I will fear no evil.

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. Verse 4 is my favorite part of Psalm 23 because it resonates with me in a deep way. When I think of who God is to me, I think of this verse. He delivered me from so many valleys but one valley truly was the shadow of death to me. Throughout my life, I used to struggle with anxiety. I know many people carry this hidden battle and you might even be one of those people who can relate to me. I used to think I had control of my struggle but it came to the point where it overtook me. It became my existence and I felt powerless. I couldn’t escape it and I thought I would never make it out of that valley but God lifted me out! I found life in the midst of death. I stand today because of Christ and I am completely healed. God doesn’t want us to learn to live with anxiety- He wants to use anxiety or any other limitation to shape us and also to show us that He is greater! Often, God uses our valley to correct and humble us and this valley did just that to me. When you come out of the valley of the shadow of death, you become fearless because you truly know that God is with you and that you are never alone. His rod and His staff is our comfort and every bit of our pain is worth it! We never suffer without purpose and God always intends our suffering for good and not for evil. He is my Shepherd and I can always trust His leading even when I do not understand. What comfort to know that we can trust God no matter what pain we might experience! Our lives are not meaningless, God is in control of our valleys and every bit of pain has a purpose.