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).