Through The Darkest Valley
“The Lord is my shepherd;
I have all that I need.
2 He lets me rest in green meadows;
he leads me beside peaceful streams.
3 He renews my strength.
He guides me along right paths,
bringing honor to his name.
4 Even when I walk
through the darkest valley,[a]
I will not be afraid,
for you are close beside me.
Your rod and your staff
protect and comfort me.
5 You prepare a feast for me
in the presence of my enemies.
You honor me by anointing my head with oil.
My cup overflows with blessings.
6 Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me
all the days of my life,
and I will live in the house of the Lord
forever.” Psalm 23
I know many of you have heard this Psalm and can recite it from memory. But have we become over saturated with it so much that it looses it’s meaning and description of God’s deep love for us?
Our present and broken world
Majority of this week, I was asking God what He wanted me to write. I was trying my best not to be over spiritual about it but wanted it to be helpful. I thought and thought. Then, after being reminded of the dark broken world we live in, He placed on my heart to write about the reassurance that He knows our situations and is with us.
If you haven’t seen on the news, scrolled across facebook, or listened to people’s political opinions, then let me catch you up to speed. We live in an unjust, unfair, sinful, broken world. Needless to say it is a dark place. We all have experienced it’s hardships, presently. You could have lost a job due to COVID, have financial troubles, have family members pass away, have a grandfather have a stroke, have your sweet and beloved baby go to heaven right in your arms. The list is endless. We all have our different darkest valleys. However, we are the same in that we hurt, feel pain, experience loss, live in a shattered and imperfect place. So take a moment, and although painful, think about your valley.
There is Hope and He has a name
That’s where Psalm 23 comes in. David, the writer of Psalm 23, is running and hiding for his life as he writes this Psalm. I would like to be reminded just how deeply this psalm is true.
“The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need” : God being your shepherd means He knows your every need. He provides food, water, and shelter. Sheep are not the brightest animals and often wonder their own way (where they are likely to be attacked by wolves). But the Good Shepherd guides them back to safety. Also, you have all that you need in Jesus.
2 “He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams.”: Again, this shows that God is with you and provides even when it seems like a dry wasteland of life. Also this wording you can probably picture the quietness of nature that brings peace and calming.
“He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name.“: With the rest mentioned in the previous verse, He brings rest beside peaceful waters. Our strength comes from Him. When He guides us to the right path it brings honor to Him. We also have to let Him guide us, by humbleness and prayer for His wisdom.
“Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.“: This verse also shows the same theme that God is with you. That as sheep, we need Jesus to protect us and comfort us in our darkest times. We can have confidence in this and not be afraid for He is near to us. He knows what you are going through and will make a way.
“You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings.“: In David’s time, he was faced with a real person. Though we are faced with real people and their disagreements or injustice, we do not fight with flesh and blood. “For we[a] are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.” Ephesians 6:12 The cool thing about it is, Jesus already won for us and while we are sitting at the feast in the presence of our enemies, He fights our battles so we don’t have to. In this time, oil being poured on someone is a high honor and shows that we are covered in His holiness and righteousness. A cup over flowing shows that you are filled with blessing. David is thinking about all that the Lord has done for him.
“Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.” This shows that God’s intent is to bless you with goodness and unfailing love. In this translation the word “pursue” is used. When something is pursuing something else, that doesn’t mean that the thing they are pursuing will respond. So what that means is, no matter if we accept God’s grace and love or not, it will always be there for you. To live in the house of the Lord means that you are part of the family, you are known to Him, you are well cared for, and deeply loved as a child.
I pray that this Psalm has been a sweet reminder to God’s grace even in this uncertain time.
But Why?
You may ask, but why does this happen? Why does God let bad things happen? Why does it seem He gives such joyous things and then takes them away? I don’t have the answers to that. Nor can anyone else comfort you like Jesus. However, I do believe that God is so so good and like a good parent He does what He does for what’s best for us. Maybe He does so to grow our faith, to trust him with it all. Psalm 23 is so peaceful because its proclaiming faith in God, it’s being able to depend on God and not carry what you are carrying alone. So I can’t answer the, “but why” questions. I can’t tell you why it’s unfair or unjust. All I can say is we live in a broken world, but a world that is not forgotten. For those that know Christ, we are just visiting.
“In the house of the Lord forever”:
Like I said before, this part of the verse in Psalm 23 means that you belong to the family of God. You live in his house. As a christian, my hope is not in money that can buy things, not in politics, not in cures, not in worldly relationships. My hope is in Christ Jesus. So if you feel lost, forgotten about, broken, like there is a whole in your chest, feel you have no hope, or never accepted Jesus in to your lives, I invite you to say this prayer with me. You can say it where ever you are, add to it and make it yours, just pray from the heart with faith.
Dear Heavenly Father,
I live in a broken world where I can find no hope. I have sinned and fallen short. Father, I believe in your Word, I believe that your Son Jesus Christ Died on the cross and rose again to defeat death to pay for my sins. Lord, forgive me of my sins. Come into my life, lead me as my Good Shepherd who watches over me. Be my all fulfilling hope that only you can be. Lord, thank you for your mercies and grace every day. Thank you for your son Jesus. Help me to keep eyes on you all the days of my life. In your name I pray, Amen.
If you Prayed that prayer, Congradulations!! Welcome to the Family! I would love to hear from you about your decision to follow Christ and your forever Hope. Reach out through email in the contacts at the bottom of the page or at impatientgrace20@gmail.com.
Finding Hope
Here are a few questions to take you to the next step with being reminded of where your hope is!
- What are you stressed about? What makes your heart break right now?
- What have you been doing to cope with this?
- Have you prayed and praised?
- How is God trying to comfort you in your worry or disappointments?
- Where can you find God in your valley?
- I encourage you to write out a list of things that are worrying you, what you’re sad or disappointed in, or heartbroken about. Pray over them. Then Write a list of things that God has graciously given you. Then Praise God for them.
