How’s Your Faith?
Part 1
Today’s Truth
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.
~ Psalm 23:4 (NKJV)
Friend to Friend
The greenest grass is always found in the valley. Shepherds and sheep
are well acquainted with the fact that both mountains and valleys are
an inevitable part of life.
Remember – the shepherd has to figure out a way over
the mountain and through the valley. If a sheep is injured, the
shepherd must carry his sheep and tend to its wounds until they are
healed and the sheep is ready to return to the fold. The shepherd’s
whole world revolves around the safety and comfort of his sheep, even
in the deepest valley.
Valleys are a certainty of life. Your job is
eliminated. Your husband is having an affair, or your teenage daughter
is pregnant. Financial pressure suffocates dreams, or the betrayal of a
trusted friend inflicts a wound so deep and painful that you long for
that valley of death. Each day is thick with fear, and your heart is
filled with disbelief. The valley may suddenly stretch before you in a
time of loneliness or in the shock of a dire medical diagnosis.
The death of a loved one can derail a life. The death
of a long-held hope can plunge us into a slimy pit of despair and
darkness. Dreams that have slowly died or relationships that have
abruptly ended can leave us stranded and alone in our own personal
valley of death.
While valleys may come in all shapes and sizes, one
thing is certain—valleys will come. That being said, we must ask and
answer the question, “How can we deal with the valleys in life?” We
must respond with faith.
Don’t let that word – faith – frighten you. You have
faith. You walk into a dark room and flip a switch, knowing that the
light will come on. You sit in a chair, knowing it will support your
weight. You buy a ticket and board a plane, trusting that aircraft to
get you to your desired destination. Yes, you have faith. It is just a
matter of where you place that faith that makes all the difference in
the world. When you place your faith in God, a world of possibilities
and impossibilities opens up.
Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge
Him, and He will make your paths straight.”
It was advertised that the devil was putting his tools
up for sale. When the day of the sale came, each tool was priced and
laid out for public inspection. And what a collection it was. Hatred,
envy, jealousy, deceit or pride…the inventory was treacherous.
Off to one side was a harmless-looking tool priced
higher than all the rest, even though it was obviously more worn than
any other tool the devil owned. “What’s the name of this tool?” asked
one of the customers. “That,” the devil replied, “is discouragement.”
The customer asked, “But why have you priced it so high?” The devil
smiled and explained, “Because discouragement is more useful to me than
all the others. I can pry open and get inside a man’s heart with that
tool when I can’t get near him with any other. It’s badly worn because I
use it on almost everyone, since so few people know it belongs to me.”
Are you discouraged…afraid…desperately trying to find
enough energy to simply breathe? God knows. And He really is your
shepherd. He understands that you may only be able to take one tiny,
almost imperceptible step of faith. But He sees you, and just like a
parent applauding their child’s first stumbling step, God will honor
your choice to take it.
(Be sure to join me on Thursday for the rest of the story on faith!)
Let’s Pray
Father, I thank You for being my Shepherd. Please teach me how to
rest in Your care and trust You no matter how high the mountains or how
deep the valleys in my life may be. Today, I choose to rest in You.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.
Now It’s Your Turn
Read Proverbs 3:5-6. What are the steps listed in this passage that – when taken – will help you walk by faith?
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