Yea Though I Walk Through the Valley of the Shadow of Death

# 273 - Today's Du-votional comes from: 1Sa 20:1-3, “Then David fled from Naioth in Ramah, and went and said to Jonathan, "What have I done? What is my iniquity, and what is my sin before your father, that he seeks my life?" 2 So Jonathan said to him, "By no means! You shall not die! Indeed, my father will do nothing either great or small without first telling me. And why should my father hide this thing from me? It is not so!" 3 Then David took an oath again, and said, "Your father certainly knows that I have found favor in your eyes, and he has said, 'Do not let Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved.' But truly, as the LORD lives and as your soul lives, there is but a step between me and death." )1 Sam 20:1-3) While Saul has been taken over by the Spirit of God, David has an opportunity to escape and he heads back to the palace for counsel from his best friend Jonathan. Good advice for all of us. When the heat is on, go to a trusted brother or sister, someone who will tell you the truth, not just what you want to hear. Jonathan can't bring himself to completely mistrust his father. He was there when his father swore that he would not hurt David. (1 Sam 19:6) But David's personal experience with Saul's mood swings tells David differently. Then David utters a truth that we would all do well to learn: “there is but a step between me and death." There is not a single person that knows when their time on earth is over. Oh the devil, (personified here by Saul) ever seeks to slay us, but the final say is in the hands of the Lord. Ps 139:16 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them. Yes, there is but a step between each one of us and death, but one of the wonderful promises concerning this dilemma is found in the 23rd Psalm. Ps 23:4 Yea, 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. In David's time the shepherds were very familiar with the wadi's. These are dry riverbeds that could turn into instant death traps when flood waters raged. Death was a step away in the wadi or valley, and that's the way it is for all of us. But in this Psalm we find that we need not fear, for God is with us calming our fears, giving us reassurance of our final destination through faith in Jesus. Father help us all to number our days, and rest in the assurances of Your promises to us through Jesus Christ.