“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.” –Psalm 23:4
The 23rd Psalm is one of the scriptures that I have heard read at several funerals. It was not until recently that I really sat down and read it for myself and thought about what it was saying. Verse four has been the one verse that has really stood out to me. This verse brings me such comfort. It lets me know that even though I go through tough times in my life, there is no reason to fear because God will always be with me.
When I first starting having memories of some of the abuse I endured as a child, I began to really think about the words of this verse: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for thou art with me.” I started thinking of all the ways in my life that God was there with me when all the bad things were happening. I realized that I was never alone. Even though I was going through some terrible things, God was still there. He was there when I cried and was in pain, and He cried with me. He also sent people into my life to help me through those times. God always knows what I need and when I need it. I can look back on my life now and see all the times that God sent someone to help me, just when I needed it most. Whether it was a friend, a teacher, a church member, or even a stranger on the street.
God never promised us that life would be easy and that all our troubles would just go away. He did promise that no matter what we go through we would not be alone. I am grateful that God is with us always and He will always provide for us.
Lee Ann Simpson, Administrative Assistant Asbury Campus
