Walking Through the Valley of the Shadow of Death

Yeah, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for thou art with me. Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.(Ps 23:4)

This week was a thoughtful and sad one thinking about the events of 9/11. We as a country went through “the valley of the shadow of death” when that happened. Now, the events are fading and we have already forgotten all about God. We think He doesn’t exist so we can do our own thing. Sex outside of marriage, illegal drug use and excessive alcohol consumption have left us a bad legacy.We've been rebelling this way  for at least 40 years so we have had two generations who don’t even know what morality is. It sometimes feels as if God is dead or has given up on us. Meanwhile, many families are suffering financially and they now say one out of every 6 children lives in poverty. Almost 50 million Americans are now below the poverty line.

What happened? Is there a connection between rejection of God and our moral decline? Yes, I believe there is. We have made idols and have bowed down to them. We also have murdered innocent children in the womb by the millions. The consequences of sin are all around us. God has taken away our prosperity in spite of “give away” programs and gov’t spending. Taxing the rich to give to the poor is not a healthy society, it is an imbalanced one. We, as human beings, want control over our own money, lives and fortunes. We want to give out of our own money to the poor not have the government redistribute our money by force for us. It is bondage with the system we have now. Humans do not want gov’t interference in the form of excessive taxation. I know from experience how painful and rough can be to part with your hard earned money.

What about the Good Shepherd in all this? Well, he will be with us through our trials. It’s as simple as that. He will also comfort us as we walk through them. He will use his rod to discipline us and his staff to protect us from predators. I am glad He is with me. I am a dumb sheep and wouldn’t have made it this far without his guidance and help.

What about you? Are you walking through some rough circumstances? Just keep trusting Him. He loves you as you are. Turn to Him and He will be your guide through all the rough storms and the good times, too.

Lord,we ask for your help today. Our country is in bad shape and is drifting further from you. We are weak but You are strong. We are surrounded by our enemies. Please intervene on our behalf and be swift to rescue us. Please be our protector and guide, like the good shepherd in this psalm. We love you and want to serve you. In Jesus Name, Amen.