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THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW OF DEATH
"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, The Holy Bible, KJV]
In the valley of the shadow of death, Jesus conquered me.
And it was a long time coming, because I was stubborn.
I used my invisible wrist watch to time His response
and an online calculator for all my unanswered prayers
and the outback location was just like a theatre stage,
where I succumbed to the tragedy of my own poor script.
No monastery or sanctuary would ever be built out here,
with leadlight windows, hidden libraries, bejewelled vaults,
and the old fallen angel architectrure of human sacrifice.
Instead I fell down in the driveway, cheek to shit and dirt,
and a howl of rage and dismay shook up a wilderness inside
and I cried out to God, suddenly and henceforth betrayed.
This is the valley of the shadow of death! I am a captive.
In the valley of the shadow of death, Jesus conquered me.
I floundered amongst the water tanks set on concrete,
and the broken tractor found in the old mango farm shed,
cracked baskets filled with red dust and the wings of insects,
on a deserted farm that would never be productive again.
And even though devils harass me on this degraded plot,
creeping softly along the house yard fenceline, just on dark,
they cannot snatch me, from beneath the wing of his love
"He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler."
[Psalm 91:4, The Holy Bible, KJV] |
