Psalms 23
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not
want. He makes me to lie down in green
pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.
He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His namesake.
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.
You prepare a table before me in the
presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over.
Surely, GOODNESS and MERCY shall
follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the House of the Lord
forever.
I actually woke up this morning with a newer song running
through my head but it reminded me of an old song and that is where I will
begin this devotional.
The old song says…
♪♪ “Thank you for the valley I walked through today.
The darker the valley, the more I learned to pray.”♪♪
WHATTT!!!??? When
Dottie Rambo wrote that song, she obviously was not going through a “valley
like mine.” How can I thank God
for valleys and storms and trials? It is
much easier to blame Him. After all, He
is in control and more than capable of getting me out of this mess.
Oh we sing songs about the “Lily of the Valley” and
we long for the cool stream and lush pastures that are only found in the valley,
but the valleys are also full of shadows and dark places that are not pleasant
along our journey. It is difficult to
keep our focus on the refreshing stream ahead when we are walking through a dank,
stinking swamp. Yep, you won’t find a swamp on
the peak of the mountain! The
lush green pasture full of sweet-smelling lilies fades as the “fog
of life” swirls around our feet.
As we walk through the “Valley,”
it is easy to forget that the journey to the “Mountaintop” involves a long, energy-spending, treacherous
climb. The climb up the mountain includes
boulders that we must detour around and in the heat of the day; the sun beats
down relentlessly with no shady trees or cooling streams to rest beside. The storms on the mountains are fierce with
nothing to still the swirling winds. And
sometimes on the mountain there are “rock slides” that take us right
back to where we started. Yes, the clear
view of the Mountaintop cannot be reached by the faint of heart.
Back to that “Valley”
you are walking through, I know it seems dark and lonely, but keep walking
forward, one step at a time; God is walking ahead, smoothing the path. One day, when you least expect it; a day in
which you are just trying to survive, God will lead you to a clearing. There will be a gentle stream with beautiful
flowers filling the air with a lovely aroma and it is at that point He will “restore
your soul.”
So, this morning Lord, I thank you for the valley I’ve been
walking through. In the valley you have
taught me how to DEPEND on You for
every step. I’ve learned how to really,
really PRAY and how to LISTEN and HEAR your gentle voice. And most of all I’ve learned to REST and allow a REFRESHING because on the other side of this Valley, is a Mountain
just waiting to be climbed. I am certain
that you will be there when I arrive because You are MY GOD in the valley and on the mountain…THANK YOU FOR THE VALLEY, I
WALKED THROUGH TODAY!
The new song that actually woke me this morning…Blessings by
Laura Story,
♪♪ “Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know
you’re near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise?”♪♪
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