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. Psalm 23 v 4
Sometimes I wonder if I am being crazy or foolish or ignoring the facts or discarding my common sense. And then I remember that this walk of faith is less about how I am appearing and more about Who is leading me. He is the Shepherd and I am the sheep. He is not pale and weak with a crown of thorns eternally on His lifeless head, He is alive; and He roams the mountains and the valleys and every desolate place searching for His lost sheep and keeping perfect record of every one of them that follows Him. He is the Rugged Shepherd, King of all shepherds, and with Him the buck stops.
The way of faith is to follow. It’s not blind but it trusts that the Shepherd knows best. It’s not delusions of grandeur or refusing to face the facts, even if the doubters call it that. Faith is about fearing no evil when the shadows are full of it. Faith is declaring that it can be done in the face of giants. It’s talking about the abundant provision rather than what might keep us away from it. It’s picking up a stone and hurling it at the large forehead of taunting, ridicule and threats. It’s speaking a word into the blackness that will turn on the light. It’s about standing resolute when all else has failed.
But they soon forgot what He had done and did not wait for His plan to unfold. Psalm 106 v 13. How many times do we hit hard times or find ourselves in uncomfortable or scary situations and forget all the wonders, miracles and incredible provision up to that point? We must not be like God’s people who walked through the sea itself and then began to complain and drown in their very own self pity on the other side. There is a story being written and a plan is unfolding. If we will just believe it and act accordingly.
It looks like preparing for the exact opposite of what is coming against us. If they say we will fail, we prepare to win. If they say we will die, we prepare to live. If it looks like we will fall, we get ready to fly. If they say they are going to tear us apart, we grow ever closer together, preparing for forever. It’s about refusing to live afraid.
It’s a true story that some battles have been won with torches and trumpets or marching and shouts of praise, not a weapon in sight. The One we follow has His ways and if we are quick to listen and obey, we could find ourselves in the best of stories, more exciting than anything we might have conjured up on our own.
Perhaps the real battle is before the battle even begins. It’s what is happening in the mind and the heart and the body is simply getting ready to follow through. Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the wilderness and speak tenderly to her. There I will give her back her vineyards, and I will make the Valley of Achor (trouble) a door of hope. There she will respond as in the days of her youth, as in the day she came up out of Egypt. Hosea 2 v 14 & 15 It could be that the wilderness is the very place of open doors and finding what was lost. We may not see it, but the plan is unfolding, so let’s remember how far we have come and all the good things He has done. Let’s remember that we have never been alone and that He will never desert us. Let’s be the ones who walk right into all that is harder than hard, with hearts rejoicing because He has brought us this far and He is not going to drop us now.
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