Psalm 23:4 "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." The text does not simply say, it is "a dark valley." But it says "the valley of the
shadow of death." As mentioned before, Psalm 23 is not primarily about death or funeral. This Psalm sings about God's being our
shepherd in the life. There is no word "death" in verse 4 in the original text. The newer translations render it "the darkest valley."
2011 version of NIV, NRSV, NLT, render it as the darkest valley. But, following the tradition of KJV, the majority of older
translations included the word "death" here. Why, add "death" here? What implication does it convey?
It implies the most painful life situation, the darkest moment of life. You feel like you are almost dying. You feel like you are locked
in a coffin. You feel like are surrounded by the forth of death. It could be health issues, an incurable disease, unbearable relational
issue, or it could be depression or loneliness. Whatever the pain is, you feel like you are in a long, long tunnel of deep darkness. This
is the "valley of the shadow of death."
Have you noticed a change from verse 4? Up to verse 3, the LORD was referred to as "he" the 3rd personal pronoun.
But, from verse 4, it became “you”. Let's see. Verses 2-3 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside
still waters. 3 He restores my soul; he leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Did you see it? The LORD was “he” to David, when he was in green pastures. The LORD was "he" to David, when he was beside still
waters. But the moment when he entered the dark valley, suddenly it changes. V4-5 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.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Did you see it? When the painful moment of life came upon him, the psalmist began to call God, ... “you”. What brought this
change? In peaceful days, God was the distant "He." But while he was walking through the valley, something has happened to him,
between God and him, God became, the near "YOU." This change came from his personal experience of God.
When life goes smooth, to many people, God is just someone, who is distant. People call him by the 3rd person pronoun - he. They
do not have a deep hunger for God when they do not have urgent life situation. Deep hunger for God, profound longing for God,
offering prayers to the throne of God in tears - we hardly find these when they are in green pastures. However, when people enter
the valley of deep darkness in life, they begin to call upon God's name urgently. By doing so, their relationship with God deepens,
God is no more the distant God. He becomes the close and intimate "you" to you. This is the blessing in the valley.
Dark valley experiences came to King David, not only once or twice, but throughout his entire life time. I don't need to repeat them
again. They came in almost every aspect of life: at home, with his wife, with his children (his own baby, daughter, sons, relationship
with his father-in-law); not only at home, but also at his work place, from his own companions, from his subjects, from his enemies,
and furthermore from his own terrible sins. He was severely punished by God more than twice. Of interest, more than half of the
Book of Psalms was written by King David. Those Psalms are profound in intimacy with God. How could he write the Psalms like
these? They are deep in personal and spiritual relationship with God. His heart is so close to God's heart. How could he develop
this profound relationship with God. What made him become like this? The valley experiences: In the many valleys of darkness of
life, David earnestly searched for God, and experienced God, as the only true source of happiness. There, there, there, in the valley,
he met God as the real God.
Here are a few psalms that show how deeply David experienced God as the Real God, the very close God. Psalm 63:1 "O God, you
are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where
there is no water. Where did he learn these heartfelt longing for God, the close intimacy with God? In the valley.
Somewhere else, he also said, "My heart say of you, “Seek his face! Your face, Lord, I seek. One thing I ask of the Lord.
This is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD”. Ps27.
Also in another Psalm, he sang..."I love you, O Lord, my strength. The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my
deliverer. Ps18. Where all these richness of deep affection toward God, did he cultivate? Where did he develop this deep spiritual
relationship with God? In the dark valley experiences.
People of God, are you passing through the dark valleys of life now? Do you feel like you are locked within dark walls? Do you feel
like there is no exit for the pain you are having now? Then, this is the moment you can experience God as "the close and intimate
you" to you. In the valley of pain and sorrow, in the valley of loneliness and feeling abandoned, in the valley of incurable disease and
illness, in the valley of poverty and lack, in the valley of "don't know what to do" or "don't know where to go", in the valley of
discouragement and depression, come near to God! Experience God, as the Living God!! The dark valley in your life is a gate of
blessing for you.
There was a young couple. Both of them were socially well-off. The man was a baptized Christian, but only nominally. After
marriage, he almost stopped worshipping God. His wife was rather close to Buddhism. She scoffed at the hypocrisy of Christians,
thus church too. They were far from God. But when they learned that their only child had a medically unknown developmental
difficulty, this was the dark valley in their life. They became humble. They began to come to God, in a real sense. They began to
pray, in a real sense, began to seek God truly, began to worship God humbly. The man's life changed. He met God as his personal
God. The wife accepted God and got baptized. If they had not had the dark valley experience with their child's problem, they would
never have come to experience the Real God.
Here is a poem written by Wolfgang von Goethe, the 19th century German poet.
Who never ate, with tears, his bread,
Who never through night’s heavy hours
Sat weeping on his lonely bed,
He knows, you not, ye heavenly powers!
