Prayer for When Youre in the Valley

Lord, I'm in the valley right now. Not the mountain. Not the view. The valley. The one where the light doesn't quite reach, and everything looks darker than it probably is, and I can't always tell if I'm walking through or just walking in circles. I don't know how long this lasts. I don't know if what I'm feeling right now is a season or if it's just me. And that uncertainty is its own kind of weight.

But you said you'd be there. You didn't say there would be no valley. You said I would walk through it and you would be with me. That's the part I keep coming back to. Not that the valley goes away. But that I am not alone in it.

You lead me beside still waters. There's something about that image. Still water. Not rushing. Not demanding. Just still. Like maybe rest is allowed. Like maybe I don't have to keep moving when what I actually need is to stop. This is the promise I am standing on today. Psalm 23 says My shepherd. That word. A shepherd doesn't drive the sheep. He leads them. He walks ahead. He knows where the water is before the sheep does. You know where I'm going before I do.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. Not: I don't feel afraid. Not: I have no fear. I will. It's a choice. A declaration made in the dark. Not after the dark has passed.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me. Shall follow me. Not: will arrive eventually if I'm good enough. Will follow. Like a shadow follows a person. Goodness is already behind me. Mercy is already on my heels. I just need to stop running from them.

You are my shepherd, Lord. I shall not want. I shall not want. Let me believe that today. Even here. Especially here.

In the name of Jesus, I pray.

Amen.