Through the Valley of the Shadow of Death
- Debi Irene Wahl
- 10 hours ago
- 5 min read
A powerful testimony of survival, recovery, and discovering God’s presence in the valley of the shadow of death by Debi Irene Wahl.
A Childhood Longing for Hope
Everyone at some point in their lives should completely experience the shepherd boy’s words, “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me” to fully understand how closely Jesus walks with us even when death shadows our steps. The flock tender who became a king realized this at a young age, and his songs of praise for God’s goodness never dimmed. I also walked the valley of the shadow of death with Jesus 20 years ago, and my gratefulness has never dimmed.
The brief backstory of my childhood is that home was sad, overwhelmingly sad. Fraught with depression, I was a lonely kid desperate for something, someone, to remove me from the sadness.
And then at the age of 10, I met Jesus at a Christian camp for kids. When the minister asked if anyone wanted to give Jesus their lives, I ran to that altar and gave my life to Him without reservation.
When Old Struggles Still Linger
Teen years passed, marriage and children were a blessing, but the depression and sadness that had overwhelmed me as a child still clung at times, creeping into the most unexpected moments that should have been filled with peace and joy.
But then my personal valley of the shadow of death hit me, literally, on a four-lane highway, tossing me from the back of my husband’s Harley across two lanes of traffic, and the presence of Jesus carried me to such a grasp of God’s love that I have never been the same.
The Moment Everything Changed
It was a sunny, extremely hot day, and we were just enjoying the ride, hubby and I. As we slowed to stop at a red light at a busy intersection, we heard tires screeching behind us, smelled rubber smearing onto the hot asphalt.
My husband hollered at me, “Hold on!”
I instantly cried to Jesus, “Jesus, I’m coming,” as I was tossed from the bike, losing my grip on hubby. I felt a searing pull on my left foot as my sneaker caught on the bike.
A Timeless Second in God’s Presence
I’ve read that people have no sense of time when they face death. That was certainly true for me. It felt like I was in the air forever, although less than a second passed before I hit the hot asphalt. But that second became timeless.
I felt the presence of God cushion under my body, and I relaxed into His presence. To this day, I cannot adequately explain the intensity of God’s peace.
But I still feel it.
Scenes passed from my memory, then I hit, flayed out on my back.
Help Arrives in Unexpected Ways
It took a moment before the adrenaline kicked in. I sat up, thanked God out loud that my back was not broken. I could hear my husband yelling my name, overwhelmed with thankfulness to know he was alive.
I saw my foot was pointing left, my knee faced the right, and then my brain registered incredible pain. I sank back onto the road.
A guy in spandex ran from a bicycle and knelt at my dangling foot, gently shouldering hubby aside so he could slow the blood pumping out of my ankle. He told my husband he was trying to save my life and possibly my foot.
Later, we learned he was a podiatrist.
To this day, it makes me smile, only God.
I heard a woman telling hubby she was a nurse, “Your wife is getting help, let me help you keep your shoulder,” as she forced him to sit on the curb.
Traffic began to back up for miles, and we heard sirens in the distance.
Walking the Valley Through Recovery
For the next year and a half, David’s words, “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,” became my constant mantra through almost a dozen operations and multiple bouts of infection.
I became a very proficient one-legged hopper with a walker and an External Fixator that could have housed multiple birds.
Moving ten feet with a cup of coffee, around our very concerned and “helpful” Labrador, became the definition of trial and error.
A new kind of depression crept in and out, off and on, like a snake biding its time to strike, but Jesus was ever with me. I knew it. I was living it.
Strength Renewed by God’s Word
Isaiah 40:31 was my daily therapy encouragement: “But they that wait upon the Lord will renew their strength.”
God pushed me to mount up with wings like eagles, the Holy Spirit encouraged me to run and not be weary, and my precious Savior Jesus told me I could “walk and not faint”.
When the Valley Brings Faith Full Circle
I am so thankful to have had this life-altering walk with God.
Jesus became my Savior as a little, sad, and lonely girl, but the shock of the actual walk through the valley of death with God’s Presence brought everything full circle back to the moment I ran to receive Jesus as my Savior.
Paul wrote to young Timothy these words of encouragement, “For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless, I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.” 2 Timothy 1:12. Amen!
Twenty years later, my body has many issues from the trauma of that hot summer afternoon.
But the presence of God has not faded. Jesus is still walking with me as my Savior. Joy continues to battle the times when depression tries to sneak in a shot, but the Holy Spirit is always cushioning me. I know whom I believe and am persuaded He is able to keep that which I have committed to Him.
Everyone at some point in their lives should completely experience the shepherd boy’s words, “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me…”
Debi Irene Wahl is the wife of one, mother of three, and grandmother to five grandbabies. Debi has been singing for Jesus since the age of six, and God permitted her to found a Christian-based traveling theater company for many years to supplement hubby's income. Her life verse is Isaiah 40:31: “They who wait upon the LORD will renew their strength.”
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