Psalm 23:4 English Standard Version (ESV)

⁴ 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.

What strikes fear in your heart? We all have something the takes first place in our personal fear. It might be heights, or spiders, or scorpions, or millipedes. Fear is a personal thing. The shadow of death is an ancient name for the Black Mamba, a deadly and aggressive territorial snake. The valley of that snake is a gathering place for breeding and it is fiercely defended. Wisdom does not go there.

Wisdom may keep you from going where fear is a known commodity. We cannot always avoid fear because we live in the world and will find ourselves in fearful situations.

What is evil? Spiders, scorpions and snakes are not evil. They are nature. Satan is evil. His minions are evil. They do seem to be everywhere at times. When your car breaks down in the middle of the night we cannot control who is their or their intentions.

We who have the indwelling Holy Spirit, the Lord’s anointed, are never alone.

His rod is the rod of correction. His staff is the shepherd’s staff of guidance.  Both need to be accepted to perform God’s will in this relationship. Knowing God is on our side begins with correction and obedience. It works on self and self is where fear resides.

Jeremiah 50:44 English Standard Version (ESV) “Behold, like a lion coming up from the thicket of the Jordan against a perennial pasture, I will suddenly make them run away from her, and I will appoint over her whomever I choose. For who is like me? Who will summon me? What shepherd can stand before me?”

Psalm 23:3 English Standard Version (ESV)

He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
    for his name’s sake.

This verse is broken down into three sections.

Restoration of the soul is first. The soul is comprised of the mind, will and emotions. All three must be addressed in order to restore our souls to that relationship we had in the garden before the fall. Anything less is not acceptable.

The mind is polluted by the world. Correction of thinking is required to remove error. Constant exposure to truth is required to combat error. While we are the Lord’s anointed and have the Spirit of truth, we still live in the world and lying attacks do not stop. Correction also includes a right understanding of the Word of God. The Holy Spirit is our guide not the instructors of this world. They may speak truth but it is the Spirit within us that confirms truth and identifies error.

Will can only be restored by recognizing God’s will and choosing His will over our own. A willful mind is akin to rebellion and will not be tolerated by our Lord. Correction will follow.

When it comes to emotions the garden experience only had two. Love for God and love for one another. The only acceptable response to the outpouring of love, mercy and forgiveness is to love Him back.

As for leading us in paths of righteousness, this returns us to His Lordship, His choices and our submission through obedience of faith. Being led requires us to hear, understand, trust and then obey. All of that is done through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.

The third aspect is His name sake. All things are done to glorify God and not ourselves. Humility does not reject honor, it rejects fame.

Paul said it best when he declared “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God.” Gal. 2:20 ip