Good Morning,
I am awake and that is quite an accomplishment today. I have been burning the candle at both ends for a few days. A hot cup of Door County Perfectly Pistachio Coffee is calling on me right now. It is time to write.
Psalm 23 might be familiar to many. Although for some reason people seem to confuse it with the Lord's Prayer or The, Our Father. The first time I remember hearing Psalm 23 was at a funeral many years ago when I was a young boy. It has stood out to me as the "Funeral Psalm" for a long time. I bet some of you are nodding your heads in agreement right now.
Though most of the Psalm paints peaceful descriptions of our Lord as a shepherd and provider, green pastures, slow quiet streams, banquets or buffets, verse 4 is what I believe to be the heart of the psalm.
Psalm 23:4 Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. For You are with me. Behold your rod and your staff, they comfort me. In the original Hebrew language, the valley of the shadow of death translates to "the valley of deep darkness.
Death is only one type of deep darkness. There are a lot of deep darkness events that we fear to pass through, illness, rejection, loss of employment are just some of them. Being afraid of passing through these dark times, can mire you down in misery and sorrow, causing you to stay in the dark valley too long. Depression and anxiety only add more darkness. It prevents you from getting through to the other side.
The key to putting a beat down on this type of fear is to remember that you are not in this alone. God is in it with you. His rod and staff are there to protect you (His sheep) from predators. He uses the staff to push us along. During the passage through a dark valley, we need to stay close to Him, Then we discover peace and courage, which is COMFORT.
So today, please read the 23rd Psalm and know, you never, ever walk alone.
God bless,
Marty
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