The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Psalm 23:4,
"Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. "
The NIV footnotes this verse that "the darkest valley" in this verse could be rendered "valley of the shadow of death" as our good old King James version has it.
The fear of death is a palpable thing. We have never been on the other side or seen the other side. However, we are all headed to that other side of the grave. We have never known existence apart from the bodies we inhabit. These we leave behind as we move on into life beyond the grave. It is all unknown and foreign to us - save for what the Lord has decided to reveal to us about it.
The account of the rich man and the beggar, Lazarus, is a fascinating look at life beyond the grave. See Luke 16:19-31. There we read of two separate experiences: one enjoyed by Lazarus and the other suffered by the rich man. We have other passages that can pique our curiosity as well.
Paul tells us it is better to die and go be with the Lord than to stay here in our bodies. In a revealing passage he tells us about how God has made preparation for us for the time we leave our bodies and go to be with Lord. It is preferable. Paul also speaks of a guarantee God has provided us of this that we have within ourselves today, the Spirit as a deposit. 2 Corinthians 5:1-10.
In 1 Corinthians 15 Paul also goes to length to tell us about the "spiritual body" we will have in the resurrection. An all new improved resurrected body awaits all those who have embraced Jesus Christ in faith. It is really a truly remarkable thing we read of.
Many face death as an unavoidably terrifying event. It doesn't have to be. Just as David was assured of the Lord's care and concern for him, so his provision for those of us who have placed our faith in him - we find his comfort as we face that "darkest valley".
A blog with my ruminations over the years can be found here: http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know..
"Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. "
The NIV footnotes this verse that "the darkest valley" in this verse could be rendered "valley of the shadow of death" as our good old King James version has it.
The fear of death is a palpable thing. We have never been on the other side or seen the other side. However, we are all headed to that other side of the grave. We have never known existence apart from the bodies we inhabit. These we leave behind as we move on into life beyond the grave. It is all unknown and foreign to us - save for what the Lord has decided to reveal to us about it.
The account of the rich man and the beggar, Lazarus, is a fascinating look at life beyond the grave. See Luke 16:19-31. There we read of two separate experiences: one enjoyed by Lazarus and the other suffered by the rich man. We have other passages that can pique our curiosity as well.
Paul tells us it is better to die and go be with the Lord than to stay here in our bodies. In a revealing passage he tells us about how God has made preparation for us for the time we leave our bodies and go to be with Lord. It is preferable. Paul also speaks of a guarantee God has provided us of this that we have within ourselves today, the Spirit as a deposit. 2 Corinthians 5:1-10.
In 1 Corinthians 15 Paul also goes to length to tell us about the "spiritual body" we will have in the resurrection. An all new improved resurrected body awaits all those who have embraced Jesus Christ in faith. It is really a truly remarkable thing we read of.
Many face death as an unavoidably terrifying event. It doesn't have to be. Just as David was assured of the Lord's care and concern for him, so his provision for those of us who have placed our faith in him - we find his comfort as we face that "darkest valley".
A blog with my ruminations over the years can be found here: http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know..
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