Death Defying Presence

“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil;
For you are with me.” Psalm 23:4

Dear People of St. David’s,

I pray that you are well and are enjoying these magnificent, early fall days. It’s such a blessing to live in a place where there are true changes in season and the variety gives us all a different way of life over any given year.

We’ve been meditating on the 23rd Psalm over the past few weeks as a way for us to set aside our fears and live with a great sense of hope and confidence about the lives God has given us. This week we turn to the greatest fear and the most profound promise of God’s presence.

Most polls say that the greatest fear in America is public speaking and while that’s a fear we all must face, we know that there’s one greater fear. A friend of mind was over this summer and in a joking manner said, “Frank, you know three out of five dentists recommend a particular brand of toothpaste, but one out of one of us will die.” It made me laugh, but it was one of those uncomfortable laughs that come when someone says something that strikes close to the truth and to an area of personal concern.
We must all face death over the course of our lives. We face the death of loved ones, the death of people we know and love, and famous people who get write ups in the newspaper and online. We will all face our own deaths one day, as well, and this is where the most foundational promise of God’s love and presence in our lives comes. We never face it alone. I think that is why this psalm is far away the most used psalm at funerals or when persons start to memorize portions of scripture.

Whether it is the little deaths that come into our lives when we lose a friendship or a job or when we fail at something that is important to us or when we are facing death itself, we never face it alone. The promise of God is that He is with us and we can set aside whatever fear gets tacked onto our hearts because there is a force, a love, stronger than the fear that is with us – God Himself. And, for those of you looking at details, consider how the psalmist talks about death as a mere shadow, merely a partial reality that will disappear in the light of God’s presence.

So, as you and I walk through the valley of the shadow of death today or one day, remember that there is no need to fear. God is with us and will guide us to new life and more life every time.

Grace and Peace—
WFA