Through the Valley
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 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. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever. Psalm 23:1-6 (KJV)
I’d like to focus on verses 4-6 of this famous Psalm.
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. Psalm 23:4 (KJV)
No matter what we go through, God is with us. The key in going through difficulties, is to go through them. Don’t get stuck in pain and troubles. Don’t stay in the valley- it’s not your destination- you’re just passing through. Keep walking with God; He won’t leave you where you are. You may feel fear, but you don’t have to be afraid. Don’t forget that it’s the valley of the SHADOW of death. A shadow never hurt anyone. And God is there with His rod and staff. The rod was used to beat off wild animals that would seek to harm or kill the sheep. God’s Word is the rod, and as we speak it, we’ll see the waters part in front of us like Moses did. Speaking the Word stops the enemy from harming us. The staff was used to pull sheep close to the Shepherd and to lift them up when they had fallen. The Word of God brings us comfort and the Good Shepherd uses it to protect and guide His sheep.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Psalm 23:5 (KJV)
God protects and promotes us for all to see, especially our enemies. Just as there were giants in the promised land, there will be enemies in our midst. However, God provides all we need and causes us to triumph and prevail.
He anoints our heads with oil, meaning we are anointed and we have God’s favor and blessing on our lives. We are anointed with the Holy Spirit and power. God’s favor and the blessing are working for us all the time to do us good.
My cup runneth over refers to the large stone that held gallons of water for the sheep to drink from. God has overflowing abundance for us (John 10:10) and He gives us living waters to quench our spiritual thirst for God.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever. Psalm 23:6 (KJV)
Goodness and mercy follow us everywhere. The Hebrew word for mercy is Hesed, or God’s covenant love. It is also translated in places as lovingkindness. In other words, through his lovingkindness, God’s got our back. We can expect good things to happen. God’s goodness turns even the bad things into good things for us. Good days are ahead. Think good, expect good, speak good, and you’ll see good. God is love and He extends his love and mercy to us. God’s goodness and mercy lead us into the presence of God. We have His presence now and forever. It is our greatest reward and delight.
The Lord is my Shepherd and I shall not want- for anything- ever.
