December 3, 2023 7:00 pm
When Elaine was diagnosed with advanced cancer, she and her husband, Chuck, knew it wouldn’t be long until she’d be with Jesus. Both of them treasured the promise of Psalm 23 that God would be with them as they journeyed through the deepest and most difficult valley of their fifty-four years together. They took hope in the fact that Elaine was ready to meet Jesus, having placed her faith in Him decades before.
At his wife’s memorial service, Chuck shared that he was still traveling “through the valley of the shadow of death” (Psalm 23:4 nkjv). His wife’s life in heaven had already begun. But the “shadow of death” was still with him and with others who had greatly loved Elaine.
As we travel through the valley of shadows, where can we find our source of light? The apostle John declares that “God is light; in him there is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). And in John 8:12, Jesus proclaimed: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
As believers in Jesus, we “walk in the light of [His] presence” (Psalm 89:15). Our God has promised to be with us and to be our source of light even when we travel through the darkest of shadows.
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Welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread. Our reading, titled Shadow and God's Light, was written by Cindy Hess Casper. When Elaine was diagnosed with advanced cancer, she and her husband Chuck knew it wouldn't be long until she'd be with Jesus. Both of them treasured the promise of Psalm 23 that God would be with them as they journeyed through the deepest and most difficult valley of their 54 years together. They took hope in the fact that Elaine was ready to meet Jesus, having placed her faith in Him decades before. At his wife's memorial service, Chuck shared that he was still traveling through the valley of the shadow of death.
His wife's life in heaven had already begun, but the shadow of death was still with him and with others who'd greatly loved Elaine. As we travel through the valley of shadows, where can we find our source of light? The Apostle John declares that God is light, in Him there is no darkness at all. And in John 8 12, Jesus proclaimed, I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. As believers in Jesus, we walk in the light of His presence. Our God has promised to be with us and to be our source of light even when we travel through the darkest of shadows. The Lord is my shepherd.
I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside quiet waters. He refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for His name's sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. Your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil.
My cup overflows. Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Let's pray. Loving God, thank you for your promise to always be with us. We trust you to be our strength, our provision, and our joy throughout our life, whether in the good times or in the difficult. It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Thank you for listening today. My name is Rachelle Traube, and today's encouragement was provided by Our Daily Bread Ministries.
Whisper: medium.en / 2023-12-03 20:16:09 / 2023-12-03 20:17:40 / 2
