Psalm 23: verse 4
Even 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.With the LORD as our shepherd, there is nothing to fear when we walk through the valley of the shadow of death. No evil can touch God’s sheep apart from His permission, and even through this valley He will be with them through all that may come. Where is the sting of death to those who will be merely passing through a door to the eternal glory that awaits His sheep? Dying grace will be with Christians ever step of the way as they walk through the valley. While this walk is filled with terror for the unregenerate, there will be no fear for the redeemed as God will comfort and sustain his sheep on their final earthly journey.
Praise God that is grace is sufficient, even in the valley of the shadow of death.
18 comments:
note to Saint Gasoline.... My comment is under the Reminder post. One down from here...
Hey Jazz,
Psalms 23 is one of my favorite verses in the Bible. When ever I read it, it brings me such comfort.
Cristina
"He will be with them through all that may come."
Jesus is with us, he promised. Our part, trusting Him, is what seperates the genuine converts from the tares. It's His grace, Spirit, and power which keeps us.
Thanks for the encouagement.
Cristina and Don,
Thanks. 23 Pslam is comforting.
wayne
Our idea of blessing and things like that is warped by sin...notice how David seems to switch gears here, you know, "leads me beside still waters, restores my soul, etc.", then bam! death...but upon careful consideration, he is in the same stream, God is still there, and He leads us everywhere and is with us all the time, and we will eventually make it all the way home, no matter which route it takes, twists and turns only heighten our sense of His faithfulness, if we will but understand what David is saying here...
Justin says...
Hey JazzyCat, I thought you'd want to know: My mom got a kitten. :) It's pure white, but I don't know what kind it is. It has a blue eye and a green eye. Really, well, cute (I hate using the word 'cute', but it's the only word to adequately describe her). My mom named her Polly, because my baby brother is trying to say our neighbor's name, Paul. She thought it would help him. *shakes head* Have a great day!
Justin,
A white cat with a green and blue eye is not unusual. I have a picture that I took of Spit McGee (A white cat that Willie Morris wrote a book about - He also wrote the book "My Dog Skip"). Spit was solid white with a blue and a green eye.
I do like the photographic character of your blog, Wayne.
But I like those pictures of your cat best.
Matthew,
Thanks. My cat? Jazzy thinks of me as being her human.
wayne
Wow, Wayne. This one really got to me.
"Dying grace will be with Christians ever step of the way as they walk through the valley." ~And this line especially. His grace is indeed sufficient for all things.
Also, regarding your 7/7 post below - it's interesting to note, and it was brought to my attention when delving into the sovereignty of God - that ALL He does, even leading me in paths of righteousness, is for His Name's sake
This concept blew me away, initially. There are so many other passages that talk about the Lord doing 'whatever it is' for the sake of HIS name. Great truths.
I once had a pastor who said "We not only have to learn to live as Christians but we have to learn to die as Christians". I think there is truth in that. I also believe all true believers do not fear death. Since fear is the opposite of faith and without faith it is impossible to please Him.
Been out of pocket for a few days and just getting around to blog reading.
Susan
Looking at that verse today, I found myself drawn to a paradox. The fear of evil is gone, but it is replaced with a proper fear of a holy God. Reading the benefits of holy fear, I actually want more of it. God is truly awesome.
Gayla, Susan, and Craver:
Thanks for all the excellent points yall made... It seems we are happiest when we focus on God's power and glory with our hope on the City of God....
Psa 23:4 is a great encouragement in reminding us to do this.
Wow, I love Susan's points here (not to mention her name :-)
Glad to hear Justin got a kitty. We're still waiting. I confess to a bit of trepidation today when I was bathing our dachsund. He's easy to bathe - but a cat? How do y'all *do* it? Now that's something else I fear - bathing a cat!
Susan,
It is wise to fear bathing a cat. I take Jazzy with me in the shower when she needs a bath due to being outside too long. She is gentle and no problem. Her sister Cuffy is another story and I have to leave her on the shower floor and just let water hit her. I can't pick her up like I can Jazzy.
Fear and trembling.
Weeping and gnashing of teeth.
And that's just *thinking* about bathing a cat.
Try bathing a 50 pound Beagle.
hi Jazzy
how are ya?
hi Mark
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