I remember as kid my dad would take my brother and me hiking into the Azusa canyon outside Los Angeles.  I distinctly remember one time when we entered the canyon in the middle of the day. The sun was shining on beautiful river as we walked along the canyon walls. After we reached the turnaround point of our hike and were starting to head back, the light of the sun became obstructed by the canyon walls.  I did not have a sense of what time of the day it really was. I suddenly went from really enjoying the hike and all the beauty that surrounded, to being concerned and fearful that we might be stuck in the canyon after dark with no way to see our way out. I asked my dad if we were going to make it out before dark. He then assured me by letting me know that we were just fine.  There was plenty of daylight left.  We were just experiencing shadows of the sun being obscured by the canyon walls.

Psalm 23:4 says “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 staff, they comfort me.”

If asked, most people would say the thing they fear most is death.  For the Christian this need not be so. Nor do we need to fear any other evil that may come our way. It is ultimately just a shadow. When we breathe our last, we will pass from this earthly life and into eternal life. We can rejoice in what is written in 1 Corinthians 15:55 “Where, O death is your victory. Where, O death is your sting?”

Because of our faith in the work of Christ on the cross, the conquering of sin and death, we are made to be fearless to the evil that this world can offer. We have a good shepherd who leads us as we walk through the shadows of this life and one day, on into eternity with him.

Praise be to God for his faithfulness towards us. He truly is the good shepherd!