Psalm 23:4 reads, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death. . . ,” but it does not stop there. It goes on, “I will fear no evil.” In Matthew 14 Peter and the other disciples were in a boat on the Sea of Galilee when a storm came up. As they were being “beaten by the waves” (Mt 14:24) Jesus “came to them, walking on the sea” (Mt 14:26). When they saw this figure out over the water the disciples assumed it was a ghost and cried out in fear, but “Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘Take heart; is it I. Do not be afraid’” (Mt 14:27). They were in the valley of the shadow of death and Jesus said, “Don’t be afraid.” You may remember the story, Peter asked to walk on water with Jesus. At Jesus’ invitation, Peter “got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, ‘Lord, save me’” (Mt 14:29-30). Jesus said, “Don’t be afraid,” but Peter was filled with fear.
In John 14:27 Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” In John 16 Jesus warns his disciples that a time is coming when anyone who kills them will think they are doing God a favor, but he assured them that they were not alone. He then concluded, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (Jn 16:33). In Romans 15:13 the Apostle Paul prayed that the Roman believers would be filled “with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” Why is it that we so often know these truths yet are filled with fear? Why is it that we talk about the peace of God, yet experience anxiety?
Perhaps it is for the very same reason Peter began to sink when he was walking on the water. Matthew 14:30 says that when Peter “saw the wind, he was afraid.” Walking through the valley of the shadow of death is inevitable. The question is: Where are our eyes as we walk through the valley? Are we looking at the shadows, the darkness, the unknown, and uncertainty, or are our eyes fixed on “Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith” (Heb 12:2)?
When Peter took his eyes off Jesus and fixated on the wind he was filled with fear. Too often our thoughts are filled with that which we don’t know, what we imagine might happen, or what we cannot control. Those things fill us with fear and anxiety. As believers, we need to learn to fix our eyes on Jesus. Psalms 121 starts out, “I lift up my eyes to the hills” (Ps 121:1). What is in the hills? When the Psalmist lifts his eyes to the hills he could imagine them filled with thieves and renegades, in which case he would be filled with fear. The hills were where the criminals and roving gangs hid out. But that is not what the Psalmist saw. The Psalm goes on, “From where does my help come? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth” (Ps 121:1-2). When he looked to the hills he saw the creator of the hills rather than the thieves hiding in the hills. We too can look at the shadows and darkness as we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, or we can look to the creator whose light is greater than the darkness.
The valley that causes us fear is dependent on the creator for its very existence. With a single word from the creator the valley would cease to exist. With a simple rebuke Jesus calmed the very sea that caused Peter so much fear (see Mt 8:26). We can fear evil, circumstances, people, situations, isolation, or a virus, or we can fear God. But we cannot fear both at the same time. “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope” (Rom 15:13). “May the God of peace be with you all. Amen” (Rom 15:33).
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