An Encouragement for the Valley
“Even though I walk through the darkest valley…”
When you find yourself walled in by troubles or weary from the unrelenting mundane, and God seems absent or silent, you might be in what Psalm 23 refers to as a ‘dark valley’. Valleys can be really tough and uncomfortable. Mostly we don’t like valleys.
Yet we know God is the creator of valleys. It was His idea that every bright day has a dark night and every year has a winter, a time when green fades and branches wither. It was His idea that every mountain would have a valley below in which vision is obscured and pathways become limited. These are all part of his masterful creation and serve His wise purposes — they are all included in what He called ‘good’ in the creation account of Genesis. And did you know that God, the perfect father, allows our spiritual journeys to pass through nights and winters and valleys like these?
Early last year I was in the midst of a busy evening when suddenly I felt arrested by a quiet thought:
“This next season will be extremely difficult. You’re going to feel like you’re not making any progress at all. You’re going to want to quit… But just don’t give up because I’m birthing something new”
God was warning me of a dark valley coming up and providing me with the encouragement I needed to make it through. Why wouldn’t He just keep me from the difficulty, choosing rather to skip from mountain top to mountain top? Because God knows something invaluable can be gained in the valley that cannot be gained elsewhere. He knows that a faith that does not pass through valleys cannot become deeply rooted and resilient, mature and lasting. He intends to free us from what holds us back (a lot of ‘self’-ishness) and give birth to deeper trust and character that will sustain us for the long haul. As any mother will testify, birth takes time and a considerable amount of pain, but afterward the joy of the new eclipses and transforms every bit of pain it took to get there. So it is with the work God does in us through the valley as we trust in Him.
“… I will fear no evil, for you are with me”
A response to the valley is practicing rest. Rest is simply trust in action. When you trust the surgeon, you sit still for the operation. Likewise, trusting in the character of God produces rest in the valley — confident that His skillful and loving hand is mysteriously at work in the midst of every test and trouble. Putting your trust in a specific outcome (a healing or a raise, etc) is likely to leave you disappointed and disoriented; it is often based on presumption of what you hope God will do rather than a promise from Him. But the person who trusts God’s character says, in effect, ‘come what may, God is good — He will sustain me and give me the grace to overcome’. This trust produces the rest you need to overcome the valley. Practicing rest looks like holding onto the truth that He is near even when the darkness clouds your ability to perceive it, even when the accuser’s lies cause you to waver in doubt. Practicing rest looks like humbling yourself before a holy God and acknowledging that He is God, and you are not — and rejoicing that that is extremely good news! It also looks like making peace with the fact that seasons like these are a purposeful and unavoidable part of the journey. But also, taking courage that their appointed time is limited — you will see another morning, another spring, another mountain top! In the meantime, just don’t quit, cause He’s birthing something new and beautiful.
“.…God is educating you; that’s why you must never drop out. He’s treating you as dear children. This trouble you’re in isn’t punishment; it’s training, the normal experience of children.” Hebrews 12:7
“Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.” James 1:2-4