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SPEAKING TO THE SOUL

“Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.”
Psalm 23:4 NLT

This is perhaps the best known and most comforting of all this psalm’s verses. It is usually quoted in times of serious illness and death. While there is an obvious application for the realities of the accompanying pain and grief, this is not the sole blessing wrapped within this verse.

As I accompanied Katey through debilitating illness up to and including their death, I did look for sustenance from the Shepherd of these verses. Yet, this was very much about God ministering to my own sorrow and heartbreak. It was for my healing and restoration.

But the Shepherd is to be my focus at all times, even when I cannot find God within my situation. I have to make the decision that I will entrust my well-being to the Shepherd and not turn from the path of discipleship in search of alternative options. This was the road Jesus walked (Hebrews 5:8). It will prove a monumental challenge for each of us. My own experience suggests that God does not expect that we will transition into this way of faith in one go. It is, however, the degree to which we actively pursue God year on year that brings us to the point where everything apart from Jesus becomes a mere distraction to us.

This may sound extreme, and in some senses against a backdrop of a consumer society, in which entitlement influences us all, it is. Yet, how extreme can it be to yield completely to the love of God? How radical is it to take God at his word and place confidence in his promises? The great danger is that we have the most appealing construct in Christianity. I too easily fail to find God in my rush to ensure my own ‘safety’ in a very unsafe world. Only in God am I promised an all-embracing peace (Philippians 4:7).

QUESTION
How has Jesus been a comfort to you during darker days and tougher times?

PRAYER
Lord Jesus, thank you for your presence, your protection and your peace.


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