Myth of Control — Part 2 | The Valley
Most of us, when we hit a hard season, ask the same question: what did I do wrong? We assume the valley is proof that something is broken, that we missed a turn, that God left. But David doesn't see it that way. In Psalm 23, he doesn't say if I walk through the valley. He says when. The valley isn't a detour from the journey. It's part of it. In Part 2 of The Myth of Control, Pastor Harman Sharda teaches from Psalm 23:4 on why the valley is not your fault, why God's answer to fear is presence (not a plan), and how to walk through pain without becoming someone you don't recognize.
Series: The Myth of Control
Scripture: Psalm 23:4
Pastor: Harman Sharda
Date: April 19, 2026
Key Takeaways
The valley is not a punishment. It's part of the road. David doesn't say "if I walk through the valley." He says "when." The valley is not evidence that God forgot you, or proof that you failed. Sometimes it's simply the terrain between where you are and where God is taking you. Even Jesus had His valley. The night in the garden before the cross.
The valley moves us from theology to intimacy. In verses 1 to 3, David talks about God in third person: "He makes me lie down. He leads me." But in verse 4 something shifts: "You are with me." In the darkest moment, David stops describing God and starts speaking to Him directly.
The antidote to fear is not control. It's presence. David doesn't say "I will fear no evil because I have a plan." He says "I will fear no evil because You are with me." Fear is rooted in the belief that you are alone. God's answer is not to remove the problem. It's to walk with you through it.
Every valley comes with an offer that looks like justice but is actually revenge. When you're in pain, something or someone will offer you a way out that feels like fairness but is really retaliation. For some it's a social media post. For others, the email they've been drafting for weeks. For others, freezing someone out so they feel what you felt. For others, never walking into a church again. God prepares a table in the presence of your enemies, not in their absence. His provision doesn't require the elimination of your problems. His peace doesn't depend on the pain disappearing.
The valley doesn't prove if you'll survive. It proves who you'll become. The question is not whether you'll come out of the valley. The question is who you'll be when you do. The only way out without becoming someone you don't recognize is to stay close to the Shepherd. Sometimes God's deepest answer to your "why?" is simply: "I am here." Job lost everything and God didn't explain why, He just showed up. Joseph sat in prison for years with no explanation. Elijah wanted to die under a tree, and God didn't give him a sermon. He gave him bread and rest. There isn't always an explanation that resolves everything. But there is a Shepherd who sits with you in the pain.
