DAY SEVENTEEN
God’s Promise:
I will be with you at all times.
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. - Psalm 23:4 (ESV)
As we believe and trust God daily, we are assured of His promise to walk with us and to watch over, protect, and comfort us. However, we sometimes equate His comfort and protection to a lack of difficulty. In the ordinary course of life, we will all find ourselves in places we would rather not be.
But where death’s shadow casts a wide shade of despair, God’s promises are more vibrant still. In fact, it may very well be right there where the promises of God become most alive to us. When David penned these words, he knew well what it meant to be hunted, scorned, and exiled. It wasn’t on the mountain where he wrote these treasured words, but in the valley itself.
If our God was a God who only showed himself in the sunlight, he would be no god at all. But as it stands, His presence is not limited to pleasant circumstances. Rather, He is with us in the midst of the darkest night. The presence of evil and devastation in our lives does not then cause us to doubt, but simply to hold more firmly to the promise of His presence. And praise the Lord, there He will be, and because He is there, we have nothing to fear.
Action Step:
I will walk in the confidence of God’s comfort for me today, not in fear of the looming shadows of evil.
As we believe and trust God daily, we are assured of His promise to walk with us and to watch over, protect, and comfort us. However, we sometimes equate His comfort and protection to a lack of difficulty. In the ordinary course of life, we will all find ourselves in places we would rather not be.
But where death’s shadow casts a wide shade of despair, God’s promises are more vibrant still. In fact, it may very well be right there where the promises of God become most alive to us. When David penned these words, he knew well what it meant to be hunted, scorned, and exiled. It wasn’t on the mountain where he wrote these treasured words, but in the valley itself.
If our God was a God who only showed himself in the sunlight, he would be no god at all. But as it stands, His presence is not limited to pleasant circumstances. Rather, He is with us in the midst of the darkest night. The presence of evil and devastation in our lives does not then cause us to doubt, but simply to hold more firmly to the promise of His presence. And praise the Lord, there He will be, and because He is there, we have nothing to fear.
Action Step:
I will walk in the confidence of God’s comfort for me today, not in fear of the looming shadows of evil.