Years ago when I first started out my Building business, I augmented my income by digging graves at Ovingham. It was very hard work, all done by hand and the site was quite rocky. January was always the busiest month of the year and most of the burials were for the very old. What I had never realised was that although some of these were the usual winter flu deaths of the old and vulnerable, some were old people who had just given up the will to live.
Christmas and the promise of seeing family had been something to look forward to – a reason to live. The turn of the New Year seemed to hold promise; but that promise soon evaporated, sometimes as soon as January 2nd. Reality hits quickly. All the froth and bubble of New Years Eve with Firework Displays and rosy expectations pronounced by Celebrities and Politicians evaporate within a couple of days. The truth is that nothing changes, the News is no different, the nights are still dark, winter stretches ahead cold, wet and lonely. For some it seems as if Spring is a long way off and there is not much to live for, so they simply give up.
And that brings me to Psalm 23! As we enter 2021, perhaps tired and worn down by the last 9 months it would be easy to miss what God has to say to us in this present moment; to just to want to sit back and almost give up a little.
The first thing Psalm 23 tells us is that it is the Lord who is guiding us through these days. He is your Shepherd. He has taken responsibility to get you through these days.
When I was much younger I was driving through the Middle East. I had been in Jordan and now wanted to drive through Syria into Turkey. Syria was fighting a war with Israel through Lebanon and also had internal troubles. There had been an uprising in the northern city of Homs and so the government had surrounded the city and flattened it! As I crossed into Syria I was given an armed guard – a soldier who sat in my car and directed my route. We set off at midnight and drove through the night (presumably to prevent me seeing too much). It was mid morning when we arrived at Harim, the crossing into Turkey.
The soldier’s responsibility was to get me safely from the Jordanian Border to the Turkish Border, by the route he chose. He was my Shepherd. When he said turn left, I turned left. When he said turn right, I turned right. I had no idea where we were or what road to take. My soldier was my Shepherd.
The Lord is your Shepherd. His job is to get you through. Your job is to follow His directions, sometimes ignoring road signs that seem more obvious or reasonable.
Psalm 23v4
Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.
God has taken upon Himself the responsibility to lead us through the dark valley…..but notice that word ‘through’. This is not forever. There is a way through. Actually, He chose to lead us this way – through the dark valley. But why? Because there are things we need to learn on this bit of the route that we are never going to learn whilst lounging about in the lush green meadows of verse 2. One thing we must learn is to trust our Shepherd and follow His direction and learn whatever He wants to teach us. And all the time He looks after us.
Not long after dawn, my Syrian guard got me to pull over at a roadside cafe and he bought me breakfast – tea, bread, sheep’s cheese and olives. In the Psalm however, David says that God “prepares a feast” for him in the presence of his enemies – more than just a simple breakfast. This is your Shepherd showing off His goodness and loving-kindness toward you whilst all the time advertising it to the enemy! Even as you pass through the dark valley, your personal Shepherd will sustain you and provide well for you – and rub the enemies nose in it 😀. There is no need to fear and every reason to rejoice. You are safe, you are passing through. This current season is not your home, merely a stage in your journey.
Hebrews 13 v 5 & 6 is a good place to finish up, (and it’s something I need to keep reminding myself of….)
Hebrews 13:5-6 NLT
……For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.” So we can say with confidence, “The LORD is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?”
Church is out there 