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Psalm 23:4
Psalm 23:4
Psalm 23:4 “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil;”
[At least one of the paths of righteousness you will lead me on, Lord, goes through this dark valley. It may be a time of dying to a desire, to my will, to a possession or it may be physical danger and sickness or death of a loved one or myself. Whatever it is, I do not need to fear that evil will triumph.
There may be loss and suffering, but in the end, evil will not win because Jesus is already the Victor and I belong to Him.
Think of Paul in his shipwreck described in Acts 27. In the midst of a great storm there were days and nights of uncertainty where Paul was cold, wet and hungry; and then the crashing of the ship into a sandbar and everyone having to swim to shore through crashing surf. There was evil: the soldiers wanted to kill the prisoners, Paul included, so they couldn’t escape, but that was prevented. Then the viper bit Paul, but God protected him and no harm was done.
It was a dark valley, but in it, the witness of Paul shone brighter in his faith, in his declaration of God’s sovereignty, in his prediction (all possessions will be lost, all people will be saved), and in his being protected. Without that dark, the light would have not been seen so clearly.
As we take refuge in His love, power and truth, God does not always protect us from what will harm us physically, but from what would harm us spiritually. Then we can shine in the darkness of this world as a light house for those seeking Truth.
The valley of the shadow of death is not a threat but an opportunity to fulfill the purpose of our lives: honoring the One who walked this road before us and will walk with us through it again. So, let us look to Jesus, “who for the joy set before him endured the cross, despising the shame and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Heb. 12:2).
Let us follow the advice of the Word to “throw off everything that hinders [our natural worldview] and the sin that so easily entangles [addiction to comfort, selfishness and security, to name a few] and run with perseverance the race marked out for us [some of which will go through the valley of the shadow of death], fixing our eyes on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2a) and we will come out on the other side, into a pleasant place: “He brought me out into a spacious place, he rescued me because he delighted in me” (Ps. 18:19).
Psalm 23
We Have It!

Psalm 10:16-18

Psalm 10:12-15
Psalm 10:12 “Arise, LORD! Lift up your hand, O God. Do not forget the helpless.”
[The psalmist has ended his complaint and now turns to you, Jehovah God, the only true help, who will move to intervene. Perhaps you have not acted earlier because no one prayed for your help, even though you prompted them to do so. But now the writer prays and you will answer.]
Psalm 10:13 “Why does the wicked man revile God? Why does he say to himself, ‘He won’t call me to account’”?
[the answer: he is blind, caught in the net of delusion the enemy has set for him; he fell into this trap because he rejected the light, the truth that God offered him. He has, like Esau, valued power, position and prosperity above what is of eternal value.]
Psalm 10:14 “But you, O God, do see trouble and grief; you consider it to take it in hand. The victim commits himself to you; you are the helper of the fatherless.”
[We can commit our feeble, helpless and vulnerable lives to you, O Lord, for you are our defender, our shield, our high tower, our salvation. You are the One who sees the fatherless, the widow, the helpless ones and will act on their behalf.]
Psalm 10:15 “Break the arm of the wicked and evil man; call him to account for his wickedness that would not be found out.”
[You, O Holy God, do see all, you will act and judge evil, at the right time. Praise you for your great and powerful working! Help us to wait for your perfect timing.
As it says in Psalm 37:7-9, “Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret–it leads only to evil. For those who are evil will be destroyed, but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.”
Help us to be still before you, Lord, to reject our anger, wrath and fretting, to rest in you, knowing that you will deal with evil. Help us to obey you in what we know to be right so we can be a light in your light–like the double sun in this picture–shining grace and the gospel on all those around us.]
More from the past

Psalm 10:1-11

Full Moon Memories
The full August moon shines over our farm now, reminding me of the days of getting to know Barbara in 1973. Under that full moon we would walk out into the ten acre lot and sit on a big stone in the middle of the field. My big dog, Isaac, would accompany us and when we sat down, would insert himself between us: he did not like this new relationship in my life! We talked of many things, getting to know each other.
At that point I was still uncertain about where this relationship was going; how could such a beautiful woman ever consider marrying someone like me. It was not until a month later that the Lord used Psalm 37:4 “Delight yourself also in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart” to convince me that Barbara was the woman He had for me. And then I announced to her, “We are getting married!” And she said, “OK!”
Wonderful walks and talks under that full moon, a reminder of how God is so gracious and good, giving us what we need to be more and more effective for Him.
Let Go, Hold On, Rise Above
