As an insurance agent, I deal with death more than anyone else. During the height of COVID-19, four of my clients died from the virus and twelve died from various other illnesses. Some passed away suddenly, while others suffered from lingering illnesses.
Confronting the ominous shadow of death is never easy. A Bible passage often used in memorial services is the 22nd Psalm of David. I first memorized these six verses as a boy, and over the past 68 years, whenever I have faced adversity, especially in the “valley of the shadow of death” described in the fourth verse of the short Psalm, I have received great encouragement.
This verse is: “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 calm me.” This Psalm represents the good shepherd Jesus, who will not allow Satan, the evil one, to harm those sheep who follow Him.
Those who follow Jesus Christ believe that the “shadow of death” is just that, a shadow. As a child, I was often afraid of shadows, but as I grew older, my fear of the dark disappeared. I realized that shadows cannot harm us - they are harmless. This is true for any area of life.
Shadows are nothing more than the absence of light. This is what the apostle states in John 1:1-5: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. It was in the beginning with God. Everything came into being through Him, and without Him nothing came into being that came into being. In Him was life, and life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness does not overcome it.”
This world has been in darkness since Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. This darkness will continue until Jesus returns in triumph. In the meantime, we must face certain shadows that creep into our lives. But that is no reason to be afraid of the darkness they create. I have faced extremely dark moments in the past, but I have never lost confidence that God will lead me through the valley of the shadow of death. Perhaps you can talk about your own experience.
Our spiritual enemy will try many ways to rob us of hope. However, to some extent, these dark moments become a test and an opportunity to draw closer to God and His Light, which will surely dispel all darkness. As James 1:2-3 exhorts, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.”
Some remain constantly in darkness, struggling with the sins and addictions that control them. However, most of us only experience our darkest moments occasionally. But even a short time in the throes of darkness can make us feel like we've lost all hope. The last verse of Psalm 23 says, “So let goodness and mercy follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord many days.” It took me 40 years to understand that this is exactly how God wanted me to be. I now joyfully declare my intention to remain in His everlasting safe hands all the days of my life on earth. If you want to remain in the light, accept Jesus into your heart and ask Him to completely change you, to make you a very special child of the King—bringing you out of darkness into light.
© 2023, all rights reserved. Jim Langley is a writer with 30 years of experience. He also works as a life and health insurance agent. For the last few years, I have been writing articles about my relationship with God with pleasure. His goal is to encourage others to also draw closer to Him. A longtime member of the CBMC, he began writing Fourth Quarter Strategies in 2014.
Questions for reflection/discussion
NOTE. To learn more about what the Bible says on this topic, consider the following passages: Psalm 22:1-6; Isaiah 40:28-31; John 10:1-15, 11:25-26; 1 John 1:5-7.
