Psalm 23 vs 4: Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. (King James Version)
Psalm 23, attributed to David, in verse 4 sees him reveals the extent of his despair in what is arguably the most well Psalm in the Bible.
He acknowledges his situation – he’s in the shadow of death – but he is walking through it. He’s not standing still.
Many may be feeling this way with the threat of the coronavirus; the shadow of death lingers, taunting, dramatically changing the way we think and behave.
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Despite being in the depths of a valley, David looks to God.
While he is aware of evil, he boldly declares that he will not fear it.
His declaration that he will fear no evil is more likely a statement of refusal to give in to fear, a bold announcement that he needed to hear.
He was certainly worried, he’d have to have been superhuman not to have been,
But he understood that despite being in a very difficult and perhaps terrifying situation, that God was with him, and God was the source of his comfort.
So while there is much fear, frustration and fretfulness over the virus and the lockdown, now is the time to openly declare the word of God to yourself.
It might sound a bit like something out of a self-help manual, yet in Romans chapter 10 verse 17, the apostle Paul writes that faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
In a time when Christians can’t meet together, now is the time to remind oneself of God’s promises.
And so … David, despite going through many trials and tribulations, eventually fulfilled God’s plan for his life.
From his line would come the promised Messiah, the saviour of the world.
David had to do his part for sure, and so do we as Christians.
But part of that is declaring the word of God, and reminding yourself on a constant basis that God is the source of our comfort and reassurance when things appear to be going wrong.
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