Yea, though I walk through the
valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy
rod and thy staff they comfort me.
-Andy Gleiser
To this point in the psalm, the
sheep have been bragging on the Shepherd to other sheep, but now the sheep talk
directly to the Shepherd. It's easy to talk about the great Shepherd we have,
but how many sheep are actually talking to the Shepherd? Do you have an
intimate relationship with your Shepherd? Do your eyes light up when you're
with him? If not, when he takes you through dark valleys, you're going to turn
on him.
Sometimes the Shepherd takes
you on a quiet path to pastures and water, but sometimes he takes you on a path
surrounded by terrifying fear. If somebody told you surrendering your life to
Jesus would bring less pain, they lied to you. The Good Shepherd himself told
you in the world you would have tribulations. But why would the Shepherd take
us through valleys? He is taking us somewhere he wants us to go, but we can't
get there until we go through the darkness. Sheep may not understand what the
Shepherd is doing, but he is taking us to higher ground, sweeter grass, and
greater satisfaction.
But notice the valley. It is a
"shadow of death." Shadows can't harm! They can bring discomfort,
fear, and disorientation, but they cannot hurt. Never forget…for there to be a shadow,
there must be a light behind it. Paul said in 2 Timothy 1 that Jesus abolished
death and brought life to light in the darkness through the gospel. The shadow
of death can't harm you because the gospel is shining behind. The Good Shepherd
laid his life down for the sheep. He took your death. Don't doubt in the dark
what God taught you in the light. If the gospel was true in the light, it's
still true in the dark. Jesus didn't abandon you at the cross, so why would he
now?
This valley is not the destination;
it's the avenue to the destination. The Shepherd will not keep you in the
valley a second longer than necessary. Jesus had a shadow and it was beyond
terrifying, but he saw the joy after the cross. Don't quit on the Shepherd or
grow frustrated with him. He has been this way and he knows joy is coming.
Yes, the evil lurks in the
shadows, but refuse to doubt your Shepherd's goodness and give into fear. You
may not see him at times in the darkness, but you know he is there and will
protect you. It's not our place to understand, but to trust.
Food for thought: Do you still
trust your Shepherd even when you can't see him?
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