The Shepherd Who Conquered Hell

When the Good Shepherd Delivers Us From Darkness Into Resurrection

 

A Prayer for Today

Good Shepherd, You who walked through suffering, death, and the grave itself—

lead me today.

When my path descends into valleys of darkness,

when fear surrounds me,

when the enemy whispers that hope is gone,

remind me that You have already walked this road.

Guide me in the paths of righteousness for Your name’s sake.

If You led Your Son through the valley of death and into resurrection,

then You can lead me through every valley I face.

I trust Your staff.

I trust Your voice.

I trust Your promise.

Even when darkness surrounds me,

I will follow the Shepherd.

Amen.

 

Scripture Lessons

Primary reading:

Psalm 22

Psalm 23

Psalm 24

Supporting readings:

Ephesians 4:9 – Christ descended into the lower parts of the earth.

 

1 Peter 3:18–19 – Christ preached to the spirits in prison.

 

Revelation 1:18 – Jesus holds the keys of death and Hades.

 

Matthew 27:52–53 – Graves opened after the crucifixion.

 

Devotional Reading

    Most people know Psalm 23 as a funeral poem. But that is far too small for what it truly is. Psalm 23 is not merely comfort for the dying.

It is a deliverance from death in battle psalm.

It sits between two other psalms that reveal a profound story.

First comes Psalm 22, the psalm of suffering:

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

These are the very words spoken by Jesus Christ on the cross. The psalm describes pierced hands and feet, mocked suffering, and soldiers casting lots for clothing—details that appear centuries later at the crucifixion.

Psalm 22 is the cry of the suffering Messiah.

    Then comes Psalm 23. Then Psalm 24, which proclaims:

“Lift up your heads, O ye gates… that the King of glory may come in!”

  • Three psalms.
  • Three movements.
  • Suffering → Death → Victory

The Valley the Shepherd Walked First

    Psalm 23 opens with a declaration: “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” The Hebrew word for shepherd is רֹעִי (ro‘i). It means my shepherd, my personal guide, the one responsible for my life. But the most important line in the psalm may be this: “He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.”

In Hebrew:

לְמַעַן שְׁמוֹ (lema'an shemo)

For the sake of His name.

    In ancient Hebrew thought, a name meant far more than identity. A name represented character, reputation, and authority. When God acts “for His name’s sake,” He acts because His very nature requires it.

A good shepherd cannot abandon his sheep.

His reputation depends on guiding them safely home. So the psalmist is declaring something profound:

God does not guide us because we deserve it.

He guides us because that is who He is.

Through the Valley

    Then comes the most famous line. “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death…” The Hebrew phrase here is צַלְמָוֶת (tsalmaveth).

It literally means:

  • the deepest darkness.
  • The valley of death.
  • The shadowed ravine.
  • The place where light disappears.

Yet the psalm does not say we stop there. It says we walk through it. And suddenly the grammar changes. The psalmist stops talking about God…

…and starts speaking to Him.

“For Thou art with me.”

The valley turns theology into prayer.

    I know this valley personally. At the end of 2025, I entered a valley of my own. Health issues suddenly left me unable to work, forcing me to take FMLA leave from my job. My income dropped to almost nothing. At the same time, the house I had been leasing in Macon, Georgia was sold, and I was physically too sick to search for another place to live. Even basic daily tasks were becoming difficult.

    In the end, I had no choice but to move in with family in Tennessee. Thankfully, I had family willing to help, but it was still one of the most humbling seasons of my life.

    Looking back now, I can see something I couldn’t see then: the Shepherd had already been preparing me for this valley. As early as January of 2025, I began noticing health problems. I also realized much of it was being driven by the stress of my work. I was working sixty-hour weeks in territory route sales, constantly pushing myself harder and harder. I began fasting and praying more during that time, sensing something wasn’t right. But I delayed getting medical help.

    I thought healing would simply “happen” while I kept pushing forward. God knew better. By November of 2025, my body was collapsing. Chronic wounds on my feet had become severely infected, the infection spreading through my body. I developed fevers and heart palpitations. The doctors later told me that if I had waited much longer to seek medical care, the infection would have turned fully septic.

