Day 25 – Through
But the Shepherd never intended His sheep to settle there. They are passing through.
Day 25 – Through
Psalm 23:4 — “…I walk through the valley…”
Today’s is one of those days where one of the smallest words in Scripture carry the greatest hope.
Through.
It’s just a preposition and it’s easy to read past, but it was chosen carefully. David is not walking away from or going around the valley. He doesn’t plan to remain in the valley.”
Walking through it tells us that the valley has both an entrance and an exit. It’s not our destination. It’s just part of the journey.
There are seasons when the valley seems endless. The worries weigh heavy, the answers are few and we wonder if life will ever feel normal again. In those times, it’s easy to believe that the valley is where we will always live.
But the Shepherd never intended His sheep to settle there. They are passing through. That truth is woven throughout the pages of Scripture. God didn’t leave Israel at the edge of the Red Sea; He brought them through it. He didn’t abandon them at the Jordan River; He led them through it into the Promised Land.
Isaiah 43:2
“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you … When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched”
Even Jesus passed through suffering and death to emerge in the triumph of the resurrection. Again and again, God proves Himself to be the One who brings His people through.
That doesn’t mean the journey is easy. Waters are still deep, fire is still hot and valleys are still dark. But He is walking with us.
In our valleys, the Shepherd can always see the other side. He never leads His sheep into a place from which there is no way out.
Psalms 66:10-12
For You have tried us, O God. You have refined us as silver is refined. You brought us into the net; You laid an oppressive burden upon our loins. You made men ride over our heads. We went through fire and through water yet You brought us out into a place of abundance.
If you are walking through a valley today, don’t build a home there. Don’t believe the lie that it is your permanent future. Keep following the Shepherd, even when you can’t see beyond the darkness. God is still leading His sheep, and He has promised that the valley is a passage—not a destination.
Keep walking.
