I am amazed and so grateful that I don’t serve a concept but a true heavenly Father. What does he give me morning by morning? He comforts me and set me on my feet to face the day. Infused love and strength. Mind-clearing words of life. Context and truth and reality. Away with the little, man-made world that I create! Off with Barbara! On with Christ!
This morning I was thinking about the words of the Twenty-Third Psalm:
“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil”.
Until recently, I had thought of these as hypothetical. God will be with us in future worst case scenarios. And this is, of course, true. But I have come to see them also as present, ongoing reality – tying right in with God’s own analysis of life as we live it day by day. “ALTHOUGH I (as a way of life) walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil.”
Listen to Luke 1:78-79 – Zechariah’s words as he foretells Christ’s ministry: “…whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high to give light to those who are (right now) in darkness and in the shadow of death to guide our feet into the way of peace…”
Nothing easy about this life, about our perpetual calling as soldiers. As long as we are in this flesh, we LIVE in the Valley of the Shadow of Death – though with peace and even victory because of the One who conquered death.
But won’t it be great to trade it in for the Light of Life?
One thing I find interesting about the Valley of the Shadow of Death is that we’ve just been told that we have a shepherd who is carefully leading and guiding us. So if we have ended up in the Valley, it must mean that he is leading us there. And if he is leading us there, we must be on our way to those green pastures and still waters.
They are parallel in this life, aren’t they? We live in the Valley of the Shadow and he IS the green pastures and the still water….
Thanks for sharing mom.
Thank you again for blessing my heart.
Eloquent as always, Barbara. I appreciate the tie-in with Luke 1:78-79.
So comforting, Mom. To know we are led, and that He walks beside us always. We cannot go where He is not ahead, leading….