psalm 23:4

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, they comfort me.”

I remember first getting to Potters Field; I was struggling with becoming a new believer in Christ, trying to let Him in my heart all the while belief was bouncing back and fourth in my head from day to day. I remember the questions and fear of the unknowns building in my heart and mind. I remember the fear and the anxiety of entering into a new culture with people speaking fancy words and spouting Christian conversations that seemed like poetry all the time. I remember wanting to run and feeling like I don’t belong here. Feeling like I belong where I had been back where I lived in the dark depth of my shadow. I remember the big question that coursed threw my veins, the one that made me want to run right into death itself… “how God, how God can you exist and tell me you love me and love all the people of the world and let all these horrible things happen? If you were there why didn’t you stop them from happening why didn’t you protect me and why aren’t you protecting others?”… its interesting to me how I now stand strong in the answers, I look back now at moments where I should have died from a over dose or cutting my veins open, moments where I was in the hospital dieing of alcohol poisoning after being slipped GHB from a guy I just met, moments and decisions that led me to jail or treatment centers, moments where I watched my family fall apart over alcohol and sexual immorality, its these moments and many others where I used to see as proof that God does not exist or if he did he would have to be a crule god to let this happen and now see them as reason to rejoice, for the Lord was there with me and protected me, the Lord brought me into His arms to comfort me, and opened my eyes to Him to now comfort others. I rejoice to Him that I came to Him now and He saved me so young so I now have many more days to walk with him and for him, I rejoice everyday that I am alive and give my life to him because my lord my god saved my soul when he died on the cross and continued to save me every day after that. His rod and staff protected me, and now that I see that it comforts me. If he protected me then when I was not walking with him then what reason do I have to fear now for he is with me ever the more.

Isaiah 27:3 “I, the lord, watch over it; I water it continually. Guard it day and night so that no one may harm it.”

Application: continue to remember the miricals god did in my life and continue to give thanks and praise to him. Let his light shine in front of me and guild my life so the shadow of death is behind me never letting gods light get behind again making it so all I see is the dark depths of my shadow, never turning my back toward his light, never becoming blind to him again. Remembering that he is always there to protect and comfort me the darkest of times.

Hebrews 13:21 “now the god of peace, who brought up from the dead the great shepherded of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant; even Jesus our lord, equip you in every good thing to do his will.”