He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name. Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Psalms 23:3b-4a

 

No one is ever ready for the dark valley of heartbreak.

If Jennifer had written a letter to God that day, it would have begun, “Dear God, I’m not ready for this valley.” That was the day her father began to receive hospice care for congestive heart failure and the day Jennifer entered the valley of goodbyes.

No, nothing prepares us for heartbreak of this kind or for the heartbreak you may be facing today. You didn’t choose this valley with its steep walls, scary shadows, and unknown length. But the God of the Bible has a message for. You. He says, “I am with you in your darkest valley.”

After Jennifer’s father passed into Jesus’s presence, she realized that “Sometimes the moments we dread are the exact moments we come to experience God’s presence most.”[1] The God of the Bible isn’t a spectator God who’s far away in heaven. He is the God Who came down to us to make a way for us to be in perfect relationship with Him both here and forever. Until that forever part, He says, “Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand'” (Isaiah 41:10 NKJV).

David, a Psalm writer of the Bible, was once a shepherd who traveled through physically dark, dangerous valleys. David wrote, “He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name. Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me” (Psalms 23:3b-4a).

He is close beside you, especially in the valley of heartbreak.

[1] Lee, Jennifer Dukes. “Dear God, I’m Not Ready for This.” Proverbs 31 Ministries, 21 Mar. 2023, proverbs31.org/read/devotions/full-post/2023/03/31/dear-god-im-not-ready-for-this.