For bravery none compares with our Lord. He never turned His head from danger, not even when hell’s hatred and heaven’s justice appeared against Him.
~William Gurnall
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
for His Name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff,
they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.
Oh beloved, it is true.
Whether we choose to believe it or not, we are a people who live in darkness. The cosmos; the system of the fallen world, is truly without Hope. Oh yes, the potential of creation is marvelous to behold. But, nearly never has the world lived up to its promise.
And often, the darkness itself keeps us from seeing all the truly difficult aspects of our existence. However, in our rare moments of honesty, we can see how badly we are stuck. We are alone. We are in very bad straights.
David, a man after G_d’s own heart, was there. He knew the darkness.
He knew the darkness of living out in the wilderness as a shepherd, fighting off wild animals.
He knew the darkness of being disrespected by his brothers, and their taunts.
He knew the darkness of a moment where he – in the power of G_d – changed the course of the young nation of Israel, during his battle with Goliath.
He knew the darkness of being pursued by a jealous king and his warriors.
He knew the dark loneliness of decisions he made as the king of Israel.
He knew the grim and bitter darkness of battle. He had seen the darkness come over the eyes of the enemies he destroyed.
He knew the darkness of abject failure and sin. He failed so badly that his choices brought about the death of an honorable man.
He knew the darkness of losing two sons. One died of sickness, and one died of political intrigue.
The passage above is not often seen for what it is. A warrior wrote this poem. David was a man who had quite literally faced giants and fearsome pursuit by those who wanted him dead.
And, through the years of my own wandering through this dark world, I have learned to listen to those who have experienced the depth of something. David has seen it. David had been bathed in darkness. But, in all of this, we see how David made it through. David knew the Light of The World. David had an intimate relationship with his Creator. David had experienced so much, that he knew that nothing else was going to work.
What does this mean, though?
David had tapped into a Love so real, and empowering, that it made the darkness around him to tremble. David had truly plumbed the depths of fear. And what he found, in every case, was that the steadfast Love of G_d both accompanied him down into the darkness, and guided David through it. And, all of this worked to form within David a courage and fearlessness that reverberates across the centuries.
Can we see it?
David knew the same G_d, that you and I know. David knew the Warrior – Mighty to Save – that went before him, Who surrounded him in Steadfast Love, and Who empowered to him to survive the most trying of times. And, if we read all the stories about David in the Old Testament, we find that the darker the times, the more brightly he could behold his Deliverer.
So, are you going through a dark time? This fool of a writer is. Many of those close to me are in some very real danger. One son is a warrior in one of the most dangerous places in the world. Another daughter is going through the terrible suffering of a failed relationship.
However, what i have found (and i hope you too will discover), is that Jesus is not just some idea. Jesus is not just some nice guy that we will get to meet someday. Jesus is a warrior that has gone straight into the teeth of death – and kicked them out from withinside the mouth of the grave. He knows what you are going through, yet His Love and Presence are so overwhelmingly powerful, that even death now trembles at His feet.
Tonight is your night. Time to know that you are not alone. He is with you. His Light always overcomes the darkness.
Out of every one hundred men, ten shouldn’t even be there, eighty are just targets, nine are the real fighters, and we are lucky to have them, for they make the battle. Ah, but the one, one is a warrior, and he will bring the others back.
~Heraclitus