Through you, the paths of life, we gain,
Without many nights, weeping before God, in the days of valley, we never know how powerful our living God is; how close our God
is; how beautiful God is to you. While passing through dark nights with sighing and weeping, we come to know that God is close
beside you, as the real God. Then we will be able to say this: V4 "Even though, I walk, through the valley, of the shadow of
death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me..." We become able to confess this: "When I walk through the darkest valley, I
will not be afraid, for you are close beside me." NLT Bible does not simply say, you are "beside me." It says, you are "close beside
me."
People of God, it is my prayer for you that you always have bright days only. May you have peaceful, healthy, sunny life always! But,
God's purpose for you is deeper than this, and higher than this. God wants to give you the bigger blessing. That is to give you God
himself. For this purpose, God sometimes lets you to walk through dark valleys because he really loves you, because he wants to
bless you in a true sense, giving you God himself as the real God, the living God who is truly close beside you. When you meet God
like this, your God is not a God in theory; your God is not a God in your head but he becomes your personal Almighty Loving God,
who lives in your life!!! This is the blessing in the valley.
To have this experience we have to walk alone. Please hear today's Bible verse again. V4 "When I walk through the valley of
the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; ..." It does not say, "when we walk through the valley..."
It says, "when I walk through the valley." It is "I" experience. This is human existential realty. If I borrow the Christian philosopher,
Kierkegaard's concept, we all, are to stand "as the single individual before God."
You parents love you, but cannot share your pain. Your spouse loves you, but cannot share your pain. It is each individual, who has
to meet God, face-to-face. When you came into the world, it was you, alone. When you leave the world, it will be you, alone. But, if
you meet God as your Real God, you will not be alone, you will not leave this world alone, you will not bear pains of life alone. The
LORD God will walk with you. The Bible says: "You are with me." "You are close beside me."
Not all people get blessed through valley experiences. Some people get blessed by valley experiences; some people do not. There are
two kinds of responses you can have when you walk through the valley.
1) One, humbling yourself, you earnestly come to God, making the valley to be a time of seeking God.
2) Two, grumbling against God because of the fact you are facing the dark valley, they are overcome by the force of valley, being
eroded by the darkness of valley.
Which one is yours? For the former, the dark valley becomes a gate to heaven. For the latter, it becomes a poison.
Question:
What do we need to do to make the dark valleys of life, a gate of heaven?
Humbly accept the valley.
Seek God's face.
Do not fret. Speak less! Speak a lot less while you are in the valley!
Do not grumble to others! Do not complain to God! Give thanks to God in all circumstances.
Walk slowly with God.
#1 Do as Job did: Job 2:10, "Shall we accept (only) good from God, and not trouble?" (Job 2:10 NIV)"
#2 Do not grumble against God; be not angry at God. This is the worst thing you can do. If one does this, he will be entombed in the
valley.
#3 Do not grumble at church or other church leaders. This is one of the most unhealthy attitudes, you can have. It destroys your
faith. It destroys unity and peace of the church. The invalid in John 5 had this unhealthy attitude. He said, "Lord, there is no
one who puts me into water when it is stirred." Jesus said to him, stop grumbling at other people; you stop grumbling that
no one comes to help you; no one visit you; no one cares for you. Jesus said, "You get up. You take up your mat. You walk."
You have looked at people. You have grumbled. Stop doing that. You look to God. You rely on God personally. You search God in
your troubled days. When you are in valley, know that you are stand as the responsible single individual before God for your life.
People are not the object from whom you expect help. Church is not the institution from whom you demand something. If you do
that, you might be buried in the valley in bitterness, in anger. Stand before God alone. Meet him as your living God. Make the dark
valley of life to be time of seeking God, meeting God, the gate to enter deep spirituality.
#4 To say it again, stand before God as existentially responsible single individual. Make the valley the chance of encountering the
real God. Because God wanted to invite you to that hidden blessing, God allowed the valley to you.
It depends on how you handle the dark valley days. You don't want to be buried in the valley. You want to fly high, soar up higher,
experiencing the Living God while you are walking through the dark valley. Stand before God as a single individual. God will come
to you as your God, as your own shepherd. When you have this God-encountering experience, the valley becomes a sacred place for
you. When you meet God in the valley, it turns to a holy sanctuary. Meet the Living God! Meet the Real God in the higher level, as
never before. Seek God's Face!! The God who was "he" to you, will become the loving and powerful "you" to you. He will meet you
there! He will become yours there!
(O God, come to those, who are walking through the dark valleys of life now. Give them the spirit of prayer. Give them the spirit
of supplication. Give them the spiritual humility, spiritual hunger and thirst, that they may come to you, and experience You, as
the Real God, the Living God. Shine your face upon them. Shine your face upon all of us. For your name's sake, and for our joy.
in Jesus' name. Amen.)