Death is swallowed up in victory…O death, where is your sting? 1 Corinthians 15:54-55

Even when we have assurance of eternal life, it’s natural to be apprehensive about the unknown. We may fear a painful death or wonder about the mechanics of life beyond this earth. In Psalm 23, the writer says, “even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me” (Psalm 23:4). The focus is on God’s presence in that valley, but we may still shudder at the description. You can almost feel the chill of the shadows. But shadows are only images of a thing, not the thing itself.

For example, driving can be traumatic after you or a loved one has experienced a car crash. One man who lost his wife in a crash felt unnerved as he was driving and the shadow of a truck passed over him. Then he considered how much better it was to go through the shadow than to feel the force of the truck itself.

God’s presence is with us in the valley. Moreover, Jesus conquered death by coming back to life after death, so that our earthly deaths are only impermanent shadows. Scripture rejoices, “O death, where is your sting? …But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:55-57).

Follower of Jesus, if you are grieving a loss or anxious about death today, be encouraged that you are only passing through a shadow and God’s presence is with you.

Resource reading: Psalm 23:1-6