At present I have several friends who are walking through the shadowed valley. They aren’t camping there, but they are walking through. This is for them and for you.
David, before he replaced Saul as king of Israel, faced daily pursuit from his enemies, physical pursuit. These are his words when he was hiding in a cave from Saul and his soldiers.
“I cry out to the Lord. I beg the Lord to help me. 2 I tell him my problems; I tell him about my troubles. 3 I am ready to give up. But you, Lord, know the path I am on, and you know that my enemies have set a trap for me. 4 I look around, and I don’t see anyone I know. I have no place to run. There is no one to save me. 5 Lord, I cry out to you for help: ‘You are my place of safety. You are all I need in life.’” Psalm 142:1-5 ERV
Maybe you are voicing the same words to the Lord. Maybe you have been tempted to give up. Maybe you feel surrounded by your enemies. King David’s enemies were physical people, but not all enemies are.
Some are emotional, or circumstantial; others are financial or relational; still others may be illness or physical, enemies come in all sizes and forms. But there is not one of them that is too big for our God.
We all need to come to a place that we repeat what David said. ‘You are my place of safety. You are all I need in life.’
Let me remind you of some of King David’s other words about enemies.
“Even if I walk through a valley as dark as the grave, I will not be afraid of any danger, because you are with me. Your rod and staff comfort me. 5 You prepared a meal for me in front of my enemies. You welcomed me as an honored guest. My cup is full and spilling over.” Psalm 23:4-5 ERV
Surrounded by enemies, no matter what they are, I will not be afraid because the Lord is with me. In fact, the Lord has prepared a banquet and has invited me to sit down and enjoy a life-refreshing meal of good things. I am His honored guest.
He stands near with his rod and staff to defend and protect. He is our place of safety!
“You can go to God Most High to hide. You can go to God All-Powerful for protection. 2 I say to the Lord, ‘You are my place of safety, my fortress. My God, I trust in you.’ 3 God will save you from hidden dangers and from deadly diseases.” Psalm 91:1-3 ERV
The Father wants us coming to Him to find safety, protection and deliverance from our enemies, from hidden dangers and from deadly diseases. He wants us to put our total trust in Him. Even when those enemies seem to be circling us like a wolf pack surrounding a sheep – He says do not fear. I am with you. I will never leave you!
“You will have nothing to fear at night and no need to be afraid of enemy arrows during the day. 6 You will have no fear of diseases that come in the dark or terrible suffering that comes at noon.” Psalm 91:5-6 ERV
“The Lord says, ‘If someone trusts me, I will save them. I will protect my followers who call to me for help. 15 When my followers call to me, I will answer them. I will be with them when they are in trouble. I will rescue them and honor them. 16 I will give my followers a long life and show them my power to save.’” Psalm 91:14-16 ERV
There is no fear in life’s shadowed valleys because the Lord is with us and we have His promised protection and salvation!