阅读经文 

我在探访一位快要离世的年老牧师，他仍然保持他一贯的温和与幽默感，然而他的身体状况却毫不乐观。这位成熟的教会领袖认定使徒保罗所说的：“我离世的时候到了”。（参提后 4:6）尽管他已经失去年青时的活力和精神，然而他的年纪和经历带给他的智慧，令人乐于与他相处。

身为他的院牧，我有很多机会接触这位经验丰富的牧师。大部分时间我都在聆听，即使是在牧养他时，我仍然乐于做他的学生。在这次探访中，我们很自然便讨论到诗篇二十三篇了。

当我们把注意力集中在第4节时，他考查我：“在这节经文中，你知道哪一个字是最重要的吗？”我回答说：“你告诉我吧——是哪一个字呢？”

他的答案是“是行过（through）这个字词。”他接着解释说：“经文不是说我们走进幽谷中，它乃是说我们行过幽谷。耶和华我们的牧者领我们行过幽谷，祂带领我们走到另一边，在那里，我们‘要住在耶和华的殿中，直到永远。’”

这是一个美丽的、带给人安慰的、牧养灵命的表达。我们复活的主知晓行过死荫幽谷的路，祂既与我们同在，我们便无需害怕了。接受祂，相信祂：我们的牧人耶稣必领我们行过幽谷。

As I visited an elderly pastor near the end of his life, he maintained his warm sense of humor, but his situation wasn't humorous. The experienced church leader acknowledged what the apostle Paul had said: "The time for my departure is near" (2 Timothy 4:6). He had lost the strength and vigor of his youth, but his years and experience had brought a wisdom that made being with him a treat.

As his chaplain, I had many contacts with this seasoned pastor. Mostly I listened, happy to be his student even in ministering to him. On this visit our discussion moved, not surprisingly, to Psalm 23.

As we zeroed in on verse 4, he questioned me: "Do you know what the most important word in that text is?" And I said, "You tell me—what is it?"

His answer was "The word through." Then he explained: "It doesn't say that we go into the valley, but that we go through the valley. The Lord, our shepherd, leads us through the valley. He gets us to the other side, where we 'will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.'"

A beautiful, comforting pastoral word. Our resurrected Lord knows the way through the valley of the shadow of death, and because he is with us, we need not fear. Receive it; believe it: Jesus, our Shepherd, leads us through the valley.