Psalm 23:4
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
The thing I have observed about shadows is that they appear larger than the actual object they are a shadow of. Any time you are out after dark and there is a full moon, the looming shadows you see will scare the daylights out of you.
Having worked as a police officer, I can testify that law enforcement officers are just as prone to fear as anyone else. You may be walking a beat in a dark alley when you see this huge animal ahead. Your mouth becomes dry as cotton as you try to determine which course of action to take. Just then you hear a cat’s meow and realize that the huge animal was only the shadow of a small kitten.
Spiritually speaking, we are just as susceptible to the fear of shadows. Instead of trusting in the Lord as we walk through our “valley of the shadow of death,” we try to trust in our own strengths. That is always the wrong thing to do. Without the Lord at our side, we become fearful and defeated.
What are the shadows in your life? Are there individuals that cast a huge shadow across your path? Do you have personality shadows that you are trying to deal with in your own strength? Does the shadow of a health problem cripple you? Let me leave you with the secret to defeating your shadows. Proverbs 3:5-6: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil