November 9, 2007
I have been “marinating” in Psalm 23 for quite some time in preparation to teach it at women’s conference that took place a few weeks ago. This week, as I received very sad news concerning a precious couple in my Sunday school class, I have gone back to it once again. Like most of you, I am incredibly familiar with this Psalm, but over the past several weeks the Lord has enabled me to see it with fresh eyes. One book He has used in my life is entitled A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23, written by Philip Keller. Though there are a thousand little nuggets of truth I would like to share with you from this book, there is one particular section I have returned to again and again. These words relate to one of the most well known verses of Psalm 23: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me.” Mr. Keller, who walked through the dark valley of losing his beloved wife to cancer, writes:
It is a most reassuring and reinforcing experience to the child of God to discover that there is, even in the dark valley, a source of strength and courage to be found in God. It is when he can look back over life and see how the Shepherd’s hand has guided and sustained him in the darkest hours that renewed faith is engendered.
I know of nothing which so stimulates my faith in my Heavenly father as to look back and reflect on His faithfulness to me in every crisis and every chilling circumstance of life. Over and over He has proved his care and concern for my welfare. Again and again I have been conscious of the Good Shepherd’s guidance through dark days and deep valleys.
Let come what may. Storms may break about me, predators may attack, the rivers of reverses may threaten to inundate me. But because He is in the situation with me, I shall not fear.
There are going to be some valleys in life for all of us. The Good Shepherd Himself assured us that “in this world ye shall have tribulation; but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”
The basic question is not whether we have many or few valleys. It is not whether those valleys are dark or merely dim with shadows. The question is how do I react to them? How do I go through them? How do I cope with the calamities that come my way? With Christ I can face them calmly. With His gracious Spirit to guide me I can face them fearlessly.
I know [for a fact] that only through [the valleys] can I possibly travel on to higher ground with God.
I have been reading the biography of the great missionary Amy Carmichael. As she reflected back on the dark “valley” of leaving everything and everyone she knew and loved in order to obey the call of God, she wrote, “The night I sailed for China, March 3, 1893, my life, on the human side, was broken, and it never was mended again. But God has been enough.” That particular quote has touched my heart in a profound way. Every time I reflect on the goodness of the Shepherd, Amy’s words come to mind. They express in such an honest way what Psalm 23 is all about. It's not about the Shepherd making everything easy and pain-free in my life. It is so much more than that. What Pslam 23 teaches is that in the midst of our brokenness – even brokenness so deep and so painful that it never seems to fully mend this side of heaven - God is enough. His grace is sufficient. His plan is still good. He is my Shepherd, I shall not want. He is faithful . . . always and forever.