I WILL FEAR NO EVIL

• DAY 29
• Fear File: YOU
• Scripture: 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.

PSALM 23:4

Imagine living in an era when the word of God was scarce and the presence of God was seasonal. He comes and goes and you cannot say when He will return. How discombobulating is that? To not have the abiding presence of God. To not have Him respond almost instantly. I would have destroyed my life 10 times over had the Holy Spirit not helped me. Because contrary to popular belief I am not the sharpest kid on the block. If you take away the Spirit, I’m actually nothing.

You see the Holy Spirit is the abiding presence of God and in this era, it is so easy to get familiar with him because we are so used to Him. So when we read the psalmist say YOU ARE WITH ME, it doesn’t carry the same weight.

You Are Not Alone

You see, when someone is with you, there is undeniable evidence of his presence. It is so real that you are addressed in the plural. You become a “we,” a “them,” a “they”.

I would like you to take a breath and repeat that to yourself a couple of times

You are with me

You are with me

God is with me

God is with me

It is on the premise of this awareness that the psalmist said, I will fear no evil.

When I was younger and had to travel to my village for Christmas (nope, I won’t call it hometown), we used to go outside to pee. So at night, we had to go together because it was dark and scary. Going with someone felt safer for some reason. And I am talking about kids who would run at the slightest sound. 

Now imagine that the “un-scarable” God was going with you. The one that defeated death was your pee buddy in the valley of the shadow of death. How differently would you feel? think about the kind of person that is with you – YAHWEH. Whatever you might encounter in the valley is already defeated in YAHWEH.

For His Name Sake

The comforting thing about YAHWEH’s presence is that He comes with His rod and staff. These are not just a shepherd’s tool of work but evidence of expertise. Any shepherd worth their salt will have both. These tools are there to lead and guide the sheep. To correct them and keep them in line for their own good. That sounds like His word and His spirit. In the shadow of death, the word of God becomes your comfort and the Holy Spirit becomes your north star. Because this is a dangerous place, you cannot afford to wander off without direction. Your shepherd knows that your adversary is waiting for an opportune time to attack and He cannot let you be devoured, for His name’s sake. 

God has a stake in your life. His name, His integrity, His promises, His track record, and His reputation are all on the line. He advertised His potency when He chose you as His own, now He cannot let the valley devour you. What will your enemies think? that He couldn’t save you? No! beloved, you will come out of that valley because God is intentional about His name and His promise. Do not be afraid!

Look around you, the world today looks like the valley of the shadow of death. There’s danger at every turn. You cannot afford to be a stubborn sheep. So harden not your heart when you hear His voice.

This verse, as lovely as it is, is a declaration of faith and trust in God. “Yea though I walk,” means He is not walking in it at the moment but he knows that even if he did, his shepherd will be there. He is positioning his heart ahead of the valley because He is confident in his shepherd. You see fearful situations will come, the only way to not be afraid is to make sure your heart has been fortified with the word ahead of time. Fear must meet a confident heart to dissipate. We cannot wait for the situation before we start applying the word. We must teach our hearts to be confident while it is day.

Catch up on yesterday here

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