Have you ever felt stuck in a season of your life? Have you ever felt like you are just going around in circles? Or maybe you're going through a season of adversity that seems like it will never end. Yeah, I feel you because I have been there, in fact, I am currently leaving a valley season, so I understand you. I empathize with you. When I think of hard times or dark seasons, I remind myself that David, King David, the man after God’s own heart had these same struggles. David was the example of the king that God longed for, yet David was not perfect. David himself messed up; David’s story wasn’t pretty. David was a simple shepherd boy, who became king. David was an adulterer and a murderer, yet God still used him. This just proves God specializes in broken people, he isn't afraid of our messiness David went through hard times too, we see that, as he is the author of the majority of the Psalms, in which there are different types of which include: lament, wisdom, prophecy, messianic, trust, etc. But something David was especially good at writing was Psalms of Laments. He wrote Psalm 51, right after he has sexual relations with Bathsheba, in which, He cries out:
“Have mercy on me O God,
according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin!”
Psalm 51:1-2
David is actively crying out for the Lord to have grace on him and to remember that He is a God who is fast to forgive and slow to anger. What a beautiful Psalm of repentance. I think the most famous Psalm, and one if you grew up in Church, I could guarantee you, you have heard is Psalm 23. Psalm 23:
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
for his name's sake.
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.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.”
A beautiful Psalm that David wrote, more than likely when He was king. This Psalm speaks so much truth and wisdom. I mean how powerful is it that the Psalm says, “The Lord is MY Shepherd.” We have a personal relationship with the Lord in which He cares for us so intimately. The part of this scripture I want to focus on mostly is verse 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.”
The valley of the shadow of death. I don’t know about you, but that seems quite dark to me. The question is, was David in a valley when he wrote this? Probably not, but the valley is not always a physical place. The valley is easily any adversity in our life where we do not see any hope or any light. These seasons are seasons we all will go through, but in the verse, it says, “I will fear no evil, for you are with me”. Jesus is with us in these seasons. We have a God that does not forsake us in our times of the valley. We often look at this verse and say God is going to take us out of these seasons, but I don’t think that is what God is trying to say in this passage. He is not saying, that He will take us directly out of these seasons, He is saying that He will walk with us because HIS rod and HIS staff comfort us. God will not always take you out of the valley, but He will walk with you through the valley, and I want to put an emphasis on the word, walk here. Walk is a verb; we walk through the valley because the valley is not your home.
The valley is temporary. I have had to tell myself that quite often in this season of my life. Want to know something about valleys? There is one way in and one way out. When you are walking through a valley, you can easily turn back and go back to where you were, but you won’t get anywhere. Sometimes, the valley is necessary to get to the next best thing the Lord has for you. We can be tempted to turn around and go back to comfort, but we won't ever grow. The temptation is powerful too. I remember there was a time not too long ago when I called my sister, and told her, “I don’t think I can do this. I think I need to come home.” I was walking in the loneliest season of my life, but the Lord met me where I was and gave me the strength to keep walking through the valley, and not look back. The valley is temporary, but guess what is not? The House of the Lord because if you look at Psalm 23:6:
Surely your goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.”
The House of the Lord is forever. Not the valley. Take heart in this friend. Take heart and be encouraged today that Jesus Christ will never leave you, He will come and find you exactly where you are. I pray for you today, if you are in the valley or even if you're in the mountaintop, that you will see the goodness of God and know that He is right next to you. Let the Holy Spirit bring you joy and peace that passes all understanding!
Have a blessed one friends,
Barrett
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