“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” Psalm 23:4

Perhaps I'm not regularly faced with the prospect of death, but like everyone there are many times where I feel like I am walking through a period of uncertainty or like I'm in a valley of shadow. Though the thought of a valley of shadow is unsettling and conjures up a foreboding image of dark, cold and desolate places, I believe the valley of shadow can even be a silly thing like the driver’s seat of a parked car.

A recent example for me would be learning to drive a manual transmission car for the first time. Sitting with my girlfriend at a stop light and killing the engine repeatedly as the light changes from green to red 3 times in a row while people honked and drove around was pretty stressful. Despite the stress of that situation I remember staying calm and praying for God to please help me just drive out of that intersection, and when I did manage to get the car moving it was probably the happiest 20 feet I've ever driven.

That evening after driving back home (that poor clutch and transmission) I remember not wanting to drive a manual ever again. After a lot of prayer and thought I took comfort in knowing God is with us and would not put an insurmountable obstacle before us. The next morning I got up early and drove to an empty university parking lot and practiced starting and stopping until I was comfortable and could do it reliably. Ever since that morning I have had very few issues shifting and now actually like driving a manual.

It's kind of amusing how in that instance I went from being super intimidated by an uncertain situation to persevering through it until I actually grew to like it, and it's cool that it was catalyzed by prayer. I pray that my experience as a real estate agent will be similar. I like this verse because it's a reminder that when faced with stress and uncertainty, even on seemingly trivial things, we can take comfort in knowing we are not alone and that God has a reason and is with us.

Prayer: Dear God, thank you for the examples of how we are not alone in times of uncertainty and that you are with us. Please help us keep this verse in our minds and hearts as we progress through lives and all the uncertainty that can entail. Thank you for being our strength and comfort. Amen