Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me… Psalm 23:4 (NIV)

Psalm 23 – Going Through Hell Series – Part 1

Go to PART 1  |  PART 2  |  PART 3  |  PART 4  |  PART 5  |  PART 6  |  PART 7

Growing up, there was a phrase that the preachers in my church would say a lot.

“If you’re going through hell, don’t stop. Keep going.” That phrase would be closely followed up with a mention of Psalm 23:4, “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me…”

And we would respond to the preacher in the usual way:

Amen!
Hallelujah!
Yes!
Hands in the air!
Applause!
Excitement!

We would earnestly agree. But I have found walking through hell, the crappy stuff in life, to be a little harder than what most preachers give it credit for. It’s easy to say and agree with on a Sunday morning, but when going through it? It's a whole other story.

As I’m writing this little devotion, I’m feeling a little overwhelmed about some personal stuff we're going through, mostly around money and relationships. And I can tell you that I don’t feel like yelling a loud “Amen, Hallelujah, Say it again, Preach it Brother/Sister.”

What I really want to do…?

Ignore it. Each chocolate. Binge a Netflix series. Do some retail therapy. Open a bottle of wine (even though it’s only 11:12 am). Read a book. Read ten books.

I want to do anything but figure out how to navigate the next few months well. If I could, I would run away and not face it because at this moment, that is more appealing. More comfortable.

Anyone relate?

Humans are experts at “head in sand” burying.

When you’re going through hell, don’t stop. It's important and true and good advice.

But how do we not stop? How do we walk our way out of hell? The Valley of the Shadow of Death from Psalm 23 doesn’t sound like an easy stroll through a picturesque field. It conjures up images of twisted foliage, rocky outcroppings, sheer cliff drops, dense vegetation, darkness, thorns, wild animals, shadows, unidentifiable noises… the stuff nightmares are made of. In my mind, I picture the fire swamp from the movie, “The Princess Bride” along with whole armies of ‘ROUS’s’ (google it).

Maybe you’ve just come out the other side of hell, and you’re seeing the light for the first time in a while. Or maybe you feel like you’ve just taken a wrong turn and you've found yourself smack bang in the middle of nowhere. Or perhaps you’ve woken up in a sea of darkness, and circumstances beyond your control have overshadowed your life.

There is a way through.

I’m not going to throw you ten quick dot points that all rhyme or alliterate to make you feel good about where you are, or to kick you in the butt and get you moving. That kind of motivation rarely lasts long anyway.

The truth is, the journey is hard. The journey can be long. It’s not for the faint-hearted.

The Divine is not afraid of darkness. We chatted about that a little last week. Darkness isn't God's kryptonite. It doesn’t shrink his power or make him go blind. Darkness is His specialty. Not in creating, but in transforming. In movement. In hope. Resurrection. Redemption.

When you find yourself in the middle of hell, he’s right there too. In the thick of it. Not freaking out about you or it, but present and aware. Transcendent. And I don’t mean this in a “Jesus is your best friend” kind of way either. He is in all things and through all things. There is no where on earth that God isn't present. It’s not that God follows you into the darkness, it's that he's there already, hidden beneath the surface of things. The challenge is to find him.

Don’t run. Don’t hide. Even though it may be scary, open your eyes in the midst of this darkness and stare it full in the face.

You are not alone.

Over to you! Leave us a comment below.

Go to Part 2 – Through Hell »

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