I Will Fear No Evil
A few nights ago, my oldest son had a bad dream and I woke up to him calling out to me in the middle of the night. He sleeps in the room next to me so when I heard his cries, I immediately went to comfort him. I assured him that Mama was there with him and I held him in my arms until he fell asleep again. I don’t even think it took a minute.
When I heard my son calling out to me, I didn’t have to think about whether or not I would respond. There was no internal debate of “should I?” or “should I not?” I heard him call, and I was by his side in seconds. It didn’t take much to comfort him either. My presence was enough.
Isn’t this true of our father in Heaven? He loves us more than any earthly parent even could, and when we call out to him in our time of trouble, he is always there to comfort us.
Over this past year, I’ve spent a lot of time reflecting on Psalm 23:4, which says:
“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.”
I grew up in the church, so I’ve recited Psalm 23 many times. It’s only been in the past year that I’ve really understood its depth.
It’s not always easy to find the Lord in the midst of our suffering. In fact, I think our human inclination is to wonder why God would allow it.
As a child, when I recited this scripture, I believed that suffering was optional. I didn’t understand that it applied to everyone.
In fact, there’s another verse that compels us to “consider it pure joy… whenever we face trials of many kinds.” Notice that word, whenever, is used instead of if. Trials aren’t optional. Suffering isn’t either.
Trials look different from person to person, and it can be easy to compare our situation or circumstances with someone else. But some of our trials are unseen. I know many people who are navigating severe mental health challenges or trying to deal with the abuse that they experienced as a child. For others, the struggle is more obvious, like losing a loved one or receiving news of a terminal illness. None of this is easy.
If your life looks a bit different than you imagined it would, I hope you know that your current circumstances are not a surprise to the Lord.
More than that, we have the most beautiful assurance that he is with us and he comforts us, even if we walk through the valley of the shadow of death. His presence is enough.
