Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. (KJV)
Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your
staff, they comfort me. (NIV)
(Psalm 23:4)
Yes, all this talk of shepherds making
the sheep rest in green pastures and leading them by still waters – even the
refreshment or restoration of our souls sounds so nice. We’re “tra-la-la-ing”
through life, thinking we’ve got it made. We follow Him around some rocks, and there
it is: a pathway leading down into the Valley of the Shadow of Death. It might
not even look like a valley any more than the “valley” between the west coast
of the US and the east coast of China looks like a valley. It looks like an ocean
that goes on for-ever-and-ever, and who knows what lurks beneath those waves. There
are stories of fish that are bigger than lions that leap out of the water to eat
you. Or, worse yet, you see the Red Sea before you and hear the clatter and
rumble of horses’ hooves and the pharaoh’s chariots behind you, And God says, “Make
camp.”
Somehow, we always think we be exempted
from this part. “No thanks, no side of Valley of the Shadow of Death today, or
tomorrow.” But David doesn’t sing about his choosing the valley. It’s not “Yay!
The Valley…” It’s “Yea, though I walk through the Valley…: And it’s not the
Valley of the Shadow of a hangnail or canker sore. It’s the Valley of the Shadow
of Death.
The New Testament doesn’t make it any
easier. We’re told that we must die to self. It doesn’t feel like a “shadow of
death” at all. It feels like death, but that’s because it runs counter to everything
we consider life. In reality, it is the shadow of death, because while it feels
like death, it leads to or is part of eternal life – to real living.
The Valley of the Shadow of Death is
unavoidable, inevitable. We like to pretend it’s not, or that we’ve been there
and don’t have to return, but there it is again. Or, what might be worse is
that we just get done with a physical valley of the shadow of death only to
find ourselves entering an emotional valley, or some other valley.
There
is one thing that helps us when this happens. The Shepherd is with us. We may
not see Him the way we want to. In fact, that what might make it seem like a Valley
of the Shadow of Death – the sense we have that He is not there. But He has
promised that He will not leave us or forsake us. His rod – with which He
defends us, and His staff – with which He guides and corrects us are with us in
the valley. They may even be part of the valley itself.
Because of this, we can “fear no evil.”
But notice that it says “fear no evil,” not “Fear no…” pain, loneliness,
boredom, difficulty, unfairness, oppression, heartache, sleepless nights,
death, loss, poverty, etc. We need not fear evil because He is with us, and
evil would involve His not being with us. It doesn’t matter if we don’t feel as
if He’s with us. He has promised that He will be. That’s why we can “fear no
evil” in the Valley of the Shadow of Death (of self.)
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