I could have died.

God forced me to stop.

I didn’t want to move.
I didn’t want to rethink my career.
I wanted to keep gliding along the path I had always followed.

But the Shepherd had other plans.

    Something had been quietly changing inside me all year. In April of 2025, I began teaching again, hosting a class at church. By June, I started writing my first book, Forty Days With God: A Vertical Journey. I also began writing poetry and lyrics for songs, even finishing two songs I had started back in 2004. I even started writing  a novel in September of 2025, 'Midnight On the Ocmulgee'

    Writing had always been something I dreamed about in high school and college. But I was too afraid to pursue it seriously. A career in sales and marketing seemed more stable, more predictable, less risky.

    So that was the path I chose. Yet the Good Shepherd knew the path He had for me all along. It just took me nearly thirty years to recognize it. From 1997 to 2026, the Shepherd patiently guided my life—even when I didn’t realize it.

And now I’m finally learning something David understood when he wrote Psalm 23.

The sheep don’t lead the Shepherd.

The Shepherd leads the sheep.

Sometimes the Shepherd leads us into valleys in order to guide us toward the path we were meant to walk all along.

And that is exactly what Psalm 23 promises. The Shepherd does not abandon us in the valley. He leads us through it.

The Shepherd in the Grave

    Some theologians have seen something remarkable here. If Psalm 22 mirrors the crucifixion… And Psalm 24 celebrates the victorious King… Then Psalm 23 may reflect the journey between them. The descent into death. The New Testament hints at this mystery. In 1 Peter we read that Christ: “went and preached unto the spirits in prison.” And in Ephesians 4:9: “He also descended first into the lower parts of the earth.” Scripture describes a moment when Christ entered the realm of death itself.

    And then, in Revelation, the risen Christ declares: “I am He that liveth, and was dead; and behold, I am alive forevermore…and I have the keys of death and Hades.”

  • Keys imply authority.
  • They imply ownership.
  • They imply victory.

Christ did not merely survive death.

He conquered it.

When Hell Lost Its Keys

    Imagine the scene. The Son of God enters the deepest darkness. The realm of death believes it has won. The enemy believes the story is over. But the Shepherd is still leading. Even here. Even in death. Because the Father’s promise still stands. For His name’s sake.

    And then the moment comes. Christ rises in victory. The keys of death are taken. And the proclamation echoes through eternity: “I am alive forevermore!”

When the Graves Opened

    The Gospel of Matthew records a mysterious event after the crucifixion: “The graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, and came out of the graves after His resurrection.” Something happened in the unseen realm. The power of death itself was shattered. The gates of darkness were broken open. The Shepherd had walked through the valley—and returned.

The Feast in the Presence of Enemies

    Psalm 23 continues: “Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies.” Notice the enemies are still there. But they cannot stop the feast. Because victory has already been decided.

    Then comes the final declaration: “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.” The Hebrew word for follow is רָדַף (radaph). It does not merely mean follow. It means pursue. Chase. Run after. God’s goodness does not merely accompany us. It hunts us down with mercy.

And I Shall Dwell

    The psalm ends with triumph: “And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” Which leads perfectly into Psalm 24’s question: “Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?” The answer is the victorious King.

From the Valley to the Throne: The Shepherd Becomes the King of Glory

    Psalm 23 carries us through the valley of deepest darkness, through the shadow of death itself. We walk with the Shepherd who restores our souls, who guides us in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. We feel the rod and staff of His protection, and even in the presence of our enemies, we are anointed and fed at His table.

    But the psalm doesn’t end in the valley. It ends with a promise: “And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” That promise is not just about safety. It’s about entrance into glory—the same glory that bursts forth in Psalm 24: “Lift up your heads, O gates! And be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in!”

—Psalm 24:7

    This is no gentle arrival. This is the triumphant entrance of the victorious King. The Shepherd who walked through death now ascends in power. The Shepherd who fed the flock in the shadow of the valley is revealed as the King of Glory, triumphant over every enemy, every dark force, every valley of fear.

