Continue moving forward!

“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death.” (the Bible, Psalm 23:4)

One day, when I was in Israel, a Bedouin showed me a valley so narrow that the sun never penetrated it. The Bedouin told me, “This valley stays in the shadows, even in broad daylight. It is truly the valley of the shadow of death. If you have an accident in this valley, no one will find you.” And so that I was sure to understand him well, he added, “There’s not even phone service there!”

Sometimes, we have to cross this type of valley. It is dark, sometimes pitch black. We don’t know how to escape. Fear overwhelms us…and even our connection with God seems cut off.

David, in Psalm 23, shares a secret with us… to keep walking!

He says, “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death…” (the Bible, Psalm 23:4)

It was through this verse that God spoke one day to my friend, Stéphan. He had just been told that one of his kidneys was cancerous and that he had a metastatic growth in his brain. The doctor’s diagnosis was very pessimistic. When Stéphan had to undergo two surgeries, God spoke to him through this verse. Stéphan told himself, “I am in the valley of the shadow of death, but God is asking me to walk! So, no matter what the news or the circumstances, I am going to trust in God and continue moving forward!”

We prayed and God did a miracle in Stéphan’s life. The surgeon who had operated on his brain exclaimed, “I’ve never seen this before—you have a metastasis of the kidney cancer in your brain, but the tumor isn’t cancerous!”

Stéphan did the right thing when he kept walking. He is doing very well today and carries out his various family and professional responsibilities with joy.

Never stop trusting God! Continue moving forward. I believe that as you walk, you will soon come out of this valley!