Psalm 23:1 The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters; 3 he restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake. 4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff — they comfort me.
I can’t say how many times I’ve read this psalm, but it has to be in the hundreds of times. As is true of any VERY familiar text, it can be difficult to see something new. But today I did, perhaps because of the era of time we’re in (Covid time). I particularly noticed v.4:
Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me…
The writer (King David) does not deny the need to walk through the “darkest valley”, which I would prefer to avoid altogether. Right? But that’s not how life works is it? There are seasons of danger, uncertainty, fear. Many of us are in such a season now. The bad news is that we don’t get a pass because we are children of God. The good news is that the Lord our God walks with us through the dark valleys of life. We do not go alone. Let me say that again.
WE DO NOT GO ALONE.
Lord of Life, reveal yourself to those of us in the dark places, that we may know we are not alone. For you walk with us every step of the way. Amen.
Fuel for the journey 