The Lonely Valley
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want . . . 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 23:1,4 ESV
David, a shepherd himself, wrote Psalm 23. He begins the psalm with green pastures and still waters. He thanks the Lord for His guidance, provision, restoration, and leadership. Suddenly, in verse 4, matters turn dark as he enters the valley. Yet even there, he finds hope and peace in the knowledge that the journey is not his alone.
In her book, Two-Part Invention, Madeleine L’Engle offers a very candid look at her personal struggle as her husband, Hugh, fought cancer. Though surrounded by friends and family, she never felt so alone as she did watching her husband grow thinner and weaker. “The lonely valley is just that: lonely. Jesus walked that lonesome valley. He had to walk it by himself. Sooner or later we all do.” She goes on to share her feelings of anger: anger at cancer and anger with God. “To accept that we are angry is a healthy and appropriate response as long as we don’t get stuck in it. Acknowledging it is one way of going through it.”
And therein is one of the keys to any valley: acknowledging our emotions – being honest with ourselves and God – yet resting in the promise that we don’t have to go it alone. There is no place so dark where Our Shepherd won’t walk alongside us. There is no pain so sorrow so deep that He doesn’t feel it. There is no place on this earth or above where God’s comfort can’t reach us. He’s not on the sidelines, watching our struggles. On the contrary, He’s in the midst.
Prayer: Lord, I thank you for your presence in the good times and in the hard times. Even when my journey takes me through the valley, I have no reason to fear because you walk at my side. Hold me close, dear Shepherd, until I reach the other side. In Your name I pray, Amen.
Thought: “I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.” Isaiah 46:4