July 16 - Psalm 23:4

July 16
Psalm 23:4

Dear Christian friend,

Psalm 23:4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

In this life there will always be dangers lerking around corners where we are exposed to pitfalls and every kind of evil. As the psalmist wrote, we do walk in this life "through" the "valleys" of the "shadow" of death.

• A "valley," however, is never a permanent place, but a temporary place of being that we sometimes must travel through to bring us to higher ground. For a believer in Christ, our higher ground always awaits us as we journey through life fully trusting in the Lord as our good shepherd who watches and cares for us along the way until we one day reach our higher ground in heaven.
• As we walk "through" the "valley," we are not walking "in" the valley. In other words, we do not take up residence in the valley - we are simply walking through to get to the other side. Because we have our good shepherd hovering over us, He is taking care of us, leading us, and this walk through the valley is only temporary as our good shepherd is prodding and leading us to higher, safer ground.
• Within the "shadow" of death, is something we do not have to fear.  You see, a shadow is only a shadow, and as such, most people cower in fear from the shadow and thus are defeated. Shadows in itself do not have the ability to stop anyone; furthermore, the shadow of death does not kill. We, as the sheep of God's pasture, always have our good shepherd hovering over us with His rod as a club to ward off wild animals and the crook of His staff to rescue any troubled sheep. 

Again, we can rest in the assurance that our good shepherd watches over us at all times. Even if we wander, He will go after us to bring us back into the fold.

The Lord wants us to be reassured that His hand of protection is on us at all times so that we are safe within the fold away from any harm or danger. Remember, Jesus is your shepherd, the good shepherd who loves and cares for you.