Psalm 23:4, "Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for thou art with me: thy rod and thy staff they comfort me." We all have possibly had valley experiences in our lives (i.e., the death of a loved one, a divorce or separation, and even sickness), but I want to encourage someone today through this Psalm that even in our valley experiences that God is with us. There are four words in Psalm 23:4 that I will highlight to lessen your fears as you walk through the valley.
The first word is shadow. It is only a shadow of death. This valley, that you might be going through right now, is not death. The Shadow of the most deadly weapon can't kill you! The shadow of the most venomous snake can't kill you either. Well, neither can the shadow of death. Stop now, and Praise God now that you shall not die, but live because it's only a shadow.
The second word is valley; it is a valley of the shadow of death. Yes, valleys are deep, secluded, dark, and dirty. There is muck and mire in the valley, but valleys are also fruitful. There is water in the valley. There are green pastures in the valley. Most early civilizations started and flourished near river valleys like Egypt and the Nile River. There are green pastures in the valley. If the truth were told, it's usually in our valley experiences when we become determined and motivated to get right with God. In our valleys, we stop playing with God and seriously begin praying to God, in search for God. So it is in our valley that we find our best teacher. Many lessons are learned in the valley.
The third word that can lessen your fear today is walk. Glory to God it is only a walk through the valley. If there were any real danger, David probably would have said, "Yea though I run through the valley of the shadow of death." Keep in mind, it's just a gentle walk. Walk means to move feet at an EVEN pace...a stroll. We should walk through the valley because God is with us.
The fourth and last word that I hope encourages you is the word through. The word through let us know that you will not stay here permanently. There was a reason for this but in order to get to we must go through. We won't get lost, stuck, or detained in the valley because it is not our final destination. We are only going through with God.
Remember today as you personally go through your valley experiences to WALK THROUGH! Amen.
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