Readings for today: Job 10-13
The darkness in the valley of the shadow is deep. It descends like a thick shroud, clouding the view. It feels impenetrable, leading to depression and despair, hopelessness and helplessness. I have walked through this valley so many times over the years. I have had seasons in my own life where I struggled to find my way back to the light. I have walked with friends and loved ones as they traveled the road. Sometimes it was mental health issues. Sometimes it was terminal disease. Sometimes it was deep grief. Sometimes it was death itself. I remember praying at the bedside of a dear friend a few years ago. He was an alcoholic. He struggled with all kinds of health complications as a result. He was an extremely successful businessman who had sacrificed his family along the way. He lived with a tremendous amount of guilt and shame. As he lay there dying, I could feel the darkness closing in. For a few moments, I felt hopeless and helpless and all alone.
It seems clear to me from today’s reading that Job too has walked this road. He knows every twist and turn in the valley of the shadow of death. Listen to how he describes his experience, “It is a land of blackness like the deepest darkness, gloomy and chaotic, where even the light is like the darkness.” (Job 10:22 CSB) That sounds about right. It certainly squares with my experience. A land of blackness. A land of deepest darkness. A land that is gloomy and chaotic. A land where even the light cannot escape. It’s like a black hole emotionally, spiritually, and physically. But even here we can turn to God. Even here we can hold onto faith. Listen to Job again, “Be quiet, and I will speak. Let whatever comes happen to me. I will put myself at risk and take my life in my own hands. Even if he kills me, I will hope in him. I will still defend my ways before him. Yes, this will result in my deliverance, for no godless person can appear before him.” (Job 13:13-16 CSB) Everything has been stripped away from Job. His life has been taken down to the studs. And when Job finds himself sitting in the ruins of his life, who does he find there sitting with him? God. God is all Job has left and even if he loses his life, he will still trust in Him. Still hope in Him.
Thankfully, my friend gave his life to Christ right before he died. In that moment, I felt the darkness lift though death was near. Hope and peace flooded my friend’s soul as he realized he had been forgiven. It was one of the more powerful moments in my life. I will never forget it. It serves as a great reminder when I am walking through my own valley. I need fear no evil or darkness or chaos or despair for God is with me. He is there to comfort and guide me. He is there to prepare a celebration for me even in the face of all my enemies.
Readings for tomorrow: Job 14-17