There's a verse in the Bible that I think is very precious; and it has become precious to me with time; but there is so much that can be found within this one verse. It is also found within one of the most beloved chapters in all the Bible, Psalm 23.
Verse four of this chapter reads, "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." The first thing that was a tremendous blessing to me that I received from this passage was the phrase, "Thou art with me." From verse one to verse three of this passage, we find David talking about the LORD. "The LORD...he maketh...he leadeath...he restoreth...he leadeth..." But it is in verse four that things change. "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me..." Let's suppose he continued it descriptively; observe what it would look like: Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for He is with me. His rod and His staff, they comfort me." In verses one to three David describes the LORD as his shepherd, one who makes him rest, one who leads him beside still waters, a restorer of his soul, and one who leads him in the paths of righteousness. All of these are things that The Lord does for His children; but suddenly when it comes to going through the valley of the shadow of death; he forgets his audience, and turns to the one of whom he is describing. I love that. it is a comfort to know that He is with me. And the most blessed part of it all is that He was with me all along. It didn't say, "Yeah, when I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou soarest in like a bird, or a plane, or like...Superman, and art with me..." No! It says, "Yeah, though I walk..." The next thing that I see in this passage is a powerful promise that helps me to overcome my fears when it comes to sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. In Matthew 28:19 and 20 it says, "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen." The world in which we live is filled with people who are dead in their sins. They are bound in affliction and iron. And we see very clearly in Matthew 4:16 that "The people...which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up." To me that is easily comparable to Psalm 23 and the Great Commission of Matthew 28:19 and 20. I can walk through the valley of the shadow of death where the lost man dwells and I can go spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ without fear, because Jesus promised in Matthew 28:20, "...lo, I am with you alway..." Yea, thou I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me. Another thing I see in this little verse is that I don't have to flee through the valley. A lot of times we have a tendency to run from the valley of the shadow of death...or at least, it is our nature to do so. But with Jesus by our side, we can walk. Because, "We walk by faith, not by sight" (2 Corinthians 5:7), and we "live by the faith of the Son of God" (Galatians 2:20b) Who loves us, and gave Himself for us. And such "faith cometh by hearing and hearing by The Word of God" (Romans 10:17). Many times in dark places, we like to be able to sense the presence of the Shepherd. I can think of the story of Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan, and the many dark caves he had to journey through, and how so many would take easier roads to avoid those dark moments in their journey. In such dark places is when a little child will reach for daddy. When I see that last part of the verse that says, "Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me," I think of what some shepherds do with the sheep that are closest to him. Often, a shepherd will rest his staff on top of a sheep's back that he favors, and one that is ever by the shepherd's side. And the sheep enjoy the presence of that staff resting upon their backs. But can I say something, dear friend? If you are not walking close to the Shepherd when the sun is shining bright, how in the world do you expect to find Him in the dark places? It's always a comfort to know that God has the solution long before we ever knew there was a problem, but many times if we're not walking with him when things are bright, we become tempted to ask, Where is God? in the dark times. Thankfully if you're in a valley, He's probably calling out to you and seeking for you. He's always with you if you are his sheep. But it's good to always feel the rod resting upon you, so that when you enter those dark periods of your life; you can truly say with David, Thou art with me. I am writing this based on experience. There have been so many times that I have left the Savior's side when times are good that when times grew dark, I often asked, Where are you God? Don't you care? So Fan the Flame and always know, He's with you, Christian!
There's a verse in the Bible that I think is very precious; and it has become precious to me with time; but there is so much that can be found within this one verse. It is also found within one of the most beloved chapters in all the Bible, Psalm 23.
Verse four of this chapter reads, "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." The first thing that was a tremendous blessing to me that I received from this passage was the phrase, "Thou art with me." From verse one to verse three of this passage, we find David talking about the LORD. "The LORD...he maketh...he leadeath...he restoreth...he leadeth..." But it is in verse four that things change. "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me..." Let's suppose he continued it descriptively; observe what it would look like: Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for He is with me. His rod and His staff, they comfort me." In verses one to three David describes the LORD as his shepherd, one who makes him rest, one who leads him beside still waters, a restorer of his soul, and one who leads him in the paths of righteousness. All of these are things that The Lord does for His children; but suddenly when it comes to going through the valley of the shadow of death; he forgets his audience, and turns to the one of whom he is describing. I love that. it is a comfort to know that He is with me. And the most blessed part of it all is that He was with me all along. It didn't say, "Yeah, when I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou soarest in like a bird, or a plane, or like...Superman, and art with me..." No! It says, "Yeah, though I walk..." The next thing that I see in this passage is a powerful promise that helps me to overcome my fears when it comes to sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. In Matthew 28:19 and 20 it says, "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen." The world in which we live is filled with people who are dead in their sins. They are bound in affliction and iron. And we see very clearly in Matthew 4:16 that "The people...which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up." To me that is easily comparable to Psalm 23 and the Great Commission of Matthew 28:19 and 20. I can walk through the valley of the shadow of death where the lost man dwells and I can go spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ without fear, because Jesus promised in Matthew 28:20, "...lo, I am with you alway..." Yea, thou I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me. Another thing I see in this little verse is that I don't have to flee through the valley. A lot of times we have a tendency to run from the valley of the shadow of death...or at least, it is our nature to do so. But with Jesus by our side, we can walk. Because, "We walk by faith, not by sight" (2 Corinthians 5:7), and we "live by the faith of the Son of God" (Galatians 2:20b) Who loves us, and gave Himself for us. And such "faith cometh by hearing and hearing by The Word of God" (Romans 10:17). Many times in dark places, we like to be able to sense the presence of the Shepherd. I can think of the story of Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan, and the many dark caves he had to journey through, and how so many would take easier roads to avoid those dark moments in their journey. In such dark places is when a little child will reach for daddy. When I see that last part of the verse that says, "Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me," I think of what some shepherds do with the sheep that are closest to him. Often, a shepherd will rest his staff on top of a sheep's back that he favors, and one that is ever by the shepherd's side. And the sheep enjoy the presence of that staff resting upon their backs. But can I say something, dear friend? If you are not walking close to the Shepherd when the sun is shining bright, how in the world do you expect to find Him in the dark places? It's always a comfort to know that God has the solution long before we ever knew there was a problem, but many times if we're not walking with him when things are bright, we become tempted to ask, Where is God? in the dark times. Thankfully if you're in a valley, He's probably calling out to you and seeking for you. He's always with you if you are his sheep. But it's good to always feel the rod resting upon you, so that when you enter those dark periods of your life; you can truly say with David, Thou art with me. I am writing this based on experience. There have been so many times that I have left the Savior's side when times are good that when times grew dark, I often asked, Where are you God? Don't you care? So Fan the Flame and always know, He's with you, Christian!
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