Tag: spiritual valley

Lessons Learned in Life’s Valleys

by markjemilbooth, posted in Christian Life, Christian Servants, God, Uncategorized
I will fear no evil in the shadow of death because God is with me.

Have you recently entered into a valley in your life? You didn’t choose this valley, but God has chosen it for you. God knows exactly what He is doing in your life. The process of becoming more like Christ is not always pleasant. The valley is a place where we meet fire, pressure, and the unknown. The great thing about the valley is that we are not traveling this valley alone. David, who faced many valleys, wrote: “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)

As you reflect upon your time in the valley, there are several lessons to learn. As James wrote: “My brethren, COUNT IT ALL JOY when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” (James 1:2-4) There is joy amid the valley because the Lord is still working in our lives.

Regardless of age, we are learning new lessons and reviewing old ones. We are slow learners, but God is a very patient teacher. He knows what to bring into our lives to make Christlikeness a reality. Every valley is different, and there are new lessons to learn. Here are some lessons the Lord teaches us as we travel through this valley.

1. We learn that every valley is God’s special plan for our lives. Joseph didn’t choose to become a slave, but it was God’s special plan. He understood this very clearly when he told his brothers. “But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.” (Genesis 50:20). Joseph’s brothers did evil when they sold him into slavery, yet God took that evil deed and used it for good.

As we plod through this valley, we become thankful that God is still working in our lives. Paul understood this when he wrote: “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1:6). God is working His loving plan in our lives. He knows the right instrument to use to make us more like Jesus!

2. We learn that the valley is a place of thirsting for Christ. Communion with Christ can elude us in the good times; however, in the valley, it is essential. The valley shouts to us: “Go to Christ! Go to Christ!” Our need for Christ increases our desire for him. David wrote: “O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is.” (Psalm 63:1). When we thirst for Christ, He is there to satisfy our thirst. When we run from the valley of His choosing, we lose those intimate times of fellowship with Him.

3. We learn that we can show our vulnerabilities before others. The valley has a way of causing us to be broken and humble before God and others. As a result, people see that we are vulnerable. Those who love us will see this vulnerability and try to bring comfort, healing, and encouragement into our lives. Naomi showed her vulnerability before Ruth. As a result, Ruth left everything and became her dearest friend.

Sometimes, we try to show our strength while traveling in the valley. If we had only expressed our needs, people would have been eager to help us. There is nothing wrong with letting people know that you are traveling through a valley. Jonathan had a great ministry of encouragement to David because David showed his vulnerability to Jonathan.

4. We learn that we need intercessory prayer. We don’t ask people to pray for us when things are going well. However, when we enter the valley, Paul’s words, “Brethren, pray for us,” easily fall from our lips. We may not understand how prayer works, but it does! There are many pitfalls in this valley, and yet the prayers of others will take us through each pitfall.

5. We learn that tears are perfectly appropriate. We may rarely cry, but when something or someone you love is hurting, tears flow naturally. Jesus said: “Blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted.” (Matthew 5:4) Comfortcomes from the Savior who shed His tears for the people of Jerusalem. He sorrows for the same things which cause us to have sorrow. The tears show that we love those things that Jesus loves. When we weep in our valley, we follow the example of Jesus Christ. 

6. We learn that great comfort comes from the Word of God. The valley causes us to have a greater desire to read the Word, but it also gives us a greater ability to allow the truths of God’s Word to speak to our hearts. When things are going well, we may read the Bible, but the Bible becomes our life-preserver when we are in the valley. We hold unto its truths as though our lives depend upon it. “It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes.” (Psalm 119:71)

As you continue traveling this valley, be thankful that you don’t have to travel alone. Jesus is walking with you and places people in your life who will walk with you in the valley. There will be more lessons to learn and relearn; however, you have the greatest teacher who ever walked the earth. His name is Jesus!

Jesus: Our Companion in the Valley

by markjemilbooth, posted in Bible Study, Christian Life, God's Attributes, Joy, Love

Near Fontana Dam, TN.
Near Fontana Dam, TN.

 

The valley is often a place of loneliness. We may feel that nobody understands exactly how we feel. As we experience sleepless nights, the loneliness and darkness of the night seem to settle like a foggy mist upon us. The hopelessness of our situation paralyzes us . Where can we find hope, comfort and companionship during these dark hours in the valley? The answer is Jesus!

Jesus gives us this promise in Hebrews 13:5: “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”  No matter how dark the night, He will not leave us. No matter how deep the valley, He will not leave us. No matter how painful the path, He will not leave us. As we trod through the valley, Jesus promises to walk every step of the way with us!

The valley no longer is a cold, dark, lonely place when we seek after the Lord and become aware of His presence. David faced many valleys in his life. God used the valleys in David’s life to create a longing for fellowship with Him. In Psalm 42,  David expresses his longing for God. “As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God.” (Psalm 42:1-2)

The valley may not be our plan for our lives, but it is God’s plan for our lives. He knows how easy it is for us to drift in our relationship with Him. We can even slowly fall into the sin of the church at Laodicea. This church had become lukewarm because they no longer saw their desperate need for Christ. In our Christian life, there are times when we become lukewarm. The Lord sends us into the valley to restore our passion for Him.

Many of us would say that some of the sweetest times in our lives is our valley experience. Yes, the valley seems painful, lonely, dark and confusing, but it is also quite sweet. It brings us once again to the feet of Jesus. We become broken before our Lord. We don’t pray out of obligation, but out of desperation. We cling to Christ and He takes us unto His bosom and brings great comfort to us.

Christ’s presence changes our whole outlook of our valley. No longer is the valley a place filled with sorrow and bitterness, but a place to accept with joy. How does Christ change our valley from a place of bitterness to a place of sweetness?

1. The valley is a place of darkness, but Christ changes it into a place of light. “I am the Light of the World” (John 8:12)

2. The valley is a place of anxiety, but Christ changes it into a place of peace. “My peace I give unto you.” (John 14:27)

3. The valley is a place of confusion. but Christ changes it into a place of understanding. “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)

4. The valley is a place of heartache, but Christ changes it into a place of comfort. “Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation.” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)

5. The valley is a place of rejection, but Christ changes it into a place of enjoying His love. “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord”

6. The valley is a place of sleeplessness, but Christ changes it into a place of rest. “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28)

7. The valley is a place of sorrow, but Christ changes it into a place of joy. “And ye now therefore have sorrow:but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you. (John 16:22)

8. The valley is a place of uselessness, but Christ changes it into a place of ministry. “and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.” (John 15:2)

9. The valley is a place of weakness, but Christ changes it into a place of strength. “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9)

“Dear Lord, thank you for making the bitterness of my valley into something very sweet. Thank you for walking through this valley with me. Thank you for allowing me to draw closer to you during this very difficult time. Though this valley is not my choice, your way is always the best. Thank you for not only taking me into the valley, but also through the valley. Your presence has made all the difference!  Amen”