Valleys and Shadows
Psalm 23:4, “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.” KJV
Valleys and Shadows
(Psalm 23:4)
Intro:
A. I want a quick show of hands to see what we most of you think. So here’s the question, “How many of you prefer sunny days over rainy days?”
B. Quick riddle: What do you get in a land that has sunshine every day and very little rain? The answer is a desert. In order to get lush vegetation you need the mix of sunshine and rain. Yet, when it comes to my personal life, I really don’t want rain. I think I would love to have life where every day was absolutely perfect and peaceful. But the truth is, can I really appreciate joy if I never experience sadness?
C. Last week we began this short series of sermons based upon the 23rd Psalm. Maybe the most memorized chapters of the Bible, and one that is used at more funerals than most other passages. There is something about this great psalm that touches the lives of most every adult.
D. It is great knowing that we have the creator of the universe as our Shepherd. Our Lord Jehovah is so great that we have no needs that he doesn’t meet. He lets us rest in green pastures, leads us beside quiet waters, restores our soul all so that we can walk in the pathway of righteousness for the sake of His name. What a great shepherd we have. But not every day is green pastures and quiet waters. There valleys that bring dark times, the shadows that bring fear and the question is what about then?
I. Sleeping Through A Storm
A. Before we look at Psalm 23:4, I want to take you to a story told by Matthew, Mark and Luke. Jesus had been doing a great amount of teaching and sharing stories with people that had a deep spiritual meaning to them. After being with so many people he told the disciples to get into the boat and head to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. It’s with that backdrop that we read (READ Mark 4:37-38).
B. I get it. I understand fear. I understand that when wave start to bring water into the boat that there is a very real chance you could die. What I don’t understand is how Jesus could sleep. If I was one of the twelve, I would have reacted the same way. I might have said, “Here is a bucket, start bailing water.”
C. But that’s not what happened (READ vs. 39). He rebuked the wind and told the sea, “Peace, be still” and the wind and water obeyed him. That’s not life. Things don’t happen like that. (READ vs 40-41). Let me make this personal. I don’t always believe God is bigger than the wind and the waves in my life. I might tell you he is, but there are times when my faith doesn’t follow what my head knows. So we come to David and hear him share life with us.
II. Valley of the Shadow of Death.
A. READ Psalm 23:4. David reflects upon his past in this verse. While he had spoken of the LORD in third person, here he switches to the second person perspective. The “he” pronouns become “you.” I don’t know what David has in his head at this moment, but he goes to a very dark time in his life. A time when blackness was overtaking his life.
B. This phrase “shadow of death” is used 10 times in the book of Job. This is a time when a person is alive, but feels like death is right there with them. It is a time when they are “in a dark place.” The phrase is not about dying physically, but generally associated with this deep darkness that floods us, but is only a shadow. It is in that darkness that David proclaims, “I will fear no evil.”
C. The word translated “evil” here means “danger, harm, or injury.” David, even in this dark time, says he doesn’t fear evil things happening to him. I want to have that type of faith. I really do, but I see myself trying to wake up Jesus in my prayer say, “Lord, don’t you care that I am perishing?” But David tells us why he did not fear the valley of the shadow of death.
D. He says, “your rod and your staff comfort me.” The rod was a club used to drive away animals, the staff was shepherd crook that was used for several different things. But the point that David is making is that he feels secure from evil things because his shepherd can beat off all the enemies.
E. It’s that little child that sees their dad as bigger than the boogie man. It’s the person who sees the wisdom of the older person as the right advice on how to handle a difficult situation. It’s us seeing God as God and able to hold on to us no matter what in all creation is thrown at us.
F. Paul asks the question we all have (Rom. 8:35). That’s a very real question. What is there that can destroy my relationship with my Shepherd? What force is greater than He? Listen to the answer (Rom. 8:38-39).
Conclusion:
A. When Jesus taught his disciples about prayer. He ended with a line that I find myself saying in my dark times. “Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.” I believe that. I believe that my God leads me out of temptation, but I also believe God is greater than the evil that wants to surround me and bind me.
B. I am growing. My faith is getting stronger. I have less fear in my life than I did when I started my Christian walk. I still have those valley and shadows. But I have come to know my Shepherd and I trust in his rod and staff. They really do comfort me. I can find peace in the words David wrote 3000 years ago. I pray you can find comfort in them also. If we can walk with you through your valley; if we can help you know the secure love of Jesus, then come forward as we stand and sing.
Because of Jesus,
Jeffrey Dillinger, minister