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marbella3 70F
2480 posts
2/18/2020 5:52 am

Last Read:
2/18/2020 2:52 pm

Unimaginable

Leviticus 23–24
Mark 1:1–22
Though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.

Psalm 23:4

Psalm 23
Bart Millard penned a megahit in 2001 when he wrote, “I Can Only Imagine.” The song pictures how amazing it will be to be in Christ’s presence. Millard’s lyrics offered comfort to our family that next year when our seventeen-year-old , Melissa, died in a car accident and we imagined what it was like for her to be in God’s presence.

But imagine spoke to me in a different way in the days following Mell’s death. As fathers of Melissa’s friends approached me, full of concern and pain, they said, “I can’t imagine what you’re going through.”

Their expressions were helpful, showing that they were grappling with our loss in an empathetic way—finding it unimaginable.

David pinpointed the depth of great loss when he described walking through “the darkest valley” (Psalm 23:4). The death of a loved one certainly is that, and we sometimes have no idea how we’re going to navigate the darkness. We can’t imagine ever being able to come out on the other side.

But as God promised to be with us in our darkest valley now, He also provides great hope for the future by assuring us that beyond the valley we’ll be in His presence. For the believer, to be “away from the body” means being present with Him (2 Corinthians 5:8. That can help us navigate the unimaginable as we imagine our future reunion with Him and others.

Reflect & Pray
What’s the best thing you can say to friends who’ve suffered the loss of someone they loved? How can you prepare for those times?

Thank You, God, for being with us even in the darkest valley as we imagine the glories of heaven.


MrsJoe 76F
17309 posts
2/18/2020 6:50 am

Sometimes, there are no words, just a hug. Sometimes, people say dumb things, simply because they feel the need to say something, but don't know what or how. I remember when my husband died, and I got off alone to be with the Lord and asked Him for His comfort. He directed me to Psalms 23 and I protested because I equated it as the "funeral chapter" and I wanted comfort.
But then He read it to me, and expounded on it in such a way that I came away comforted, renewed, and ready to face whatever lay ahead in those next few trying days.


Be a prism, spreading God's light and love, not a mirror reflecting the world's hatred.