By Mark Grace, CCCNZ Ambassador
Ae, ahakoa haere ahau i te awaawa o te atarangi o te mate, kahore he kino e wehi ai ahau: no te mea kei toku taha koe; ko tau rakau, ko tau tokotoko, ko ena hei oranga ngakau moku.
E ui lava ina ou savali i le vanu o le ata o le oti, ou te le fefe lava i se mea leaga; auā o oe ta te faatasi ma a‘u; o lau laau ma lou tootoo e faamafanafanaina ai a‘u.
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.
Psalm 23:4
The global environment can feel like the nations are slowly sleepwalking into the valley of the shadow of death.
Israel-Iran, Pakistan-India, Russia-Ukraine... and these are just the conflicts in the Western media. Turkey and Kurdish groups; the civil war in Myanmar; the conflicts in the Central African Republic; and the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
Stop and listen for the quiet confidence: the resolve, the depth of conviction in David's words.
Our confidence is not in the world's provision of stability, predictability, and therefore certainty. Our confidence is not in the nations raging, our confidence is not in the size of militaries (least of all our own)
The reason you will not fear evil, in this season, in this space, in this valley, is simply this: Jesus is with us.
He’s with us in the valley. He’s not leading us around it or over it. He is with us in it. Our confidence in the valley of the shadow of death is the shade of Jesus.
He is with you! Here and now.
Jesus’s rod is protecting us, and his staff is keeping us close to him.
He and his work are our comfort.
He and his work are our confidence.
He and his work are our clarity.
Therefore, we can walk and keep walking. The one who walked to the cross and walked out of the tomb is the one who walks with us.
(I’ve adapted this from a 2021 devotion I wrote.)
