Valleys: Find Courageous Conviction in Life’s LowsSample

Resisting Fear When Your Life Bottoms Out

The twenty-third psalm was my mainstay in college when my sibling attempted suicide, and my parents went through bankruptcy. In my thirties, the twenty-third psalm was my plumb line when my father-in-law was in quadruple bypass surgery and when my mom had a cancer diagnosis. The poem you are about to study has functioned as my first line of defense when I am scared to death and scared of death. My prayer is that Psalm 23 becomes the song you sing when, as William P. Brown writes, life “plumbs the anguished depths of the heart.”

Embedded in this poem is the kind of unwavering trust you and I both need when we walk through death valleys––divorce, cancer, homelessness, depression, domestic violence, and any other cavern of life we may find ourselves in.

“Psalm 23 is a convincing witness that God is our Shepherd, that God is the Shepherd who preserves us, accompanies us, and rules us,” writes Eugene H. Peterson in Kingfishers. “He doesn’t just create us and turn us loose to make the best we can of it. He doesn’t just let us fend for ourselves until we die and are hauled before the judgment seat for an accounting of our conduct. He is the Shepherd who guides us in our wanderings and sustains us in our fugitive lives.”

The imagery of Jesus, the Good Shepherd, pursuing me gets me every time. He is not idle or passive. He is moving ever forward, ensuring that his goodness and faithful love reach my life. Jesus chases me down to bless and encourage me.

Maybe, like me, you need to be reminded that the God of the universe, the all-powerful, almighty King of all kings, is guarding your life. If you know Christ as Savior, you have a Good Shepherd who knows you and laid down his life for you on the cross because he loves you. That God, that Savior, Jesus—he is who walks with you through the Valley of Death.

Whether you value self-sufficiency or trend toward codependency, death valleys are a great equalizer when it comes to neediness. There are just some things you and I can’t climb our way out of, even though we might try. That’s why trying times are called “times of need.” You and I need help when we are in the lowlands of life. You don’t need to lift yourself up by your bootstraps or whistle someone down to help you up. You need a Good Shepherd—and you have one.

You may find yourself in that place, needing these ancient words to remind you that you don’t face pain and fear alone. Whatever ravine closes in around you, you have a good shepherd and a generous host with you, present to protect you and provide for your every need. That’s why the psalmist can say—in earnest—“I have what I need.”

Prayer: God, Help me to remember that you care for me and that your son, Jesus, is the Good Shepherd who pursues me. May my soul, no matter the circumstance, repeatedly say, “I have what I need.” In Jesus’ name, Amen