Lead You Through the Valley of the Shadow of Death

Here’s hoping you have decided to have the Lord as your shepherd for 2019 and are not in want! My wish is that he is giving you rest and peace, guiding you in righteousness and restoring your life. As your shepherd he wants to do even more.

Psalm 23:4-6; “(4) Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. (5) You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies, you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. (6) Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

When you make God your shepherd he will guide you and walk with you through the valley of the shadow of death! The promise is that as you walk through the valley of the shadow of death that you will not fear evil because he is with you and guiding you, as shepherds do, with his rod and staff.

Gods’ shepherding and guidance, along with his presence remove fear as he walks you through the valley of the shadow of death! We need him in this valley that we all face. I see three life events that take us through the valley of the shadow of death.

First, we have close calls with death. Some of these close calls don’t seem like close calls at the time, but over time and with some reflection can be seen as close calls with death. At the age of seventeen I remember riding in the back of Herbies’ 59’ Ford truck! We had been drinking beer and were on the south side of Sedona, Arizona headed for home in Flagstaff. I got on my knees and looked through the rear window into the cab and could see the speedometer at one-hundred and ten miles per hour. It seemed like fun at the age of seventeen. Now, fifty-three years later I am convinced that the danger of those moments of stupidity made it a close call with death. In spite of ourselves, sometimes God shepherds us through the valley of the shadow of death in close calls that we did not see as close calls when they happened. Notice this, that even in our sinfulness his shepherding will see us through the valley of the shadow of death.

For me and maybe for you there are other, more obvious, close calls. My open heart surgery in 2014 and the brain surgery later that same year were close calls with death. He walked me through them all!

Second, we have the death of others. I know that the Lord, as my shepherd, has walked me through the death of others that I loved. People that I cared for have passed from this life and I found myself walking through the valley of the shadow of death in their loss. My grandparents, parents and a younger brother and sister have all passed away. My fatherin-law and mother-inlaw, whom I have loved for over forty-five years, have all passed away. I was involved in my mothers and brothers funeral, performed my sister’s funeral and was speechless, a rare time for me, at my father’s funeral and eulogized my father-inlaw. God joined me and walked me through all those losses and they were real life traumas!

Third, we all are going to walk through the valley of the shadow of death when we die. Our shepherd, the Lord will show up, be present and walk us through that time of graduation to heaven. There will be no fear of evil and he will guide us as our shepherd through the events at our passing!

I have performed hundreds of funerals and memorials since 1975. Over and over I have used the words of the old hymn , Some Day the Silver Cord will Break, ; “some day the silver cord will break and I no more as now shall sing, But, O the joy when I shall wake within the palace of the King. Some day my earthly house will fall, I cannot tell how soon twill be, but this I know – my all in all – has now a place in heav’n for me. And I shall see him face to face and tell the story saved by grace. And I shall see him face to face and tell the story saved by grace. “

While in the process of death and awaiting the sight of Jesus, face to face I know that the Lord will shepherd us through that valley of the shadow of death! He does not have the ability to let us down!

Through our close calls, the death of others and our own death the Lord will walk us through the valley of the shadow of death in absolute victory! Make him your shepherd and be sure not to miss out on him shepherding you!