From Valley to Table: Telling Stories of God’s Faithfulness
Rev. Emily Wilmesherr
April 26, 2026
Decatur Presbyterian Church
Decatur, GA
Psalm 23 is most often heard at funerals bringing comfort to those who are grieving, yet I think these words have a lot to teach us as we walk through our everyday lives. Have you ever been scared of the dark? Ever felt pressure or unsure about your future? Ever carried stress you didn’t talk about? Ever walked through loss or deep change? The truth is, every one of us has a story for at least one of these. Psalm 23 is telling a story too. It’s David looking back over his life and saying, “Let me tell you what God has been like for me.” The theme of my sabbatical, what I wanted to focus on was resting in the rhythm. I learned something I didn’t expect to learn as deeply as I have: how to rest in God’s rhythm. Not just slow down—but actually trust the pace of God. Psalm 23 shows us that rhythm. It’s a rhythm of rest… walk… and be filled. “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures…” Did you notice that phrase? He makes me lie down. That means sometimes we don’t choose rest—we’re led into it. I didn’t realize how much I needed to slow down… until I actually did. The first few days of my sabbatical I kept the same pace: Filling every hour of the day with completing tasks, I wanted to make the most out of my time. For the first week, it was a challenge to slow my brain and body down and just be, trusting in the pace of God. Then God took my hand and led me to rest where I found a peace that I had forgotten was possible. I would guess that I’m not alone in this feeling. Many of us live like we will rest when everything is done, but the truth is there is always more to do. God says: You rest because I am your shepherd. I’ve got you. That means that God cares about what scares you. It means you don’t have to carry all the pressure by yourself. It means your worth isn’t tied to how productive you are. It means God is still restoring and sustaining you. Recently our 3 year old daughter decided she no longer needed to sleep through the night. She wasn’t having nightmares but waking up feeling a little out of sorts, unable to explain what scared her, and wanting only me to calm her. She didn’t need me to explain to her what was happening, tell her to stop, or try to fix this situation. Even though she knew she was safe, the fear was real. She just needed me to calmly say, “I’ve got you. You can rest now. It’s going to be ok. I’m not leaving you.” Haven’t many of us of all ages been there. We know something to be true but our experience is causing us to spiral out of control. And we cannot get past our alternative reality. We “know” that God loves us, we “know” God is our shepherd and is working everything for good, yet we experience deep depression, crippling anxiety, and are frozen in fear. My daughter needed a parent to hold her in their dark valley and speak the truth over her, when she couldn’t speak it or feel it for herself. That’s what the Good Shepherd wants to do for all of us at any age. Rest is not a reward for finishing everything. Rest is part of God’s rhythm. And when we begin to rest, something happens: “God restores my soul.” Not just your energy so you can do more, but truly gives our souls rest. Our stories don’t just stay in the green pastures. The psalm goes on to say, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death…” Let’s imagine what this looks like. Being in a dark valley, you can’t see well, your steps are uncertain, but then you remember you have a flashlight in your backpack. Turning on the flashlight doesn’t make the dark go away but the light now goes with you through the dark. God doesn’t always take the dark away, but God does promise that even when we walk through the dark valleys, God will be with us. Sometimes God guides us like a light and sometimes she reminds us she’s right beside us to guide us towards still waters. We think that God’s rhythm means everything is peaceful and calm. But Psalm 23 shows us—you can still be in rhythm with God while you’re walking through something hard. Your valley might be fear or loneliness, anxiety or pressure, stress, finances, or family struggles, grief or health challenges. But listen carefully: It says walk through. Not stay. Not live there. There is no step that you will ever take where God is not walking right beside you. As we continue through the psalm, the scene changes from a shepherd to a table. A table where people gather, where stories are told, where all are welcomed. When you actually rest in God’s rhythm… God fills what’s been emptied. “My cup overflows.” God doesn’t just bring you out of the valley, but restores you, renews you, and fills you again. God’s rhythm always leads from emptiness to fullness. Life is hard, challenging and sometimes painful. Often these overshadow all the still water and filled cup moments. In slowing down and becoming more aware, I realized that God was restoring my soul in such simple yet profound ways. I found rest in moving at God’s pace as I had a slow morning watching the sun rise, having a loud meal with family, set healthy boundaries to better care for myself and those I love, taking a walk or playing pickleball with my mom, staying up late with my friends laughing until we cried, watching our daughters jump with joy into the freezing ocean with their winter coats and hats, even waking up in the middle of the night to a crying child. In those moments, it wasn’t about having control over the moment, but letting myself fall into the arms of God and allowing the Spirit to wash over me. Being fully aware of my place in the world, God is God and I am not. I do not have to be in control and moving at unreasonable speeds all the time. God still works while I rest. We are about to head downstairs to share in a delicious meal together. One of my favorite things about church is that the table is always open to everyone. So people of different ages, backgrounds, cultures, and experiences can gather at the same table and share stories. Gathering at the table doesn’t mean setting your life aside to pick up when you finish dinner, it means bringing your pasture and valley moments and together through our real and honest stories be reminded of God’s faithfulness and love throughout generations. In our lives there will be pastures, there will be valleys and there will be a table. And through all of it—God will remain faithful. So here’s my invitation: Learn the rhythm. Rest. Walk. Be filled. Repeat. When we learn to rest in God’s rhythm, we begin to see it clearly: From valley to table God is always faithful. Amen. BENEDICTION Just a reminder to head down the hallway to the stairs or elevator to have lunch in the fellowship hall. No reservations were needed, just come. While you are sitting at tables, rest and share stories, lean into God’s rhythm. And remember when you are In a pasture? → Rest and give thanks. In a valley? → Keep walking and hold on. At a table? → Be filled and tell your story. Then repeat Your story is not just about where you’ve been—it’s about who has been with you. And from valley to table, God has been faithful every step of the way. Thanks be to God!
