After Your HeartSample

DAY 3: WALKING

David starts Psalm 23 with a clear confession: “The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.” That kind of statement does not come from a life of comfort. It comes from a long history of depending on God in every circumstance. David knew hunger, fear, and betrayal, loss, failure. But he also knew what it meant to be led, fed, protected, and restored.

"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 (NIV)

Psalm 23 doesn’t speak in theory, it is written from experience. Notice that it doesn’t say God will keep us from every valley. It says that even there—even in the shadow of death itself—God is present.

The song Even Though I Walk echoes (and even quotes) this confession. “I have a Shepherd, His Name is Yahweh. He is enough for me... Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.”

Pain is not unfamiliar territory for the people of God. Scripture is filled with those who followed the Lord through famine, wilderness, exile, and persecution. What sustained them was not their understanding of their situation, but their trust in the One who remained with them.

To walk with God is not always to understand His path. But it is to remain near to Him on it. His rod and staff are instruments of comfort and correction. He leads us with these, and not always by removing every danger, but by remaining near us through all of it.

In the valley, we are not left to wander. We are shepherded.

If you find yourself walking through a valley, perhaps slowly, uncertainly, even wearily… you are not alone. The Shepherd does not abandon His sheep. He knows the way, and He will not lose you in the valley of the shadow of death. We are called to have a steely resolve to fear no evil. Because He is with us.

Keep walking. He is with you.

GUIDED PRAYER
Lord, You are my Shepherd. Lead me through whatever lies ahead. When I do not see the way forward, let me hear Your voice. Remind me that You are near. Let Your rod guide me and Your staff steady me. Even in the valley, You are good. Even in the shadow, You are present. You are my covering, my peace, and my hope. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.