In Psalm 23:4 it says, “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.” (NIV)
No one gets through life without setbacks. All of us will face storms from time to time. The real issue is how I respond. When I experience a setback, what happens next? Do the setbacks dominate me? Do I stop trying and give up?
If I’m not careful, setbacks will cause me to make unhelpful decisions:
Drifting from my goals. I hear the little voice inside that asks, “What’s the use of trying?” Then I stop striving for what God has clearly called me to do.
Discarding what I value. Sometimes, after a period of intense pain, my priorities change—I let go of what once mattered greatly to me.
Despairing about my future. I figure I’m doomed, finished, and it’s all over.
People react to crises in one of those three ways. The true test of faith is not how high I jump when I sing praises to God, but how straight I walk when I’m going through the valley of the shadow of death.
I’ll always drift in a storm without the right anchor. And only one anchor will really do.
One of the Bible’s most famous passages says it like this: “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me” (Psalm 23:4 NIV).
God’s presence is the greatest anchor in any situation.
So when I’m feeling hopeless, I need to remember that God hasn’t left me. I can choose to make him my rock-solid anchor.
No matter how dark my valley, I’ve never been closer to God than I am at this exact moment. It’s tough because I don’t feel his presence.
But it really has nothing to do with how I feel. The Bible says God is there in my darkest valley. That’s reality—whether I believe it or not.
The Bible says, “I’m absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us” (Romans 8:38-39 The Message).
No matter what I’m going through, God and his love will be right here with me. That truth offers stability in any storm.
Even when walking through the dark valley I will not be afraid, for you my Lord are close beside me, guarding, guiding all the way. Only one person can walk with me through dark valleys and bring me safely to the other side, the God of life, my shepherd. Because life is uncertain, I should follow this shepherd who offers me eternal comfort. So when things seem dark and bleak I do not need to fear, for God is close beside me, protecting and guiding me.
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