Dark Days

The Lord is my shepherd,
I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.

He restores my soul.
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
for His name's sake.

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.

You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
forever. (Psalm 23)


There are days that are hard. Days when even the craziness of this world, seems to make a little less sense. There are days when the nightmare is all that we can see, and it is easy to feel lost and alone. There are days that seem hopeless, and days when all that seems to be visible is evil.

Watching the news today, at times, it seemed like one of those days. I am sure for the families living in Boston, and those who have lived through horrific experiences, this was the reality. The evil and darkness of this attack seemed to overshadow so much else. When presented with tragedy, it is easy to lose hope. It is easy to only see the darkness, but even in the darkest of nights, there is light. In the most evil of events, there is hope.

He promises that in the midst of terror, He is there, walking with us, and He is there to comfort us. His promise to us, "It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; He will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed." (Deuteronomy 31:8) It is He who is with us, even in the face of such evil, and He is our source of hope, even in the "valley of the shadow of death".

As believers, this is a time when we simply need to seek Him, and lift these precious families to Him in prayer. ""I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help." (Psalm 121:1) May our words and hands be His hands reaching to love those who were hurt. May we lift up our prayers to Him for the comfort, healing, and protection of these people, and pray that His love will be poured out in mighty ways to all those affected.