Psalm 23 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me, your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely your goodness…
I’m .sure that David wrote the 23rd Psalm in his later years after looking back over his life, and realizing that God had been with him from the start, and that he would be with him to the very end and beyond. I am now 66 years old, and I can now like David, attest to and relate to what is written in the verses referenced above. The 23rd psalm is one of the most well known and famous set of versus in the entire Bible. It is up there with John 3:16 and Romans 8:28. The 23rd Psalm is normally referenced at funerals, especially verse 4, which talks about walking through the valley of the shadow of death. When David wrote the 23rd Psalm, I’m sure he remembered the many times throughout his life, that God had walked with you through the valley of the shadow of death. I to have had a few brushes with death over the years. In looking back, I can also testify to the fact that there was no fear, because God was with me. Several years ago I was a hospice volunteer for about six months. Something that I noticed during that six months, was that God’s chosen faced death head on, because they new that God was with them, and they knew, like it says at the end of the 23rd Psalm, what awaited them after crossing over into heaven. I believe that as soon as someone accepts Christ into their heart, they should be made aware of what the 23rd Psalm says. More than anything, it shows us what we can expect as a child of God, and it teaches us about the unyielding faithfulness of God. The 23rd psalm ties in with Jeremiah 29:11, where God tells us that he knows the plans he has for us, plans to prosper us and not to harm us, and to give us hope and a future. It also ties in to what Jesus said in Matthew 28:20, “and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Jesus desires to walk with us when the sun is shinning, and he is also walks with us when we find ourselves walking through darkness. Praise the holy name of Jesus!
Walking Through Darkness
The Bible doesn’t teach that life will be easy,
Even for those who claim Christ as their own.
It does teach that God will be with us,
And that we will never be left alone.
Look at the story of Joseph,
When things got rough he remained true to the Lord.
He continued to exercise his faith in God,
God was faithful and sent his reward.
God uses trials for many reasons,
Some can come as quite a blow.
They transform us into the image of Christ,
They stretch our faith and make us grow.
God uses trials to shape us,
Into the person He wants us to be.
He walks with us through the darkest valley,
And causes all our fears to flee.