Billy Graham · Psalm 23

Billy Graham and Psalm 23

Psalm 23 is the most widely read psalm at funerals and in personal crisis in the English-speaking world, and Graham, like nearly every preacher of his generation, referenced it in his broader ministry, though no verified standalone BGEA crusade sermon on the psalm could be confirmed.

Psalm 23 is the single most quoted passage in English-language preaching and the psalm most often read at funerals, and Billy Graham's name is tied to it constantly in search because his ministry spent seven decades speaking to exactly the moments Psalm 23 addresses: fear, loss, and the need for comfort. That said, an honest look at BGEA's published sermon archive and devotional materials turns up no single, named crusade sermon devoted entirely to Psalm 23 the way it exists for other of his signature texts.

What is verifiably true is broader and, in a way, more telling: Psalm 23 was part of the common devotional and pastoral vocabulary Graham drew on throughout a ministry built around comforting people in crisis, and it remains one of the passages most associated with his tradition of preaching even where a specific, citable sermon title cannot be confirmed.

Rather than guess at a sermon that cannot be verified, this page gives you the honest state of the record and then goes deep on the text itself, since Psalm 23 rewards that kind of close reading more than almost any other passage in the Old Testament.

What Billy Graham Actually Taught

We could not confirm a single, standalone BGEA-published crusade sermon titled around Psalm 23. Given the honest finding on Graham's connection to other specific psalms (Psalm 91, 35, and 59 above), the responsible approach here is the same: state plainly what is and is not confirmed, rather than attribute a specific sermon to him that cannot be verified.

What can be said with confidence is about his broader pattern: Graham's crusade preaching consistently returned to comfort, assurance, and the character of God as themes, especially in his later ministry and in devotional writing aimed at readers facing illness, grief, and death, the same territory Psalm 23 occupies. For his exact, verified preaching on any text, BGEA's free audio archive at billygraham.org/sermons remains the authoritative source.

A closer look at Psalm 23

Psalm 23 is a psalm of David built entirely around a single extended metaphor: the Lord as shepherd. Its six verses move through two related images, a shepherd caring for sheep in verses 1 through 4, then a host caring for a guest at a table in verses 5 and 6, both making the same claim about God's provision and protection from two different angles.

The phrase most people remember, "the valley of the shadow of death" (verse 4), is not primarily about the moment of dying, though it is read that way constantly at funerals. In its original shepherding image it more likely pictures a literal dark ravine a flock might pass through where predators could hide: danger along the way, not only danger at the very end. That is part of why the psalm comforts the dying and the merely frightened alike: it was never written to be only about death.

The psalm's turn at verse 4, from talking about God ("he leadeth me") to talking to God ("thou art with me"), is one of its most quietly powerful moves. The moment the danger becomes most real is the exact moment the language shifts from description to direct address: a shift preachers have pointed to for centuries as evidence that the psalm is less a statement of theology than a record of someone moving from talking about their fear to talking to God about it.

Its closing image, "my cup runneth over" and dwelling "in the house of the Lord for ever," reframes the whole psalm: it does not end with survival of the valley but with abundance and permanence, which is exactly why it functions so well at funerals as a psalm of hope rather than only a psalm of comfort.

Frequently asked questions

What did Billy Graham say about Psalm 23?

We could not confirm a single standalone BGEA-published sermon devoted entirely to Psalm 23, the same honest finding as with Psalm 91, 35, and 59. Comfort, assurance, and the character of God, the themes at the heart of Psalm 23, were consistent threads in Graham's broader preaching and devotional writing, especially material aimed at grief and illness, but a specific citable sermon on this exact psalm could not be verified.

What does 'valley of the shadow of death' mean?

In its original shepherding image, it most likely refers to a literal dark, dangerous ravine a flock might pass through, not only the moment of dying. That broader meaning is part of why Psalm 23 comforts people in many kinds of danger and fear, not only those approaching death.

Why is Psalm 23 read at funerals?

Its imagery of a shepherd's protection through danger, its direct address to God in the midst of fear ("thou art with me"), and its closing picture of abundance and dwelling with God permanently make it one of the most comforting and hope-oriented texts in the Bible, which is why it has become the standard psalm for funeral services across most English-speaking Christian traditions.

How long is Psalm 23?

Six verses. It is short enough to memorize easily, which is part of why it has become the most widely known psalm in English and the passage most people can recite from memory even with little other Bible familiarity.

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