I was fourteen, but I remember it like it was yesterday. I was walking through our neighbor’s large backyard heading for the gate in the back fence that connected our two homes. I had just finished babysitting and it was late. And dark.
I was walking through the orchard part of their yard and could hear my footfalls on the fallen leaves. And . . . I could hear another set of footsteps.
I quickened my pace. The other footsteps increased in speed. My heart pounded. Who was there? I started to run for the gate. The other started running too. We got to the gate at the same time.
Me . . . and the neighbor’s dog. A little corgi named Bandit.
Relief flooded me. I reached down and petted Bandit and then began to feel foolish. Here I thought I was going to die at the hands of a stranger, and it was just the neighbor’s dog coming to see me home.
“Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” Psalm 23:4
Though the events of that evening never really posed a threat, I was still fearful. And that hasn’t been the only time I have been afraid.
All of us, at one time or another, must walk through “the shadow of death.” Not death itself, but those dark valleys of uncertainty. Uncertainty about our job, health, future, temptations. Situations that seem hopeless with no clear way out. Grief so deep and profound it feels like it will swallow us whole at any moment.
God doesn’t promise to remove these difficulties. That’s not why we don’t need to fear them, but he does promise to be with us. To walk through those difficult times and know that nothing will beset us that He hasn’t allowed. God’s “rod and staff”, His love and authority, trump all. They can protect, save, direct. But above all, they remove fear.
Enjoy Jon Reddick’s song “No Fear."
I was walking through the orchard part of their yard and could hear my footfalls on the fallen leaves. And . . . I could hear another set of footsteps.
I quickened my pace. The other footsteps increased in speed. My heart pounded. Who was there? I started to run for the gate. The other started running too. We got to the gate at the same time.
Me . . . and the neighbor’s dog. A little corgi named Bandit.
Relief flooded me. I reached down and petted Bandit and then began to feel foolish. Here I thought I was going to die at the hands of a stranger, and it was just the neighbor’s dog coming to see me home.
“Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” Psalm 23:4
Though the events of that evening never really posed a threat, I was still fearful. And that hasn’t been the only time I have been afraid.
All of us, at one time or another, must walk through “the shadow of death.” Not death itself, but those dark valleys of uncertainty. Uncertainty about our job, health, future, temptations. Situations that seem hopeless with no clear way out. Grief so deep and profound it feels like it will swallow us whole at any moment.
God doesn’t promise to remove these difficulties. That’s not why we don’t need to fear them, but he does promise to be with us. To walk through those difficult times and know that nothing will beset us that He hasn’t allowed. God’s “rod and staff”, His love and authority, trump all. They can protect, save, direct. But above all, they remove fear.
Enjoy Jon Reddick’s song “No Fear."
RSS Feed
