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“Even when I walk through the valley of deep darkness,
I will fear no evil, for you are with me;
Your rod and your staff reassure me”
Psalm 23:4
Tests are a fact of life. From elementary school through graduation to the next life, life is full of them. Spelling tests, math tests, science tests, driver’s tests,
personality tests, blood tests, eye tests, tests of character, tests of
strength, tests of faith. The list
is endless.
Though we generally don’t like
tests, we often have a style we prefer.
What’s yours? Essay? Multiple
choice? True-False? Fill in the blank?
Like you and like me, David faced
all kinds of tests. How he did in
Hebrew school no one can say, but history records his diploma from the School
of Hard Knocks. It was there he
did some of his best work – writing masterful essay after essay
in what would later be called the Book of Psalms.
David was a master of pen and poem. This most know. But a closer look reveals David’s mastery of the fill-in-the-blank as
well.
In our previous discussion of Psalm
23, we noted (and likely coveted) David’s statement of confidence: “I will fear no evil.” We also noted the source of that
confidence – a critical phrase at a pivotal peak in the Psalm. Two Hebrew words. The source of David’s
confidence: “You. With-me.”[1] [Psa 23:4]
David kept a mental 3x5 card in his
hip pocket for tests of courage and faith. A cheat sheet of sorts. It contained two Hebrew words and one blank. “You _______ with-me.” When doubt, despair, danger or death
looked David in the eye, the card came out. “You _______ with me.”
It worked like this… David speaking
to God. “God, there is a lot I
don’t know. I don’t know what you
are going to do or how you are going to do it. But this much I know:
You have been with me,
so I can say with confidence that you are
with me. Even when I can’t see
you. Even in the deepest
darkness. You with me, God. In
the past. In the present. And into the future.” God’s
past faithfulness gave David present and
future confidence.
Maybe you need a mental note card
in your hip pocket today. (Cheat sheets are allowed here) Maybe
you’ve been wondering where God is in your current circumstances. He is with you. Maybe you’re wondering if you can
handle an uncertain future that looms ahead of you. Where will God be then? With you. His
presence is not bound by any single verb tense – past, present or future. He has been. He is. He will
be. Always. With you.
Make a note card today with three
simple words as a simple but profound reminder: God with you.
Write it on your mirror -- or your hand. Wherever you’ll see it when you need it most.
And remember: The confidence you need today and tomorrow is found
in the faithfulness of God in all of your yesterdays.
[1] See previous
blog entry “Lessons from Psalm 23: David’s Confidence” for an explanation. English requires three words to render
the same.
