Getting through the Valley

Psalm 23:4 (KJV)

4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. [1]

1. Many of us are so focused on life’s valleys that we tend to miss the joys of this journey we are on.

2. Often times we really don’t know where we are going in life.

3. We all have hidden hurts, closed closets, and covered calamities.

4. This passage begins with a vision of anticipation on the part of the psalmist of what to expect in life.

5. Psalm 22: reveal Christ our Lord as Savior

6. Psalm 23: reveal the Lord as our Shepherd

7. Psalm 24: Christ as a Sovereign God

You can forget about the 5th Blessing if you have not been in the valley. There will be no eating at the Table if you do not walk through the valley.

If we would just accept the Lord as our Shepherd we will get the first three blessing just because He is our shepherd.

A. The psalmist seems to be well qualified to tell us how to get through the valley because

1. Because he has been exiled from his throne

2. robbed by Amalekites,

3. disowned by those who once knew him, stones tossed at him by his own.

· Accept the reality of the valley

· Announce your response in the valley

· Acknowledge you resources

In the valley: he creates a clear pathway to walk.
In the valley: he’s my guiding light in darkness.
In the valley: he’s my bright and morning star.
In the valley: Rock in a weary land; shelter in the time of a storm.
In the valley: He directs & orders my footsteps

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[1] The Holy Bible : King James Version. 1995. Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.