In The Valley

"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." -Psalm 23:4

Psalm 23 is easily one of the most quoted sections from the Bible. I would argue it's in the top three along with John 3:16, and the first chapter of Genesis. It's incredibly well known in our culture even known among people who aren't Christians. It is also a beautiful passage in the Bible (probably one of the reasons it is so familiar). That is also a significant amount of theological truths through the six verses that comprise the Psalm. While some of the meaning and imagery found in verse two can be easily misunderstood in western culture (that's an interesting discussion for another time), it is verse four that seems to stick out to people the most from the Psalm. When we look at the condition of our world, it is not surprising. 

If we're so audacious to say something other than "good" when someone ask how we are doing, we often will respond by saying tired and/or busy. If we explore even further, we will see on social media, in conversations with friends, the news, etc. that many of us are struggling. We're facing hardships of various kinds: financial, relational, mental, emotional. It can be challenging and difficult to walk through. Sin has corrupted and destroyed so many aspects to our world. The valleys in our lives can be daunting. Sometimes we feel like we are walking through impossible situations. Our bills pile up, loved ones or we become sick, we are hurt by others. These are often times the realities of our lives whether or not we openly admit to them.

However as David is writing this Psalm, he knows than even as he goes through the hardest challenges of life (several points in David's life people were actively trying to kill him), he is not afraid, for the Lord is with him. The Lord's rod and staff comfort him. Out of context, rod and staff seem to be a weird thing for David to write, however if we continue with the imagery within the Psalm, David is describing us as sheep, and the Lord being the good shepherd. Shepherds carried rods and staff to guide the sheep, as well as to protect them from predators. David is saying that even through the most challenging valleys in life, the Lord is protecting and guiding him through it. The same is true for us. In the midst of the valleys we go through, the Lord continues to work. He continues to guide and protect us. There will be many times where we don't see the light at the end of the tunnel, we don't know what is over the next ridge, however God does. He promises to provide for our needs, even if we don't recognize we need them in the moment. He promises to provide us peace that surpasses understanding (Philippians 4). There is no situation that we will walk through that the Lord is unable to handle.

May we find hope through the valleys, for we know that "the testing of our faith produces endurance,  endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope" (Romans 5:3-4). 

Student Ministry

There's a wide range of areas where people serve at my church. Greeters, the first time guest tent, parking, etc. There are those that lead small groups, do counseling, and mobilize people to go on mission trips domestically and abroad. If you jump over to the Annex though, you'll find one of the more unique, and sometimes challenging ministries: students. Student ministry is challenging, rewarding, confusing, and incredible all at once. I've been working with students for the past 6 years, and I never cease to be amazed at how God works in people's lives and how little I will ever know about pop culture.

There are certainly unique challenges to doing discipleship with high school students. You're not generally going to convince teenagers to get up even earlier to do a bible study before school. They don't have the flexibility in their schedule like college students. Many times, outside of small group, it looks like lunch after church, Cookout on a Friday night, or playing video games online (they get really hype when I do well because I'm mediocre at best). Of course many of them cannot drive yet either.  In addition to logistical challenges, there's just the challenge of doing discipleship with students. They're young believers if believers at all. They don't always get the value and joy of knowing the Father. Peer pressure seems a lot more overwhelming to many of them than to adults. High school drama is well...high school drama. Sometimes students come from incredibly challenging home lives. Divorces, emotional distant parents, rebellious siblings, and even situations much more hard than those. With a larger student ministry, I've seen a lot of it. Every time I think I've seen it all, I'm proven wrong. It can be draining balancing all of it.

However, despite the challenges, I've witnessed the Lord do some incredible things. Ephesians 3:20 tells us that God is able to do far more than all we could ask or think. That absolutely summarizes what I've seen. I've seen God grow young guys into men who desire to put God above all. I've seen students learn to value the word of God and place their hope in Him. I have seen God redeem impossible situations and bring peace into some of the most difficult circumstances. The more I serve with high school students, the more I learn to never doubt what the Lord is capable of doing in the lives of others. It makes some of the challenges absolutely worth it.