Getting Through the Valleys, Pt. 2

If there are no valleys, then there will be no mountains. Valley living is rough, but God often uses these tough times to prepare us for His blessings.

Getting Through the Valleys, Pt. 2

"He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name's sake."

(Psalm 23:2-3)

Pastor Charles Stanley reminded his congregation at the First Baptist Church Atlanta, GA, that if there are no valleys, then there will be no mountains. Valley living is rough. There is no other way to describe it. Some of you are living it right now. Perhaps your spouse has filed for divorce, or you have lost your health or your job; the list can go on and on, because there are so many trials in this life. In my own life, I have seen that it was in the valleys where God was closest to me and carrying me in my sorrow but also teaching and preparing me for what was to come. He wastes no painful event in your life. I had often prayed that the Lord would put me where He could use me the most. Well, He answered that prayer, but not in the way I thought He would. I prayed for blessings, but God answered it with suffering first to prepare me for the later blessings!

How do we deal with the pain in our lives? Stanley offers many principles for us to ponder this week related to valley journeys. For example, he said, "Valley experiences are inevitable."

The duration may be short or long, but the fact remains, we will certainly suffer; the pain is real, and in this life, there is no avoiding valleys. They come to all. Stanley said that sometimes we are led there by the Good Shepherd. God leads us to valleys for many reasons, but He does not abandon us in those times; He is especially close. Praise His name! Yes, He sometimes leads us to troubles as opportunities for us to be conformed more to Christ's image, but Psalm 23 and John 10 tell us He is the Good Shepherd. He walks with us in the fiery trials of life. John 10:11, 14-16 states:

"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd."

We will go to the valley, and from there to the mountain, to the next valley, and so forth. It is just part of our journey on earth. God takes us to the valley to prepare us for the next mountain peak. Stanley said that we often respond the wrong way in the valley. We lose it and respond incorrectly. But God has a higher purpose in mind than keeping us happy. He has something better than what we can see in the moment.

May God, even at this very moment, lead you to some still waters and restore your soul. I pray that He brings showers of blessings and comfort to wash over your weary life.