Thursday, September 2, 2010

God's Promise of Presence ~ Part 1

Psalm 23:4 "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for Thou art with me..."

So far, our study of the 23rd Psalm has been uplifting, hasn't it? Our Shepherd leads and feeds us; He makes sure we have adequate rest and peace; He heals us of our soul's diseases and guides us faithfully.

However, life's going to be like the old song ~ "Give Them All to Jesus" ~ reminds us. "He never said we'd only see sunshine. He never said there would be no rain." In other words, we can't stay up in the sunny green pastures beside the glistening still waters all the time. There are times in our lives when our paths will wind down into the valley of the shadow of death.

The "valley" is associated with the wadis of the Middle East. No other term but "wilderness" fits here. It's a desert with pits, ravines, and drought. The terrain suggests nothing but danger and death.

Mrs. George writes that the term "shadow of death" occurs 18 times in the Old Testament. Each use of the word means darkness. "Deep darkness, very deep darkness, thick darkness, and a darkness as dark as death."

Sisters, have you ever experienced times in your life when the darkness seemed to overshadow you and press you down, threatening to swallow you up as you had to journey into this next step of the unknown? I have. When I was pregnant with my youngest, I had a recurring dream that I developed complications while giving birth and that I died, leaving my husband to raise 3 little ones on his own. I talked to my doc about it, and she said that those types of dreams were somewhat "normal", so not to worry. I prayed for good dreams each night, but still felt apprehensive. Fast forward to the big day. "Popsicle" arrived via scheduled C-section as planned. All went well until an hour or so later when the nurses noticed that I wasn't bleeding at all. I began to get dizzy and was out of it. I had developed a large blood clot, and had to be put under and have a procedure akin to a D&C to remove it.

I remember thinking "This is my dream, and I'm not going to make it!" I felt the icy fingers of darkness surround me, pressing me down as the anesthesiologist told me to count backwards from 10. I remember praying, "God, please be with me!" as I began to count and a peace settled over me. When I awoke and realized that I had, indeed, survived, I was overcome with a thankful heart. Even during that scary time, I cried out to God, knowing that He was right there, beside me ~ to comfort me ~ or ~ if He chose to do so, take me home.

That, my sisters, is our dear Shepherd's promise: He is with us! His grace is there to see us through those difficult times! There's an old saying that reminds us that "The will of God will never lead you where the grace of God cannot keep you." What's even more joyous to realize is that "I walk through the valley of the shadow of death..."

Mrs. George writes, "It's true that the perilous valley is a part of life's path.... But it's also true that we can grasp the hand of God as we descent the frightening path into the valley, into the devouring darkness. We can rest in the knowledge that He, this path, has already been trod. And we are walk...calmly...with Him...remembering the words, "Yea, though I walk..."

"So walk! Don't pause. Don't falter. Don't ponder. Just proceed. Walk! Know that as the Shepherd's dear sheep and as God's beloved child and with the Lord beside you, you will walk through it. It comforts the soul to know that the Good Shepherd does not take His sheep into the valley of darkness to stay ~ but to pass through it!"

There's more to this study, but I just want to savor this thought for today!

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