God Is With UsНамуна

God is with us in difficult 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)

The Bible is a realistic book that honestly recounts the difficulties people go through, even those who live with God. David writes about “a valley of the shadow of death” and “enemies.” He may have been thinking of King Saul, who pursued him for years, or of later enemies who wanted to kill him. Paul mentions oppression, distress, persecution, hunger, and death threats as actual dangers. He experienced these things himself and saw them happen to fellow believers.

So, both men knew from experience how difficult life can be. What did they want to say about this? “In all these things we are more than conquerors” (Romans 8:37 ESV). Nothing can separate us from God's love (Romans 8:39). “I will fear no evil, for You are with me” (Psalm 23:4 ESV). And in another psalm: “The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” (Psalm 118:6 ESV)

It sounds almost too good to be true. But these words were not spoken from the sidelines, by someone who had it easy. On the contrary, they describe the experiences of Paul and David in the depths of suffering. Even then, God was with them, and that helped them through it.

What difficult things have you experienced? Did you also experience God's presence at that time? How did you notice?