INTRODUCTION
In Roman Catholicism, All Souls’ Day, is a day for commemorating all the “faithful departed baptized Christians”, who are believed to be in purgatory because they died, with the guilt of “lesser sins” on their “souls”.
However, All Souls Day, is not observed by most Protestant denominations, as we do not believe in purgatory. Some protestant churches however, such as the Anglicans, observe the day by praying for the dead which is also not a Reformed and Presbyterian practice.
Now, though our prayers will not change the eternal destination of a departed loved one, as the Bible says in Hebrews 9: 27, “each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment’, there is nothing wrong in giving God thanks for a loved one, no more with us.
During the past year or two, I have seen the pain and the sadness that many of you have been through when some of you lost your husband, your wife, your mum, or your brother. And I have observed that whether they died a month ago, or five years ago, it is still painful.
SERMON TEXT
Moreover, when 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 console me (or, Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me). [Psalm 23: 4]
BACKGROUND
- If I were to ask you as to where we find the Psalmist David declaring ‘The Lord is my Shepherd’, many of you would say, Psalm 23.
- In fact, millions have memorized this, Psalm and Ministers have read this Psalm to comfort people, facing severe trials, or suffering illness, or dying.
- This Psalm has been a ‘siddalepa’ or a “balm”;
- Comforting captives in dungeons
- Providing courage to the disappointed
- Giving calmness to the hearts of the sick
- And bringing consolation to the widow and the orphan in their grief.
- Through the ages, this psalm, has been precious, to many a dying saint.
- They have been comforted, strengthened, and warmed by the thought that the Lord would shepherd them, as they go through the valley of the shadow of death.
GOD’S CHILDREN WILL FACE VALLEYS
Moreover, when I walk (when I go) through the valley of the shadow of death, …
Verse 4, is the first dark note in this beautiful psalm. In the preceding verses, David had written of green pastures and still waters! But now, he writes about going through the shadow of death. We know that up’s and down’s are part of life and David faced the same.
There were times when David walked through ‘valleys’ in life, such as when he had to hide in a cave from King Saul who was trying to kill him. Now, when we follow the Lord as our shepherd, as David did, we will still walk through valleys. Every day will not be a mountain top day. There will be days when we feel that we are hedged in, and surrounded, by mountains of difficulties, hardships, pain, and suffering.
David also faced the ‘shadow of death’, when a lion and a bear approached him. Now you too may have come close to death and faced days of deep darkness and fear! But someone said; ‘We can walk through any darkness, if the Lord is my Shepherd, … as there is no place so dark where God is not present with you’.
David also faced ‘death’. He lived to see at least three of his children die; two grown up sons, Amnon, and Absalom; and the infant child born to Bathsheba, and his best friend Jonathan. Now, at some time, all of us will see a loved one die, and we will experience the pain of grief. The cause of our grief could be
- The loss of a significant person, such as a divorce or the departure of a child overseas;
- Or, the loss of an object such as a house, to a natural disaster, or a valuable, like Jewelry;
- or, the loss of an opportunity, such as retirement from a job, or the loss of a sports game.
Yet, the most painful grief, is perhaps the loss of a loved one who has died. A Christian lady lost her husband after a marriage of 27 years and wrote;
“My whole world stopped the day he died”.
We can dress up the corpse, and surround the body with flowers, but, it does not remove the emptiness and pain of being forced to let go of the person we love. We can even take comfort in the certainty of the resurrection, but, when we encounter death, we still cannot reverse or alter the situation, which makes the grief devastating.
GOD’S CHILDREN DO NOT FEAR VALLEYS
… I will fear no evil (Or, I will not be afraid), for You (are) with me …
The Amplified Version says,
“Even though I walk through the [sunless] valley of the shadow of death …”
Noe when David walked through “Death Valley” and some of the darkest valley’s, the valley, was not his destination or dwelling place. So too for us. With time, all grief will gradually leave us, and when Jesus returns there will be no more tears. But until then, we will face “valleys”, or difficult experiences in life.
However, when David faced a valley, he was not afraid, because the Lord walked not before him but beside him. And the presence of the Lord by his side, made the valley bearable. Note that the personal pronoun changed from ‘He’ to ‘you’. So, no more is David talking about the Shepherd but he is talking to the Shepherd.
Now, if we too have declared that the Lord is ‘my’ Shepherd, God promises to be close beside us in bereavement. While we may not be able to change our ‘valley’, God is with us in our valley.
GOD’S CHILDREN ARE FAVOURED IN THE VALLEY
Your rod and Your staff, they console me (or, they comfort me).
The Psalmist looked to God for comfort, just as sheep would look to the Shepherd. Like a shepherd, the Lord would use His instruments, such as the rod to protect and defend him; and His crook to guide him and make him feel secure.
Bible scholars say that the word comfort means a change of outlook, or a change of mood, or a change of mind, or a change of purpose.
- At times, God comforts us through family and friends such as David comforted Bathsheba when she lost her baby.
- At times, God comforts us through the promises in His Word, that comforts us that our loved one is in a land where there is no more sorrows, heartache, sickness, pain, nor tears.
- At times, God comforts us through His Holy Spirit, who is also called the comforter. Relatives and friends will come from overseas or from their homes and leave you, but the Holy Spirit who lives in each of Gods children’s hearts is present 24/ 7 to comfort us.
CONCLUSION
A young man’s wife became very ill and died, leaving him alone with his four-year old daughter. When they got home after the funeral, the father brought his daughter’s little bed into his room, so they could face the dark night together.
That night the little girl was having a hard time sleeping; and so was the dad. What pierced his heart most was hearing his little girl sobbing for a mother who would never come back. Finally, when his daughter’s sobbing had stopped, the dad thought that his daughter was asleep and prayed, “Father, it’s as dark as midnight.”
Hearing her dad’s prayer, the little girl said to her father, “Papa,” did you ever know it could be so dark? Papa, I can’t even see you, it’s so dark. Then she drew close and whispered “But, you love me even if it’s dark and you love me even if I don’t see you—don’t you, Papa?”
The father lifted his little girl out of her bed; brought her up to his chest till she fell asleep; and said to God. “Father, it’s dark as midnight. I can’t see you at all. But you love me even when it’s dark… don’t You?