“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.” (Psa. 23:4) Several months ago the Lord gave me this scripture to pray because the devil was bombarding my mind with distracting thoughts. This valley is a symbolic description of the world we live in, because of our sin nature. This means that darkness and death are (symbolic) valleys on earth we must occasionally walk through, as a part of our human experience but when we do Jesus is always with us and we always WALK THROUGH the valley.
Consider these key points:
- WALKING THROUGH: It is very comforting to know that we do not have TO STAY in this valley! We can GO THROUGH dark, tough times and even endure death — of ourselves or someone we love — but we don’t need TO FEAR. God has already given us the victory over EVERY CIRCUMSTANCE because of Jesus’ victory on the cross.
- FEARING NO EVIL: Jesus promises He will guide us through the valleys until we reach the sunny, open field on the other side. He is with us and WON’T EVER LEAVE US. And if we happen to stray away in the valley, He promises to leave the other 99 just to find us, wherever we may be. This is a great, precious promise we must cling to. God is constantly with us, gently leading us, and FOREVER FAITHFUL through every valley and over every mountain.
- YOU ARE WITH US: “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God WILL BE WITH YOU wherever you go.” (Josh. 1:9) “…you can BE SURE that I AM ALWAYS WITH YOU, to the very end.” (Matt. 28:20) “Don’t be afraid, for I AM WITH YOU. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will HOLD YOU UP with my victorious right hand.” (Isa. 41:10)
- I’M COMFORTED BY YOUR ROD AND STAFF: The staff was used to guide sheep across open fields and along rocky hillsides. It was a handy tool for making sure they stay on track and in case they do get off track the staff can be used to PULL THEM BACK ON.The rod was used to defend the sheep against predators. Since sheep aren’t very smart, it was up to the shepherd to adequately defend his flock, so a nice long staff with a thick, curly rod on the end made for A SOLID WEAPON AGAINST ANY ENEMIES. In this way, the rod is A SYMBOL OF GOD’S PROTECTION.
We see all through the bible the loving care and protection we get from our very loving Abba Father.
Your Personal Pastor -Bill Stockham