Read for This Week’s Study: Psalm 23, Rom. 12:18–21.

Memory Text: “He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of

righteousness for His name’s sake” (Psalm 23:3, NKJV).

Sophie leaned back against her bedroom door and slid to the

floor. Tears were welling up fast, and it was only a moment

before she was sobbing. “How could he? How could he!”

Sophie had just received news that was breaking her heart. Someone

she thought was a friend, someone she respected and trusted, was

spreading awful gossip about her in order to ruin her reputation and

the work she had been doing. Grabbing her Bible off the bed, she

suddenly found herself staring at some very familiar words: “He

restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His

name’s sake. Yea, 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” (Ps. 23:3, 4, NKJV).

“Surely this can’t be!” she blurted out to herself. But the logic

seemed inescapable. The Shepherd in the psalm was guiding His

sheep in paths of righteousness, but these very paths also seemed to

wind their way into the valley of the shadow of death. Could it be

possible that even this painful betrayal by a friend, this dark valley,

could be used by God to train her in righteousness?

The Week at a Glance: At what times have you grown more

spiritually—through the easy times or the harder ones?