By TIMOTHY L. MELTON
Pastor, Cherokee Pentecostal Holiness Church
Transcribed by Myra D. Colgate
Reference: Psalm 23:4-6, Hebrews 4:1-6 & 9-12
I came by today to say the Righteousness is Jesus. He’s our Righteousness and as He said, it is just for the sake of that Name. Known as the Name about every name, verse 4 brings us to another whole place, because it seems the psalmist David wrote this psalm to declare a couple of things here today.
Oh, I feel the presence of the Holy Ghost and that we are about to be blessed! Here’s what we see that He shows up and says there’s a God in Heaven whose Name is Righteous. He knows how to restore me. He knows how to give me rest. He knows how to take care of me, so I want for nothing, and He knows how to get me where I need to be, and then He gets to verse 4 and says but I am still walking through the valley of the shadow of death.
Why would He write it out of order? If it had been me, I would have had to start in the valley of the shadow of death. It is full of evil, and I humbly need You to be there to comfort me.
I know the enemy is about to rise up and act a fool and he is about to do his best to have his way with me.
Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me. Yes, and it is amazing to me.
We were in Israel so many years ago and we went to the literal “Valley of the Shadow of Death”. I have heard it preached over the years that this is a spiritual valley where the shadow of death passes over it, but I found it there. It is a real place. It is still a dangerous place. Even today one just wouldn’t go down there unescorted, not making it by oneself there. People still avoid the area. Why is that? It is because there are still robbers and others who would harm or even take a person’s life.
I realized a long time ago that the Lord will sometimes carry us through a dangerous place to get us through to another place. How many of us realize today that God never called us to live a life of ease?
He never called us to live a life of nothing but joy. Sometimes one must fight a fight. Sometimes one must go through a valley. Sometimes, one must meet the enemy head-on. Why? It is so that for His Name’s Sake, He can show the earth who He is within that person’s life.
In verse 5, He says something interesting, “For Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies.”
Isn’t that an amazing statement in that the enemy comes along to break a person and yet, God shows up to bless that person? Amen. If I were the devil, I would sure be frustrated today. I’ve had him pour out every single thing that he could think of pouring out over our lives and all he did was squeeze out a brand-new praise, a new song. Only it was squeezed out of the Glory of the Lord and the Righteousness of Christ. Why? It was because we learned this important lesson. Amen! The lesson of the Valley! Hallelujah! He told us it was only at that time that one is Anointed. Don’t miss what I am saying to everyone. Sometimes one must go through the Valley to find the place of one’s greatest Anointing, and to prove this to themselves and others.
The issue is when a person gets squeezed what’s on the inside will make its way outside and that’s when all will know, including that person, what one is made of and what’s really on the inside. When all hell breaks loose in the valley, does one’s head go down and their hands go up in surrender? In the middle of a trial? Do a person’s knees go to the floor? Does their back bend over? I don’t know about everyone knowing this, but there is a God in heaven who really has a Rod and a Staff. When He brings them out, the enemy cowers and moves back!
He showed me it was during that time that my cup runneth over. It is as David said, “His goodness and Mercy will follow me everywhere I go.” David understood this as the Truth that I’m about to share with everyone out of the New Testament; until one prepares their own heart to receive this truth, until each one knows who God really is until they begin to understand and appreciate fully His stalwart, unstoppable, unchanging promises in knowing they are sure, even if it may not look like it at the time, one’s battles will defeat a person every time.
The psalmist David was able to declare these fine words because he had been through some battles. Every time God brought him through with Power and a testimony that just won’t end! This is why when David entered a city, the people would sing, “Saul has killed his thousands, but David, his tens of thousands.” Why was this? It was because of this testimony which preceded him.
