Psalm 23:1-4
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
Shadows are scary and deceptive things. They are always larger than the object that casts the shadow. During my days as a police officer I had my wits scared out of me several times by shadows that appeared to be a serious threat . . . but upon investigation turned out to be a small cat or dog with a light behind them.
Death is a certainty for each of us. Someone has said that the death rate for humans is 100 per cent. That is true and across the ages of time there has been a fearful dread of our final farewell to life on this earth.
For those who have not experienced the new birth, and thus not having their name written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, there is reason to fear death. What about those of us who have received that new birth? Our eternal life with Christ has begun.
Satan has done an excellent job of causing believers to live in fear of death. There is a fantastic passage in Psalm 116:15 that we should memorize to assure ourselves and others with: “Precious in the sight of The Lord is the death of His saints.” For that reason we can face death with the assurance and confidence that one step into glory will erase all of the cares of this world!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil