“Dad, you talk too much about darkness. You need to talk more about the light.”
That’s what I heard from my seven-year-old in the backseat as we drove home.
“What do you mean, Adele? It was a funeral.”
“Dad, there’s light though… in order for there to be a shadow there has to be light.”
“Say that again, Adele.”
“Dad, you have to have light in order for there to be a shadow.”
Yet another truth I’ve learned so profoundly from my kids.
The old King James version puts Psalm 23.4 this way,
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.
This is likely why Psalm 23 is so often read at funerals. We are reminded of the central promise of the Bible, “Thou art with me.” Even in death, or the darkest valley, God is with us. His Presence comforts us. He disarms our deepest fears.
One way our Good Shepherd is so profoundly present in darkness is through His people. More than anything else God uses people to bring light and life to other people. His Spirit is present in and through His sheep.
In Scripture, the church is referred to as “The body of Christ.” His church is given different gifts, expressing different parts of His Body. As His sheep move into the darkness, toward those suffering, mourning, or grieving, we do so not only as a part of the Body but rather as the manifest presence of Christ Himself. You are the Body of Christ bringing light and life to everything/everyone you touch. You are the joy bringer, the beauty, the grace, the love of Christ to a lost and dying world.
We believe these truths are true. What do you believe?
Reflection:
1. How have you experienced God’s presence, comfort, and light in your darkest valley?
2. Who have you welcomed as the manifest presence of Christ? Who has welcomed you?
3. “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.” How might you fully live into this truth today?
Pray through the truth of Isaiah 61.1-3
The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,
2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the Lord
for the display of his splendor.
When I’ve experienced physical failure or great emotional loss, I must go through self administered or professional therapy.
Physical Therapy is the fastest way to a body recovery. Spiritual therapy is the fastest way to emotional recovery.
I have done both, but the most impactful is recovering from emotional struggles by allowing the Light(s) of Christ into my life. There are many lights including Scripture, friends, sermons, and reflections. All of this orchestrated by the leading of God’s Holy Spirit.
Yes there is darkness but there is always LIGHT at the end of all struggles.
Really powerful, Dennis. Thank you for sharing. Praising Him for all the ways our Good Shepherd leads, heals, restores and renews. I praise Him for how He does that in and through you.
What a profound truth from a child! “You have to have light in order to have a shadow.’ God’s light shines brightly in the midst of all our struggles, even as we walk through the valley of the shadow of death. May I live and breathe in the shadow of His light the remainder of my earthly life, to live and love like Jesus!