GOING THROUGH THE VALLEY

“Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” Psalm 23:4.

David remembered. He was probably an old man by now. He thought back to his youth as a shepherd on the hills outside Bethlehem. He reflected on his chequered life as a fugitive, a warrior and a king. His walk with the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob was like a sheep following his shepherd. He was familiar with the imagery because he had not only been a shepherd himself, caring for his father’s flock, but he was also the shepherd of God’s flock as their king and leader.

He was once a little lamb, bleating his needs and feeling the shepherd’s love as He tenderly cared for him, teaching him to follow, carrying him over the rough ground and showing him the best places to graze. Day after day, he followed the shepherd along the same paths, until they wore tracks along the right way to the green pastures and quiet waters which became easy to recognise.

As he grew, the shepherd taught him where to graze, what to eat and what to avoid. He rescued him when he fell, brought him back when he wandered off the path and treated his wounds when he injured himself. He learned to trust the shepherd, and to follow where he led instead of following his nose into trouble and danger.

The time came for him to put his lessons into practice. He had graduated from childhood to teenage, when the values he had learned had to become experience. There were pastures to enjoy which were more delicious and nourishing than those he had tasted as a young sheep. But they lay on the other side of a dark valley.

The day came when he was strong and old enough to go with the flock to the other side of the valley. Would he be willing to trust the shepherd when he could not see the way ahead? Would he stay close enough to the shepherd not to stumble over the rocks in the path or fall over the precipice because he was not listening to the shepherd’s instructions? Would he be so afraid that he would turn back and miss the abundance that lay on the other side?

He was grateful for the pleasant days when he had learned to recognise his shepherd’s voice and follow him along the easy paths. He trusted the shepherd because he knew He loved him and would never lead him into danger or abandon him when he was in trouble. Many is the time that the shepherd had rescued him when, in his foolishness he had become entangled in thorn bushes or fallen down a ravine.

The valley of the shadow of death was just that – a time when he had to die to himself and his wants and wishes. Self-will and self-sufficiency had no place in the dark valley. His only hope of getting through unscathed was to trust the shepherd and follow his leading. There were predators in the valley, waiting to pounce on any straggler. He would get through if he stayed close to the shepherd.

He knew who his enemies were, the voices in his mind that tried to break his trust in his shepherd. “God did that to you… God doesn’t love you… How could He let that happen? God is punishing you because you did that… God isn’t interested in your problems… God is too busy to care about you… God doesn’t even know your name…” He also knew that the enemies were lying because the shepherd was close beside him, with His rod of truth to drive them off, and His staff of grace to carry him through.  

Valleys are inevitable; they are a part of life, but they are also great teachers. When we go through our valleys, we have to shed our unnecessary baggage. The path is too steep and dangerous for us to be encumbered by bitterness, anger, and unforgiveness or guilt, fear and shame. Those were the issues the shepherd had to deal with when He was in the process of restoring our souls. We have to travel light to make it through.

Perhaps it will be the difficulty of the way that will induce us to let go of our pain and let the shepherd carry it for us. Too many good things lie ahead to cling to our stuff. This is where we die, and this is where we mature, letting everything go except that which makes us cling more tightly to the shepherd.

Now that’s really growing up!

Acknowledgement

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.