Psalm 23:4

“Yea, 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 comfort me.”

He often has seasons of life in which the Valley of death seems to have no exit. The faint Son that shines through the trees grow more and more dim. To keep the warmth within him he chases after the Son to keep the fire of life alive. He watches the Son diminish behind the mountainous heights of distractions. He takes each step chasing with his eyes, his skills, his feet, ultimately his sense of direction. He composes rituals and traditions that give him the idea that the Son will stay in the sky longer. This wandering traveler will exhaust himself to the point that he gives justice to the name of the Valley, swallowed by death. What he did not know was that the Son was with him all along. Christ is not an object in the sky that we must work for, He is a loving God that only wishes to shepherd your heart with His warmth, His living water. He lives within you, longing to hold your hand as you feel tired and hungry. When we travel through the valley with our own skill, the Valley of Death will take another victim. We are only asked to stop, turn around, and call out to Him. He will do the rest. I can be this man at times, searching for outside sources and influences to sustain my walk with the Lord. I often forget that I simply must stop and look within to find the direction without. Notice David says though I walk through the valley, not when I walk through the valley. It can be interpreted that we don't only come in and out of this dark time but this world is that dark time. We are constantly trudging through the shadows and evils of this world. We don't have to do it alone.

My application is to remember that My savior is always wanting to hold my hands through these dark times. Today, as I walk, I will remember.