He walked the Hill to Golgotha so that He could be with us in the valley. The chastisement for our peace fell on Him so He could walk with us through the valley of the shadow of death!
Psalm 23
Passing Through the Notch
Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff— they comfort me Psalm 23:4 NRSV
Coming home from work I used to drive through a notch
in the hills called Sugar Hollow. The interesting thing about the place was that in late afternoon the angle of the surrounding hills blocked out most of the sun when it was low on the horizon. You would drive out of bright sunshine into a sort of twilight for a few miles. Then after a few long minutes suddenly the shadows lifted and the sun came shone again as you passed through to the other side.
That passing through may be what you are experiencing today. Maybe everything seemed pretty normal in your life till unexpectedly the boss called you into the office or the doctor called about those test results. The bright sunshine of your day in a moment changed to a shadowy path. If you are at all like me it feels at those moments that even the most familiar of l
and-marks seem strangely different in darkness. That is the time to remind ourselves to hang on and keep going. We do not need to panic. Jesus has promised to be with us always. Whatever deep river, hot fire or dark valley that lies ahead is temporary. Just past the shadows of the notch we are passing through, His road will lead us into sunshine and all the way home!
The Writer’s Psalm – The Lord is My Editor!
The Lord is my editor He makes me lie down and rest upon His word
He leads me to the quiet place of prayer so I will think before I write
He leads me to live His word not just listen so others will see His name written in my life
He stays up with me on lonely sleepless nights giving the comfort of His presence when I have nothing I can think of to say.
He prepares a feast of the joy of His presence when unfair words work to discourage me
He pours His grace over my life in such amounts that I can’t wait to share it with others
He sends blessings to follow me every day
And when He sends His approval of my manuscript
He includes a note saying, “Why not stop at my house when you are done
So we can spend all of eternity together!”
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
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.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy[e] shall follow me all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Psalm 23 ESV
praise2worshipdotnet 
You must be logged in to post a comment.