David is ready to bear the hardship in his life because he does not feel abandoned and forsaken in the world. Even in the toughest moments, he finds God by his side and knows that there is a way to endure his suffering.
Psalm 23 exudes confidence and tranquility. The poet feels so secure that he declares, "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me" (4). You can imagine the poet leaping into the valley of the shadow of death without fear and dread. The impression is that the poet is not deterred by the valley of death because he knows that God will save him whenever any threat appears. In the midrash, another reading emerges, a reading that fundamentally deals with the human struggle with the fear of the 'valley of the shadow of death' in his life:
Rabbi Reuven said: Had this matter not been written, it would have been impossible to say it: As it were, “for the Lord will judge [nishpat] in fire” (Isaiah 66:16). Shofet is not written here, but rather nishpat. This is what David said, inspired by the Divine Spirit: “Even if I were to walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me [your rod and your staff they will comfort me]” (Psalms 23:4).
(Midrash Shir HaShirim Rabbah 2)
Rabbi Reuהen quotes a verse from Isaiah that says, “for the Lord will judge in fire” and he reads it literally (with the addition of the word 'as it were'). God Himself stands in judgment and bears the consequences. The expression of this is in our verse where God walks alongside David in the valley of the shadow of death. God is with David not as a shield but as a partner in bearing suffering.
According to this reading, David is not afraid because God will save him, but because he is not alone; God is with him. David is ready to endure the hardship because he does not feel abandoned and forsaken in the world. He discovers that suffering is part of his standing before God. He realizes that there is a way to endure his suffering.
Here are the beautiful words of Viktor Frankl in his book "Man's Search for Meaning":
"There is nothing in the world, I venture to say, that would so effectively help one to survive even the worst conditions as the knowledge that there is a meaning in one’s life. There is much wisdom in the words of Nietzsche: “He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how.” (Viktor Frankl, Man's Search for Meaning)
Courtesy of the 929 website.