Protection in the Valleys of Life
The Lord is my Shepherd. What do those words mean to you? Perhaps they don’t speak to you and me the way they did to David when he wrote them. David was a shepherd. He spent the first part of his life living among the sheep. He tended their wounds. He guided them. He fought off wild animals and put himself in danger to keep them safe. He risked everything to find one that wandered off. He lived for his sheep. There could be no greater picture of love and care for David than that of a shepherd. What does that picture look like for you? Who do you see your God as?
For those of us who had a good earthly father, the term Heavenly Father brings many similar pictures to mind as shepherd did for David. Perhaps for you it was your mother, teacher, or sibling that taught you the meaning of protection and value. No matter what we replace shepherd with in our story, human expectations have limits. We simply cannot see the true love and care of God with our eyes because even the best will let us down.
The truth is that God is… everything. Maybe that is why He told Moses He was simply I Am. Whatever definition we could ever give to perfection… God is. Whatever fulfillment of love and care could be imagined… God is. Whatever is just, whatever is holy, whatever is gracious and kind… God is. “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.” I don’t know what your valley looks like, but I know we have all traveled through them. If you are struggling right now, receive comfort from the protection and direction of God. Hold fast to the promise that nothing happens to us that God does not allow. He will not cause the pain we suffer through, but He allows it – with limitations. We may never know the full reason, but we are assured that God’s reason is for good (Romans 8:28). Hold on my fellow traveler. The valley will not last forever. “He leads me beside still waters; He restores my soul… Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life; and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
(Written by Keegan Harkins.)
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