Psalm 23

For awhile now I've been meaning to write about the title of this blog.  "Walking the Valley" came to me almost instantly when I set out to start writing. 

Typically, when I think of Psalm 23, I picture a TV scene - people dressed in black, gathered at a cemetery, standing around a casket, with a priest reading this Psalm.  But, the more I have thought about it, the more I think that Psalm isn't for the person who is dead, but rather for those left living.  Think about - "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death" - the dead person isn't walking through that, the dead person is dancing in Heaven!  We, the ones left behind, are those who are walking through death's shadow.  As I read the Psalm again, I know this Psalm is for those of us left behind.  It is a reminder to us, that even when our journey takes us through the darkest valleys, we need not fear when God is with us.  He will provide for our every need, lead us in the right direction (even if that's not the easiest way), and save a place in His house for us when it's our time to head there!

The song "You Never Let Go" by Matt Redman has been one of my favorites throughout this journey.  It is based off of Psalm 23, and its first line is "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, Your perfect love is casting out fear." This is exactly how I have been feeling throughout this.  So while the name does come from that Psalm, for me it mostly comes from "You Never Let Go", the song.  If there is one thing I can say I have learned through this, one thing I can say I absolutely know about God it is - HE NEVER, EVER LETS GO.