I’m told there really is a valley of shadows...
David probably led his sheep through the valley of the shadow of death as he was growing up. As you look in the Bible, the term “valley” also refers to all kinds of rough times in life.
* Joshua talks about the Valley of Calamity
* Psalm 84 talks about the Valley of Weeping
* Hosea talks about the Valley of Trouble
* The reference to a valley in Ps 23 in Hebrew actually means The Valley of Deep Darkness
We all experience this.... it feels like God has abandoned you. You doubt Gods love and faithfulness.... you might even begin to wonder if you did something wrong! You try praying and you get nothing... all the stuff you normally do that gets you out of the funk you’re in doesn’t work.
Embrace the Darkness…. Listen to a 15th century monk named John...... God perceives the imperfections in us, and because of His love for us, urges us to grow up. His love is not content to leave us in our weakness, and for this reason he takes us into a "dark night". He weans us from all the pleasures by giving us dry times and inward darkness.
... In doing so He is able to take away all the vices we struggle with and create virtues within us. Through the "dark night" pride becomes humility, greed becomes simplicity, anger becomes contentment, greed becomes peace, gluttony becomes moderation, envy becomes joy, and laziness becomes strength.
...No soul will ever grow deep in the spiritual life unless God works passively in that soul by means of the "dark night".
Let nothing disturb you, Let nothing frighten you, All things are passing; God only is changeless. Patience gains all things. Who has God wants nothing. God alone suffices. —Teresa of Avila
