(Church Growth/Summer 1999)

David Yonggi Cho

(With permission from Church Growth International) (Not for sale)

Yes, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies: You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over (Ps.23:4-5).

God delivered us from the hands of the Japanese and from Korean War. Whenever we go through sufferings; God is with us and delivers. We are going through a very difficult time now.

He said, "I will be with you in the day of trouble, and I will deliver you." God is promising us a better tomorrow, if we repent of our sins and cry out to the Lord. Our Lord promised, Cry out to me, and I will answer you, and I will show you unsearchable things. We do not know the secrets of God, but God knows all secrets and mysteries. God works beyond our imaginations. Therefore, we will have to pray to God, and we will have to ask God to deliver us from this distress. Let us ask God to lead us to a better tomorrow.

Since man is not omnipotent, omniscient nor omnipresent; he cannot know what is going to happen. He's also troubled with many problems that arise in life. We don't know what is going to happen to us, our friends or our families. How then can we overcome the troubles of life?

David, the psalmist, said in Psalm 23, Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. Your rod and Your staff they comfort me. This is the confession of David.

David first said that even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death. What does the "valley of death" mean? It means that we are hopeless and in despair. Our distress and troubles are very deep. It can become so dark and discouraging when we hear the news and the reports of suffering throughout the word.

Even though all ages are filled with distress, David could say that he did not fear any evil, because God was with him. He promised to be with us throughout all eternity.

Since God is our Shepherd, and we are His sheep; He has to protect us with His staff and rod. Therefore, even in the middle of troubles and despair; we have faith in the Lord, and we must believe that God is with us.

This goes beyond our understanding, but it is a Truth that we can stand on. Joseph worshipped God, but Joseph's brothers hated him, and they decided to kill him. His brothers took Joseph and threw him into the cistern. It was empty, dark and it was like a dungeon. In short, Joseph was put into the "valley of the shadow of death."

Because he was put in the cistern, and if his brothers had left him there; he would have died and nothing could have saved him. But the Lord was with Joseph, and he was not alone and hopeless.

It was put into the heart of Joseph's brothers the idea to sell him to the Midianite merchants. They took him out of the cistern and sold him for twenty pieces of silver.

God worked beyond Joseph's thoughts, and it was part of God's master plan for Joseph. Joseph may have lost all hope because he was only seventeen years old, and he was sold as a slave to Egypt.

There was no light of hope for Joseph; he must have despaired. But although he was taken as a slave; God was with him. God was with Joseph when he went down to Egypt.

No matter what the circumstances are; He will never leave us nor forsake us. He will be with us until the end.

Joseph was taken to Egypt as a salve, but in actuality he was in the process of becoming the Prime Minister of Egypt. Sometimes, our thoughts are quite different from God's.

For ten years, Joseph worked in the house of Potiphar. He missed his home, and he must have wept many times, but God was with him. The Great Shepherd stays with His sheep. Joseph may have thought that he was all alone, but God was there with him. Joseph prospered in all he did.

(Gen.39:2~5, KJV) And the LORD was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.

And he was master saw that the LORD was with him, and that the LORD made all that he did to prosper in his hand.

And Joseph found grace in his sight, and he served him: and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand.

And it came to pass from the time that he had made him overseer in his house, and over all that he had, that the LORD blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake; and the blessing of the LORD was upon all that he had in the house, and in the field.

Joseph thought he was just a slave, but God was working beyond his imagination. God was with him, and in everything that he did; God prospered him.

Then Joseph was falsely accused, and he was put into prison. Joseph must have been devastated. He must have said "Why did this happen to me?" But while he was in prison the Lord was with him. God did not abandon him. God did not forsake him, and He was always with Joseph. Joseph prospered in prison.

He had favor in the eyes of the prison warden, and Joseph was put in a position of responsibility. God gave him success in whatever he did.

God was with Joseph as a slave and as a prisoner. As the psalmist confessed; we can confess, Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death; I will fear no evil for You are with me, Your rod and Your staff they comfort me.

There is no guarantee that we will not have to go through the valley of the shadow of death. In fact, we go through it quite often, and we are assured that God will be with us when we do. We must believe that God's rod and God's staff will comfort us until the end, and God will make us succeed and prosper.

This is the ultimate hope for the Christian. Although we do not see, hear or touch anything, although we go through the valley of the shadow of death; we must believe that God is with us.

Secondly, the Bible continues to say, He prepares a table before me in the presence of mine enemies; He anoints my head with oil, and my cup overflows.

The enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy, but when God is with us; He will prepare a table before us in the eyes of our enemies. He will lift us up before the eyes of our enemies. Ps.118 says, "The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?" The Lord is with me; He will help me, and I will triumph over my enemies.

