The Mirror of the Word and other works by C.E. White can be purchased on her website, cewhitebooks.com or on Amazon.

“He lets me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul; he guides me in the paths of righteousness for the sake of his name. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”

—Psalm 23:2–4

Sometimes it’s good to remember that along with the green pastures and the still waters, our good Shepherd might also take us through the valley of the shadow of death. He has not stopped leading us, even there. The difficult path might be the only one that leads us home.

We do not have to fear it, because we trust our Shepherd.

With his rod and staff, the Lord directs, corrects, and protects us.

We often choose to be more frustrated than comforted by his direction and correction, but this passage teaches us that the proper attitude toward correction is to be comforted.

A toddler might be dazzled by a fire, but a good father will guide the child away from the danger over and over. The child doesn’t understand, but we know the father is not being cruel or keeping a good thing from the child. This is protection.

The Lord does this for us when we become dazzled by the world and wander too close to its flames.

We often forget what this beautiful psalm tells us . . . first, that our circumstances may not always be pleasant, but we don’t have to fear, and second, that the Lord may discipline and direct us where we do not want to go, but it is always for our eternal good.

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