“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death…”
We all have our own burdens to bear, and on our individual journeys searching out our faith there are bumps in the road and things that happen in our lives that intend to take us out.
In the valleys of life, fear and doubt can often tag-team - prowling around our hearts, minds, and even our physical bodies. Fear can be debilitating. It can stop us in our tracks from taking any steps forward…or in any direction for that matter. Doubt can play on all of our emotions making us feel like we’re on a yo-yo string – up and down, and up and down.
Fear and doubt can also be controlling. However, while we may feel fear, and experience doubt, neither has to control us.
“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil…”
Certainly, evil is presumed to be present in the valley. It can be hard to remember the feelings and joys of the highest highs, when fully submersed in the lowest lows. The very concept of a shadow speaks of the vastness of something larger than us being in our way…blocking the sun….blocking the path forward to get beyond whatever it is that has caused us to fall into the valley.
“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me.” – Psalm 23:4
There is nowhere that we can go to escape the presence of God’s Spirit in our lives. “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels or demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” – Romans 8:38-39
God will never forsake you…even when you may feel alone, doesn’t mean that you are alone. His grace sits with us in the valleys. His grace nourishes our souls, taking us to streams and rivers of refreshment to experience glimpses of hope. His grace guides us to the next step, even though we don’t know the entire route, He gives us energy to move forward and the strength to stand on our wobbly legs.
Even in the valleys of life, His plan and His presence can bring us His peace.
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