Psalm 23 is a personal Heart Song to the One who has loved us from the very beginning. Are you able to sing it?

As we continue our series about our Heart Song, consider the lines: Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.

Look at how the writer changes from “The Lord is my shepherd” to “YOU are with me.” It just became even more personal, closer and more intimate. Why?

In the dark valleys of our lives it often seems like God has gone missing. We lose a loved one, we get bad news from the doctor, we are laid off or we get a call from the police concerning one of our children. For many, the dark shadowy valleys are even greater, even darker. And if we were to zoom out and see this planet from the angel’s perspective, we would realize that Earth is the “the shadowiest of all shadowy valleys.”

And yet, from our hearts we can sing that we don’t need to be afraid for the Divine shepherd is with us. He is our Emmanuel. He is with us by his presence, he is with us by his compassion and understanding, he is with us by his determination to defeat the things that keep us from him. Into our fear God comes with the message:

Do not be afraid of me.
Do not be afraid of what I am asking of you.
Do not be afraid of going where I am leading you.

To the extant that we trust him; believe who he is and what he says, we too can sing our Heart Song.

Will you believe today?