Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, 

I fear no evil, for You are with me;

Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

—Psalm 23:4

For the past few weeks, I’ve been co-teaching a Wednesday course at my church on apologetics. This past Wednesday, I got to the church earlier than usual, so as I approached the stairs leading to the main doors, I took my time. 

The air was cool. The sky was a hazy shade somewhere between gray-blue and purple. And even before I looked up, I could hear the giggling of children playing on the multi-tiered porch the church had recently built onto the front of the building. 

A Lesson from a Father and Son

Drawn to the sound, I turned to my right to see a young boy around five years old running back and forth in front of some of the new bushes that had been planted during the renovation. Two levels up, a man stood, relaxed with his hands in his pockets, watching the boy play.

After the next pass, the boy suddenly stopped. His gaze shot up to the level just above the shrubs where he’d been playing. 

“Daddy, where are you? I can’t see you!” The boy began searching back and forth with a growing sense of urgency. 

“I’m right here, son,” the father said without so much as a twitch.

“But I can’t see you!” The pitch of the boy’s voice rose with each word. 

“It’s okay, son. I can see you.”

I didn’t stick around long enough to see what the boy’s reaction was because I didn’t want to stand and stare, but I got a bit of a chill as I walked through the church doors and heard the father’s reply. 

When You Can’t See, But You’re Still Seen

That interaction reminded me of today’s verse. While the beginning of the chapter describes beauty, peace, and providence, David doesn’t shy away from the reality of dark days to come. It’s not a coincidence that the valley of death is in shadow. I also think it wasn’t a coincidence that the things David says give him comfort aren’t tied to seeing God. We all go through seasons when we can’t see where God is or how He could possibly be working in such difficult circumstances. But that doesn’t mean God isn’t there with His eyes fixed on us.

What God’s Rod and Staff Really Mean

The things David finds comfort in are the Shepherd’s rod and staff. The rod was like a club and was used to protect the sheep from predators. The staff was similar to what we think of as a shepherd’s crook, and the shepherd used it to gently guide the sheep that were going the wrong direction. 

This means that what David finds comfort in is the fact that God will always protect him and guide his steps, regardless of whether David could feel it at the time. We’re not talking about overt or overwhelming manifestations of God’s presence, which most of us would probably prefer at times. Rather, the items he mentions imply a quiet closeness. An attentiveness filled with care.

The Comfort of Being Watched Over

If we think back to the father and son at the beginning of this post, we see something similar. The father wasn’t asking his son to be comforted by a big bear hug or by hiding behind him. He was asking his son to be comforted by the knowledge that he was close by and watching over him. 

What if we lived our lives the same way? It won’t be easy, but if we intentionally foster the practice of remembering that God is never far off. That He’ll never lose track of us or drop the ball when it comes to watching over us. If we make this our habit in the good times, it will be something we can rest and find comfort in when the days get dark.

The next time you find yourself asking, ‘Where are you, God? I can’t see you,’ remember the father’s words: ‘I can see you.’ Learning how to trust God when you can’t see him isn’t about manufacturing feelings or demanding signs. It’s about resting in the truth that His rod protects you and His staff guides you, even when you’re walking through the valley’s deepest shadows.