Fear No Shadow

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me.  Psa. 23:4

 

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you…When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned.  Isa. 43:2

 

I have been reassured lately to read stories about people who have been in life and death situations, and although God allowed it to happen, He was there with them, giving them what they needed to face it.  Corrie Ten Boom was sent to a German concentration camp during World War II for helping Jews to escape the Germans.  In Tramp For The Lord, she says her father taught her that, “Our wise Father in heaven knows when you are going to need things…Today you do not need the strength to be a martyr; but as soon as you are called upon for the honor of facing death for Jesus, He will supply the strength you need – just in time.”  Corrie said, “Later I had to suffer for Jesus in a concentration camp.  He indeed gave me all the courage and power I needed.” (117)  While in the concentration camp, she says, “Following [my sister’s] death, God Presence was even more real.  Even though I was looking into the valley of the shadow of death, I was not afraid.  It is here that Jesus comes the closest, taking our hand, and leading us through.” (21)  She said, “I have often been afraid.  But in those moments I have always reached up and touched the hem of Jesus’ garment.  He has never failed to wrap me close to Him.” (94-95)

 

From Our Daily Bread, Dave Egner was writing about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  He had received a threatening phone call and could not sleep.  He prayed, “I am here taking a stand for what I believe is right.  But…I’m weak now, I’m faltering…I am afraid…The people are looking to me for leadership, and if I stand before them without strength and courage, they too will falter.  I am at the end of my powers…I can’t face it alone.”  Later Dr. King wrote, “At that moment I experienced the presence of the Divine as I have never experienced Him before…Almost at once my fears began to go.  My uncertainty disappeared.  I was ready to face anything.”  (Jan. 21, 2008)

 

During the tornadoes that came through the south on Feb. 5^th, Clay Bailey reported in the The Commercial Appeal about the students at Union, a Christian university in Jackson, TN.  There is a picture on the front page of dorm buildings collapsed and walls torn completely off, debris strewn everywhere.  Heather Martin, a student, “lay in a tangled mess in a dorm bathtub…she was scared.”  She said, “I am a Christian, and I talked to the Lord a lot (Tuesday) night.  He gave me a real sense of peace.  Whether I got out of there or whether I was going to be in there when I died, that sense of peace was really what kept me from panicking.”  Marty Clements, an EMA director said, “I felt like there [would be]…maybe 50 to 100 deaths” at Union. (A5)  And there were many deaths from this storm system, but not a single person was killed at Union.

 

God was showing me that He had allowed this tragedy to happen to these students, but He had also protected them, was with them, and is using it to show the world who He is, and how He takes care of His children.  These stories are great reassurances to me that whatever God allows me to go through, He will provide exactly what I need, when I need it too.

 

“I will not allow your adversaries to swallow you up.  You are My child; I will deliver you, honor you, and be glorified through you.  Because of my faithfulness to you, even your enemies will recognize My power…I will be your sure comfort.  I will walk with you through the valley, and you will fear no shadow.  Hold to My promises…”  (Come Away My Beloved, Frances J. Roberts, 17)