Even 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.
Another blessing that the Lord provides us with is protection. David expresses in this section of the psalm that the Lord protects him even when he walk through the valley of death. David was a man who could attest to the fact that the Lord provides protection. David stared into the face (or his belly for that matter) of a giant who was feared by every soldier in Israel’s army while he was just a boy! He also fought lions and bears with nothing more then a sling. He spent much of his life running from a man who wanted to kill him and these are only a few of the times where David stared death in the face and yet God protected him. When David writes that the Lord will protect you even when you walk through the valley of the shadow of death he means it!
A valley with dark shadows keeps hidden any dangers that may be ahead lurking in the darkness. Any trials that we face and we can’t see the end of the tunnel or how the situation will turn out we have no need to fear. Now if I were to approach a deep valley full of dark shadows and I was alone I would be shaking in my boots and not stick around very long. We can respond the same way when it comes decisions in our life. Whatever form these valleys come in we can often turn and run the other way. These valleys could be a family issue whether it is a death or a split. It could also be being diagnosed with a deadly disease or having a ton of responsibility dumped on you all at once. Anything that you feel is impossible to deal with go through is a valley. When we reach a valley we have two options: push on or turn and run. When we run we accomplish nothing and never deal with the issue and will eventually have to deal with it later. The other option is to push on and endure the valley of death.
As Christians we do not need to fear these times in our life because God never purposed for us to endure life alone. God is with us every step of the way we just need to trust him. Any man could have killed Goliath because it was not man’s ability that was to kill him; it was God’s power. David was the only one who believed that and that is why he was victorious. See the thing is the only difference between you and Billy Graham is that Billy is weak and finds his strength in God alone. God can only take over our lives when we get out of the way. Do not fear for God is with you and he protects you. Simply allow him to! Do not fear for God is with you!
God has a rod and a staff to comfort us and protect us along the journey. A shepherd’s staff is a long stick with a hook on the end used to protect the sheep and pull them away from danger. The rod is used for discipline that also protects the sheep in the long run. There are times God reaches out and pulls us back from danger and other times where he lets us learn on our own.
Put your trust in God, as he will never let you down even when you face death itself. Do not fear and trust.
What are some things in your life that cause you to fear the road ahead? How do you usually respond to these situations?
How are you going to surrender to God in the future?
I like how David uses the metaphor of a valley. This depicts how when we are in serious its hard to see anything but the problems. We become tunnel visioned and only see the valley ahead and forget that we have God with us.
ReplyDeleteI know I consistently do this when it comes to trusting God to provide for me in the near future. This verse is a great reminder that God is with me where ever I go even if it is the valley of the shadow of death.