“See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god beside me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand.” (Deuteronomy 32:39)
We Christians believe and assert the truth that Jesus is the only way to heaven, an idea which most of the people in our world reject. Instead, millions of people including many Christians now subscribe to the concept of pluralism. Pluralism maintains that the many religions that exist are all equally valid. They are just different roads that all lead to heaven, whatever form that may take.
Pluralism is not a biblical concept. As Moses maintains here, there is only one God, not many. He alone is responsible for all that exists. He alone is Almighty, that is, He alone can help and save us. Yahweh is a rock: sure, steadfast, unmovable, and unchangeable, one who can always be trusted to keep His word. And that means all human beings are in His hands. The reality is that no one can escape His judgment should they reject, ignore, or dismiss Him.
We humans often worship other things and even people as if they were gods. We give them time, energy, and adoration but, in effect they possess no real power. I guess that is why God is so offended by them. He is loving. He is all powerful. Yet what do we frail humans choose in His place? We choose things that cannot deliver us, cannot forgive our sins, cannot love, cannot give us the genuine comfort that we so earnestly need in times of adversity and sorrow. And we need God’s help all the time but especially when we are in the valley of darkness and despair.
For the believer, the valley of darkness is where we reach out for God’s presence because we do not feel Him. Many despair or fall into unbelief and anger because they think either God has abandoned them or that He does not exist. But that is where faith thrives and flourishes for the absence of feeling His presence does not mean He has left us. Faith tells us that He is there even though our feelings say otherwise.