Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me.
Psalm 23:4
Have you ever walked through the darkest valley? Perhaps a friend betrayed you, a dream ended in heartbreak, or a loved one passed away. Perhaps the heartbreak came wave after wave, and you felt overwhelmed and confused. Perhaps you walk the darkest valley right now. Perhaps you find yourself broken and alone. At some point, we all go through seasons of walking in the darkest valley. No one is immune.
So, how do we walk through this valley without fear?
In a Shepherd’s Look at Psalm 23, Phillip Keller makes two important points. First, he highlights the way this Psalm changes pronouns. Stay with me here… something so small can take on significant meaning. He explains this pronoun change in writing: “The personal pronouns I and You enter the conversation. It becomes a most intimate discourse of deep affection.”[1] Simply put, the pronoun shift signals intimacy.
Second, Keller explains that this valley journey takes place during the fall season when shepherds drive their flock away from the approaching winter mountain tops to the safety of the shepherd’s winter home. During this time, the shepherd and sheep travel alone through the valley and the shepherd lovingly cares for the sheep. The dark valley may be dangerous and scary, but the journey brings personal attention and intimacy between the shepherd and flock.[2]
Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.
God walks with us in the valley. We experience His love more profoundly as we journey through times of heartbreak. And sometimes we experience God’s presence in creative and unique ways.
The first Sunday after my dear grandfather passed away, I struggled with where to attend church. Should I sit in my grandfather’s church pew, the church where my family attended for generations and where I attended as a youth? Or should I worship in my current church, a wonderful spot in Atlanta’s Summerhill neighborhood? At the time, I served as a youth minister in this low-income area of Atlanta and attended a neighborhood African American church that faithfully welcomed this young white woman and partnered with me in regularly serving and praying for the neighborhood.
Feeling lonely, conflicted, and broken, I drove to my church in Summerhill and quietly slipped into a seat. The wonderful gospel music filled the air, but the dark valley surrounded me. From the corner of my eye, I noticed a beautiful African American girl with her family. And… strangely… she kept staring at me. Then, to my surprise, she slowly scooted in my direction. The next thing I knew… this little girl had her arms around my waist. I did not know her or her family. She was a stranger to me, but not to God. This little girl, touched by God’s Spirit, just held me. And, strangely, I let her. Admittedly, her parents were perplexed, but they did not interfere. Perhaps they sensed God at work. To this day, I have never seen this family again, but God used this little girl to love me in my brokenness. God walks with us through the valley… often in unique and creative ways.
Are you walking through a deep valley? You are not alone. The One who calls you beloved is walking with you…. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.
[1] W. Phillip Keller, A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2007), 97. [2] Ibid. 98.
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