If God is our shepherd, He will be on our side in front of our enemies. The enemies must strike our Lord in order to strike us.

Ps.100 says, Knows that the Lord is God, it is He who made us and not ourselves, and we are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving and enter His courts with praise. Be thankful unto Him and bless His holy Name.

God made us, and He raises us, and Hi makes us prosper and succeed. He anoints us with His oil (The Holy Spirit).

Ps.20 says, "The Lord saves His anointed. He answers him from His holy heaven with the saving power of His right hand."

Anointing means separation. He separates us from the worldly things of life. Since He separates us from the rest of the world; He will lift us up.

Ps.91 says, "Because He loves me, says the Lord, I will rescue him; I will protect him for he acknowledges My Name. He will call upon Me, and I will answer. I will deliver him and honor him."

We must believe that God will prepare a table before us in the presence of our enemies, and our cup will overflow. It means that we will be satisfied. We will not be defeated by our enemies, but in front of them, we will be satisfied by God.

Ps.21 says, "Though the victories You gave, his glory is great, You have displayed on him splendor and majesty, surely You have granted him eternal blessings and granted him the joy of Your presence."

We can find a perfect example of this in Philippi with Paul and Silas. When they cast out the demon of divination from the girl; the owners came looking for Paul and Silas. They brought them before the magistrates, and said "These men are advocating customs not of our own, and they are causing an uproar." The magistrates ordered that Paul and Silas be stripped and beaten. They were bleeding, hungry and covered with wounds. They could not lie down as they were in shackles. The enemy was laughing and saying "Where is your God now?" There seemed to be no help for them.

Paul and Silas did not murmur or complain to God. Instead, at about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God. Suddenly, there was such a violent earthquake that the prison itself was shaken.

At once, all the prison doors were opened and all of the chains fell off Paul and Silas. God prepared a table before Paul and Silas in the presence of their enemies.

The jailer woke up, and when he saw all the prison doors opened; he tried to kill himself, and Paul and Silas saved him. He asked "what must I do to be saved"? and Paul and Silas said, Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.

Paul and Silas spoke the words of the Lord Jesus Christ and the household of the jailer received salvation that day.

Paul and Silas were proven to be Romans, and so they were released from their prison sentence. The enemies of Paul and Silas tried to kill them, but God prepared a table before them in the presence of their enemies, and their cup overflowed.

As a result, the church at Philippi had a strong foundation laid. So when we are in distress and troubled; what should we do? We have to remember what David said in Ps. 23. We must be assured that God is with us at all circumstances.

Jesus said, "I am The good Shepherd; I lay down my Life for My sheep." God will never leave us in any situation.

In a Jewish concentration camp in Germany there was posted this message "Many Jews went to the gas chamber, and though we have troubles and tribulations; God is with us." It is their confession. Although the clouds may hide the sun; we know that the sun is right there. Although we go through the valley of the shadow of death; we believe that God will be with us. And as God was with Joseph; so shall He be with us, 24 hours a day, and our hope is in Jesus Christ.

Revelation 1:8 says, "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, Who is, Who was and Who is to come the Almighty God." Our God says that He will be with us, and He will never us nor forsakes us, and we do not need to fear what man can do unto us. Like Joseph and Paul, we should not despair, because God is with us. Our enemies may be able to overcome us, but they cannot overcome God. We must believe that God is our Shepherd, and we are His sheep. The sheep do not have to know where the water or the green pasture is; they only have to follow the shepherd.

John 10:27-28, says My sheep listen to My voice, I know them, and they follow Me. I have given them eternal life, and they shall never perish. No one can snatch them out of My hand.

We have to believe in God's supernatural power. Joseph was taken to Egypt in order to become a slave, but God's plan was for Joseph to be in training to become the Prime Minister of Egypt. Joseph was falsely accused and put into prison; he thought he was finished and he had no hope. He spent 3 years in prison, but it was the second stage in his training program. God's wisdom is higher and deeper than ours.

We must yield our way to our great Shepherd. We are in political distress and economic trouble, but we know, follow and trust in our great Shepherd. God will make something out of this chaos. God will perform miracles in our society. We must believe in God's supernatural power. We must commit our ways to the Lord.

Philippians says not to be anxious about anything, but by prayer, petition and thanksgiving, make your requests to God, and the peace that passes all understanding will flood your mind and heart in Christ Jesus.

When your heart is troubled and irritated; turn your circumstances and your life over to the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ. He will never leave you nor forsake you.

(David Yonggi Cho was the Senior Pastor of the Yoido Full Gospel Church. He was also the Founder, President and Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Church Growth International Ministry.)