to reconcile this tension. The tension comes because we assume that the presence of the shepherd— we assume that the presence of the shepherd guarantees protection and provision. We assume that if the shepherd is 'With me, following after me.' It gives the impression that the shepherd is intentional and attentive to me, his sheep. And it stands to reason that all my days would bask in his goodness and his mercy, his provision and protection. I mean, why else would the shepherd pursue me, follow me with relentless passion and purpose, if not to provide for me? And protect me. When I remember that God didn't promise that the road would be easy, when I remember that verse 6 is not a promise of prevention or protection but a promise of God's presence in all bad days— it's not a promise to protect me from bad days but a promise to be present with me in my bad days. See, that's a shouting moment right there. It's the, 'Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of bad days.' It's, 'Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of a bunch of Mondays, I will fear no evil.' Because his presence is with me. See, verse 6 is a promise of his presence, not necessarily a promise of protection. But the tension is real, and it's okay to feel the tension. It's okay to ask the question, the questions of where is God's goodness and mercy. Jesus asked the question when he said, why have you forsaken me? That's doubt. That's what he was asking. He was trying to reconcile on the cross a day that looked like the goodness and mercy of God had forsaken him. Someone might ask, how could goodness and mercy be following me when I just lost my job? Where was God's mercy when my family member got sick? This conflict can be a major challenge to a person's faith. Humanity, we have felt this tension since the dawn of time. This is what the philosophers and theologians call the problem of evil.
