Romans 8:37-39
      No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him Who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present or the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus.

Read Romans 8:28-39
 
The Psalms are filled with cries of David and other authors
of the Psalms when their sins or the oppression of their enemies cause pain and difficulties in their lives. In James we are reminded that there will be times of tribulation and troubles for us. We are reminded that the, Lord, the Creator of all things will never leave us or forsake us.
 
We will face trials and failures in our lives. The Lord will walk
with us through it all. He has promised over and over that He will be with us. He has told us also that vengeance is His and He will avenge us. He cried to the city of Jerusalem that He desired to gather her children under His wings and protect them. Luke 13:34.
 
Jesus hurts when we hurt. He feels our pain and sorrow. He
weeps over the loss of our loved ones. He sees the enemy as he roams the earth seeking who he, the enemy, can devour. Our enemy, the devil, desires to cause harm to those who love and serve the Lord. The devil will pursue those that are vulnerable. He seeks out our weaknesses and tempts us at our lowest point. He knows his time is limited. He knows we
will be victorious.
 
A number of years ago, a popular song said it so well. Twila Paris sang "The Warrior is a Child".  One of the verses say that "even winners can get wounded in the fight" and that is so true.  Mature Christians all have war stories of their struggles and though victorious, still carry scars.  Our Savior carries the scars from the cross.
 
When you are in the battle, remember that the war has already been won. We still have the job of maintaining occupation. Just as our soldiers must occupy the territory they have won, so must we occupy and defend and protect our place as the Lord's soldiers. Remember also, Who
is with us. We are not alone in the battle.
​

 It is a very scary thought to walk through the valley of the shadow of death.  It is not the valley of death, but the shadow of death.  When I think about shadows, I feel an uneasiness.  I think about what is in the shadows that I can not see.  I wonder if David was thinking the same thing when he wrote this psalm to the Lord.
   
The shadow of death could be referring to the death of our hopes and dreams or our job security or even our rela-
tionships.  The shadows we fear the most are the death of our loved ones or the loss of our health. 
   
God has promised us that He will never leave us or forsake us.  He sent His Son so that we would have someone with us for the journey through those shadows.  We have the Holy Spirit to be our comforter and our guide as we travel the
road through that valley.
 
 I noticed that  the verse says we would 'walk' through the valley.  To me, that seems to be a progression through the
valley.  We will walk through denial, anger, bargaining,and
finally to acceptance if we allow the Spirit to walk with us.
   
Isaiah 42:16 promises that God will guide us through and will turn the darkness into light.  He will make the rough places smooth.  He promises He will not forsake us.  His word is truth and a promise that cannot be broken.  He may lead us
down paths of pain and confusion for us, but He knows the
beginning from the end and His plan for us was written before the beginning of time. 
   
There is an end to the valley and the shadows will disappear.  We will walk with Him in the Eternal City and there will be no more tears.  No more losses that break our hearts and there will be no more shadows to cause us to fear.
  
While the path that we must walk is not an easy one, He has promised to give us the treasures of darkness. Isaiah 45:3. Those treasures are sometimes hard won but the Lord honors us with His love and patience. He will walk every step of the way with us and never leave us alone in our fears. 

​Psalm 23

We spend time in green pastures.  We rest beside still waters.
We walk the path He leads us on, but  there will still be times when all the right things we do won't protect us from making mistakes or falling into sin.  We are made of fallible flesh and God's word warns us that we are still vulnerable to failure.
 
Now is the time we need to seek restoration.  We need to run, not walk, into the Lord's presence and seek forgiveness.  We need to honestly confess and repent. The Lord knows us. He formed us in our mother's womb. He knows when we rise up and when we lie down. He knows our thoughts and our ways. He is faithful and just to forgive us.
 
Isaiah 41-43 and more tells us of his commitment to us.  His
love for us is boundless.  He desires to restore us to a close and intimate relationship with Him. There will be times when that restoration is painful, but the resulting maturity and deeper faith make the trials and struggles well worth the pain.  We can stand as a lighthouse of comfort for those who
are struggling through the same storms we have endured.
 
The Lord tells us in Psalms and Proverbs to not despise the
chastening He brings upon us.  A father who does not love his children doesn't care what happens to them.  A Father such as we have, loves us enough to bring us to restoration.  When we return to Him, He runs to us.  He rejoices over us with singing. Zeph 3:17 He restores our soul. 
 
We won't always do it right, but the wrongs we do can be the best training ground for becoming a wiser and more effective warrior in the battle that we are waging against the enemy.  James tells us to count it all joy when we fall into trials, etc.  I am still working on counting it all joy but I am less inclined to condemn myself when I know Who can do the restoration.

Our Lord, our Savior, did not go to the cross then forget us. His love is boundless and He desires us to grow in Him. Sit at His feet and learn from Him. He will gently lead us if we are faithful to confess and repent. There is nothing that can keep us from the love of Christ.

​Psalm 23
 
One of the many dangers to a sheep is rough and turbulent water.  Deep water is sure death to a sheep.  The water will soak into the wool and the sheep will sink like a rock.  The shepherd knows to create a shallow pool of water for the sheep to drink.  He knows that his sheep require slow running water for them to safely drink.  A good shepherd knows where all the safe streams run and where the wolves are less likely to be lurking.
 
God in His great wisdom leads us to a place where we can drink from His living water.  He provides for us a place to revitalize and restore our souls.  Sometimes He will lead us gently to still waters so that we can drink at our leisure.  Sometimes He will drive us from dangerous waters into a quieter time with Him.  He knows what is best for His sheep and is willing to take us from the fast currents of our lives into a more quiet and calmer pool to help us to refresh and refill our reservoir with His word.
 
When He interrupts our busy schedule and puts us in a place where we are no longer able to keep up the fast pace, we need to thank Him and seek out His reason for what He has done.  He desires for us only His best.  That is why He sent His Son.  He sees the whole tapestry.  We see only the tangled threads of the back of the tapestry.  We need to trust Him to eventually show us the whole picture. 
 
When we take time to seek out the still waters, we gain a deeper insight into the great Shepherd's will for our lives.  But if we choose to live our lives beside the still water and don't return to the green pastures to feed, we become stagnant and do not grow.  Our Shepherd knows that we need balance to grow in the healthiest way.
 
Trust in His leading to give you the best and most balanced diet of His service and His blessings.  Don't become angry when He changes the course of your life, just look with excitement for the next path that will lead you to a deeper and richer life in Christ.