Facing The Valley With Our Shepherd
Psalm 23:4 “Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me”
Fear cripples us as some sound in the bush, some figure in the shadows, or some thought in our mind causes us to anticipate doom or destruction. In fact, even today, the thought of walking through a valley, steeped in darkness, called the “Shadow of Death” is akin to volunteering to enter a haunted house where people have disappeared! No one in their sane mind would volunteer to walk through that.
But the Psalmist turns our mind to God and assures us, that when He is guiding our life, we can rest! No not just the rest that comes in a grassy spot, in the light of day, but we can rest even when we find ourselves in the most terrifying places — places so well known for their fearful conditions, that men would call it the valley of the “Shadow of Death”. How can we trust God without fear in these places?
The truth is that helps us face our dark valleys with trust is when we believe that He won’t leave us! God did not leave Jonah in the Whale, God stood with Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah in the fiery furnace, When Daniel was thrown alive into a dark den of lions he declared the angels shut the lions mouths for God had not left his prophet, The Apostle Paul when standing before Nero, the emperor who burned christians alive to light his gardens and threw them for sport into the Colosseum to be torn to piece by lions or cut down by Gladiators, declared that all his friends left him in that terrifying moment, except Jesus Christ, who he declares stood with him as he made his final defense, his christian witness before Nero. The thought that the Savior was with Him filled Him with peace, and strengthened Him to face His final valley before glory!
What valley are you facing just now in your life? May you know that there can be rest for your soul as you recognize that your God has promised to be with you also — even to the end of the world! And remember friend, No valley continues forever, for at the end of every valley is a glorious summit!
Written by Myckal Morehouse