Jesus, the King of Glory

    From a New Testament perspective, Psalm 24 points directly to Jesus Christ. He is the King who ascended, not merely after suffering, but after conquering death itself. Revelation 1:18 proclaims: “I am He that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive forevermore, and have the keys of hell and of death.”

    The Shepherd who guided us through the valley now holds authority over death and Hades itself. Imagine the moment: the doors of Hell tremble. The chains of darkness shatter. The light of Heaven cracks through the foundations of despair. Every soul trapped in the shadow is reached by the Shepherd’s hand.

    Psalm 24 calls us to witness this victory not as a story of the past but as a daily reality: “Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in His holy place?” The answer? The one who walks with the Shepherd, the one who trusts His guidance even through valleys of fear, illness, loss, or pain.

Living in the Triumph Every Day

    Here is the dramatic truth: Jesus is the  Shepherd who triumphed over death, who broke the gates of Hades and proclaimed victory, and He leads us through the  valleys every day. When anxiety crowds the mind, He is the Shepherd guiding our steps. When illness or weakness strikes, He restores the soul. When plans fail, He sets the banquet table proclaiming that defeat will not get the final word.  When despair tempts us to surrender, He pursues us with goodness and mercy that will chase us all the days of our lives. 

    And the glorious outcome is not only rescue—it is ascension: Dwelling in His house, walking with the King of Glory, experiencing resurrection life in the midst of everyday trials.

    Imagine life as a journey. Psalm 23 is the valley path, dark and uncertain. Psalm 24 is the mountain—the gates lifted, the King entering in triumph. Each day, the Shepherd invites us to walk from the valley toward the gates of glory, and in doing so, our lives become living testimony of His faithfulness.

 

Daily Vision

    Picture this: every personal valley we face—grief, fear, failure, sickness—is lit by the memory of the Shepherd who conquered death itself. As He walks with us,  the light of Heaven cracks into the darkness. The adversary trembles. And we, His sheep, are being led into triumph, into resurrection, into eternal security.

    This is not metaphor alone—it is a spiritual reality that transforms ordinary life: the Shepherd who walked thru death and Hell, that is Jesus who is now our Shepherd  and triumphant  King, now walks with us. The King who ascended in glory is present in our everyday victories, in our struggles, and in our obedience to follow His voice.

Another Story

    A modern testimony reminds us that the Shepherd still leads people out of darkness today. One man named Steven spent forty years trapped in alcoholism, convinced his life was hopeless. Drinking controlled everything he did, leaving him isolated and broken. He believed he would die that way. But when he surrendered his life to Christ, something changed. Over time, the chains of addiction began to break, and the life that seemed destined for destruction was restored through faith and surrender.

    Stories like this echo a truth found throughout Scripture: The Shepherd still rescues sheep trapped in darkness. No pit is too deep. No valley too dark. No prison too strong.

 

Charge

    Everyone faces their own valley. Sometimes it is grief. Sometimes addiction. Sometimes depression. Sometimes a loss so devastating it feels like the light has disappeared forever. Sometimes we walk through our own version of hell.

But here is the promise of Psalm 23.

  • The Shepherd does not abandon the valley.
  • He walks through it with us.

    And if the Shepherd led Jesus through death itself and into resurrection… Then He can lead you through whatever darkness you face.

Speak the psalm as your prayer:

  • Declare its promise.
  • Trust the Shepherd.
  • And follow.

Because the valley is never the end of the story.

The King of Glory still waits on the other side.

 

Closing Prayer

Lord Jesus,

Good Shepherd of our souls,

You walked through suffering.

You entered death.

You shattered the power of the grave.

You hold the keys of death and Hades.

And because You live, we have hope.

When our lives descend into valleys of darkness,

help us remember that You have walked there first.

Teach us to trust Your voice.

Lead us through every shadowed valley

until we stand in the light of Your presence.

May goodness and mercy pursue us

all the days of our lives.

And may we dwell in Your house forever.

Amen.

 

~ Shane Bryant

 

Footnotes:

https://inspiration.org/testimonies/stevens-second-chance?utm_source=chatgpt.com

 

 

 

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