Is there any light in the darkest valley?

It was Sunday and quite cloudy. It was still 4:30 p.m. but already getting dark.  

I decided to go for a walk to get some fresh air, hoping that my cold and headache would get better. At first, I wasn't so sure to do that, because it started to windy too. 80% could be rained on in a few minutes, and still, I kept going outside.

After that scar on August 2021, I avoid listening to music while I walk. Instead, I prefer listening to podcasts. This helped me at least to stop focusing on the pain. The sermons keep "cleansing" and "preparing" me for everything ahead, including His plan in this uncertain world. And I am very thankful for that. 

The podcast I listened was the very first Arche Jugend podcast this year. It was about the grace of God in connection with His justice (Psalm 103). One of the messages was:

*"Imagine standing alone before a hungry lion with no weapons or anything to save you from it. You will become directly afraid of being attacked and eaten by the lion.

Imagine another situation where the lion has already eaten his meal, a zebra or a goat. He is no longer hungry. He has a full belly. Your fear of being eaten by him maybe less. Still, you cannot guarantee that he will not tear your body to pieces. 
God's hunger for righteousness is completely satisfied in the Cross of Jesus. He has poured out all His wrath on His son. Yet God is powerful and able to destroy us if we do not believe in Jesus. Nothing has changed in that regard".

"Grace and truth have met together. Justice and peace have kissed each other" (Psalm 85, 11).

In the morning at the same day, I heard a Sunday sermon with the message:

**"Have eyes on Him. Look for Him. Love Him!

He sees you first with His merciful eyes, He seeks you first, He loves you first!"

Finally, I got two different themes of messages. But today I still keep thinking about the Psalm of King David, which saved me from that miserable depression.

Even though I walk 
through the darkest valley, 
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.

Then are these two messages actually relevant to me at this moment? Is there a correlation between the psalm I am thinking of and the messages I have received? 

The answer is: Yes. It is always been a yes. We shall know, how He works and what our part is. We shall know, that He is God. He is not only a Creator but also a Planner. We just have to trust and obey. King David suffered, but he knew that God is in control. David tried to keep his eyes on God, who restored his soul. We can see it at the end of most of his psalms. 

In the darkest situation that I felt in my heart and that I saw when I was walking near the very dark and silent lake in very windy and cold weather, I realized that we can go through the darkest valley only if we keep our eyes on Him and if we keep looking at His cross** that shows the righteousness and the grace of God at the same time*. This truth brings us to the fact that if we do not see Him, the light, we will not be able to walk properly. If we do not see the light, we will lose our way and fall. Jesus is that eternal light. For He is also the Way (Joh 4,16). The darkness is no longer frightening if we keep our eyes fixed on the Light. Moreover, he is also there holding our hands. Can you believe in this? Will you?

Most importantly, He has conquered the darkness! (Joh 21,14; Matt 27,35; Acts 13,30; 2 Cor 4,14). There are no other gods or religious leaders who are able to do this.
And He is there, even in the darkest valley. If we believe, we will see His presence, by faith. Then we will gain incredible joyfulness and peace, which encourage us to be that light in this darkest world (Matt 5,14).

All love,

*first message
**second message

That afternoon, January, 2nd 2022