“The Security of the Sheep”

I like the “green pastures…the still waters…the restoring of my soul… paths of righteousness” of life…but “the valleys” of life… not so much.

Who likes valleys?!  Valley’s can be dark experiences, a feeling of being all hedged in with no way out.  We have all experienced valleys, or will -

the just and the unjust and bible says.  Jesus Himself said, “He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust.” 

Job experienced the “green pastures…still waters” but he also experienced some extreme valley’s of life.  So much so that Job’s wife told him to “curse God and die!”  But Job’s response was “shall we indeed accept the good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?”  After reading Job’s life story, “adversity” is not the descriptive word I would have chosen if I was Job, would have been more like “devastation!”

But you see, Job, like David, experienced the security of knowing the LORD was his shepherd and therefore no matter what life threw at him he was secure in the LORD!  Yes, we will all have valleys, and we all are certainly in that “valley of of the shadow of death” that psalm 23 speaks off.  But as Christ followers we have nothing to fear in this life or the next because our shepherd (Jesus) promises to be with us!  The “shadow” of death cannot harm you!  Shadows cannot stop your path, in this life or the next!  Yes, the shadow remains, but death has been removed because of Jesus!  We are people of faith, “for we walk by faith and not by sight!”   Not just any faith, but faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ -      “my” Savior - “my” Lord - “my” shepherd!

Do you have that security?  I pray that you do!

“The LORD is ‘my’ shepherd; I shall not want…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, they comfort me.” - Psalm 23

Pastor Rodney