The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters, He restores my soul; He leads me in the path of righteousness For His name’s sake. Yea, though I 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 comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over, Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever.~Psalm 23
When we look at this familiar passage of scripture, it should cause us to take inventory of our lives, think about the things that God has already done for us, and conclude that God is always with us. Psalms 23:4 says, "Yeah though I 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 comfort me.” It tells us that whatever valley we are going through in our life, it is not designed to take us down because they are mere shadows! The scripture does not say yeah, though I walk through the valley of death; it says, “through the valley of the shadow of death.” This tells us that no matter what problems, valleys, or shadows may come our way, they won’t overtake us.
To understand, let’s look at the word ‘shadow’. It means a dark shape on a surface, covered by someone or something blocking the light! But the Word of God says in Psalm 27:1, “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear. The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” This gives us confidence in knowing that as we are going through our valleys, there is no room for anxiety and fear because God is always with us. A now faith mentality will equate the victories in our past with the issues we are facing today with confidence because we are better equipped to deal with our problems! God’s word says, “For you (God is with me) are with me. Your rod (God’s rod) and your staff (God’s staff), they comfort me.”
When we look at the word ‘comfort’, it means freedom from worry; freedom from need. It has to make us feel good knowing that when we are in our valley, God will come in and comfort us. But not only will God comfort us, but God will also protect us from our enemies. Not only will God protect us, but God will give us peace to endure so that we can walk through the valleys of our lives. John 14:27 says, “Peace I leave with you. My peace I give unto you; not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” We also must come to terms with the fact that being in our valley allows God to bless us, to show up and show out on our behalf because we all know as believers that God does his best work in times of trouble. Psalms 46:1 reminds us that, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”
Isn’t good to know that the God we serve is always with us? And the story doesn’t end right there, because after we have been through our valley experience(s) in life, God steps in and makes a way out of no way. God protects us and gives us peace as if the valley was a small dip in the road. Because the scripture ends with surely, (not maybe, not might) God’s word says, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life!” The scripture did not say sometimes, it did not say through good times, through bad times; the assurance of God’s Word said all the days of our life, goodness, and mercy will follow us. My friends let me assure you, while I am typing, I am joyously putting emphasis on objective words in this promise from the Most High God. To God be the Glory!
And if that wasn’t enough, this prayer of comfort and remembrance concludes by saying, “and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
Friends, if we keep God first, God will keep us. God will protect us. God will comfort us. God will give us peace! God will do just what He said in His word. The blessed assurance when walking through your valley is to know, you are not alone because God is always with you. Walk through your valley victoriously.
In His Service With Love,
The Rev
Reverend D.A. Whitney is the Founding Partner of Blessed 4 Life Ministries (B4LM), host of “Let’s Be Blunt With The Rev” and co-host of “Chatting With The Whitney’s” on Impact Radio USA @ https://pod.co/blessed-4-life-ministries The Rev is the author of several books including “Overcoming Principalities”. Contact The Rev at www.blessed4lifeministries.com or blessed4lifeministries@gmail.com