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Why Every Great Story Has a Valley
Weekly Edition #74: June 24th, 2026
Verse I Like:
“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.”
Weekly Dose
Superman is one of the most beloved heroes ever created.
When he first appeared, he could leap over buildings and outrun trains. Strong, but not unstoppable.
As the years went on, writers kept making him more powerful. Eventually, Superman was moving planets and reversing time.
And they discovered a problem.
The more invincible Superman became, the less interesting his stories were.
We don't just admire heroes because they win. We admire them because they struggle.
A hero without obstacles is rarely inspiring.
The struggle is often what makes the story worth telling.
Quotes I Like:
"Smooth seas do not make skillful sailors."
"God had one Son on earth without sin, but never one without suffering."
"The oak fought the wind and was broken, the willow bent when it must and survived."
Mane Message
Psalm 23 is perhaps the most famous chapter of the Psalms.
Even people who have never opened a Bible have likely heard parts of it. It is read at funerals, quoted in movies, and recited from memory by millions of people.
Most of us remember the comforting parts.
"The Lord is my shepherd."
"He makes me lie down in green pastures."
"He leads me beside still waters."
The imagery is peaceful. A shepherd provides for his sheep, protects them, and leads them to places of rest.
But Psalm 23 is not merely a poem about comfort.
Right in the middle of the Psalm, the scenery changes.
David writes:
"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me."
Notice what David doesn't say.
He doesn't say the shepherd keeps him out of the valley.
He doesn't say the shepherd removes every obstacle from his path.
He says the shepherd walks with him through it.
As much as we may wish otherwise, valleys are part of life. They are part of nearly every great story as well. Joseph had a prison. Moses had a wilderness. David spent years fleeing from Saul.
Even Christ had a cross.
The valley is not evidence that God has abandoned the story. The valley is often part of the story itself.
Psalm 23 reminds us that God's presence is not limited to the green pastures and still waters. He is just as present in the valleys.
The promise of the Psalm is not that we will never face hardship. The promise is that we do not face it alone.
Weekly Ponder
How often do we pray for stronger faith while asking God to remove every opportunity to exercise it?
What if God's greatest work in our lives happens in places we would never willingly choose?
Enjoying our Content?
Onward and Upward!
