In the Valley of the Shadow, Look to God’s Light

In Psalm 23:4 I read, “Even 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." (ESV)

Loss is a common source of stress. I can lose my job, health, money, reputation, or a loved one. But, even in the greatest season of loss, I’ll never lose God’s presence.

When people go through loss, I often see two common reactions: grief or fear. Grief is good. Grief is the way I get through the transitions of life. In fact, if I don’t grieve, I get stuck!

On the other hand, fear is a bad thing. Not once does the Bible say, “Grieve not,” “Mourn not,” “Weep not,” or “Cry not.” But it does say, “Fear not.” And it says that 365 times! Grief doesn’t paralyze me, but fear does.

David says in Psalm 23:4, “Even 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” (ESV).

Shepherds always carried a rod and a staff to protect their sheep. In the same way, David trusted that God had the tools to protect him, even in his darkest valleys.

Shadows are scary. First, shadows can’t hurt me. Second, shadows are always bigger than the source.

And here’s more good news: I can’t have a shadow without light. So the key to going through the valley of the shadow is to turn my back on the shadow and look at the light. As long as I keep my eyes on the light, Jesus, the light of the world, the shadow won’t scare me.

That’s how I can go through the valley of the shadow of death. That’s how I can lower my stress. I trust God in the dark valleys, just like David, who prayed, “When I am ready to give up, he knows what I should do” (Psalm 142:3 GNT).

In summary, even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you (God) are with me; your rod and staff, comfort me. Loss is a common source of stress. I can lose my job, health, money, reputation, or a loved one. But, even in the greatest season of loss, I’ll never lose God’s presence. Two common reactions: grief or fear. Grief is the way I get through the transitions of life. If I don’t grieve, I get stuck! Fear is a bad thing. The Bible says “Fear not.” And it says that 365 times! Grief won’t paralyze me, but fear will. Shepherds always carried a rod and a staff to protect their sheep. In the same way, David trusted that God had the tools to protect him, even in his darkest valleys. Shadows are scary. but, shadows can’t hurt me. Shadows are always bigger than the source. I can’t have a shadow without light. The key to going through the valley of the shadow is to turn my back on the shadow and look at the light. As long as I keep my eyes on the light, Jesus, the light of the world, the shadow won’t scare me. I can go through and lower my stress, if I learn to trust God in the dark valleys just like David did.

Death casts a frightening shadow over me because I am entirely helpless in its presence. I can struggle with other enemies; pain, suffering, disease, and injury, but strength and courage cannot overcome death. It has the final word. Only one person can walk with me through death's dark valley and bring me safely to the other side; the God of life, my shepherd. Because life is uncertain, I should continue to follow this shepherd who offers me eternal comfort.