Yes, though I walk through the [deep, sunless] valley of the shadow of death, I will fear or dread no evil, for You are with me; Your rod [to protect] and Your staff [to guide], they comfort me. Psalm 23:4 AMP
So we’re not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There’s far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can’t see now will last forever. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 MSG The valley is an essential position for intricate work to happen in our lives. It’s where the renovation, excavation, gutting, and sometimes demolition take place so a new foundation, structure, or frame can be built. It’s where we come face to face with self and realize some thing has to die so something can be birth. It’s a place that seems as if, very little light or warmth exists, almost like isolation but a process of development is happening so metamorphosis can begin. The valley is a mandatory process that we must go through; it’s that ‘to’ in glory to glory, from faith to faith, test to testimony, trial to triumph. The valley is the underground tunnel, the trench, the cave, the desert place that gets us from the old to the new, the good to the better, the better to the best, from selfish to selfless, from striving to living from bondage to freedom, etc. It’s a place most of us want to avoid but can’t get around especially if our desire is to go deeper in God and mature in our faith walk. It hard to wrap our natural minds around something that seems the complete opposite of where we’re trying to go or become; how can going through the valley, through the fire, test and trials, bring about the Glory of God or our expected outcome? When in fact, it’s the very thing that pushes us towards Him, and causes us to embrace Him even more. It’s the place where we must trust that He knows what He’s doing because He knows what must take place in our hearts for the next season/level in our lives. There are going to be a lot of things that we don’t understand about God, things that don’t make natural sense but one thing is true and constant…HE KNOWS WHAT HE IS DOING! He said ‘He knows the thoughts and plans He has for us’ according to Jeremiah 29:11; well if He knows all of that, then the valley must be a part of His plan for our lives. We can’t get to the high places without experiencing and going through the valley; our faith, peace, joy, patience, courage, development, etc., are made in the valley. So let’s accept with joy those seasons in the valley, knowing that it’s working together for our good, our betterment, for the advancement of the Kingdom of God and the Glory of God. Father God, our finite mind can’t begin to understand Your infinite wisdom and the workings of Your hands, but we will trust that You know what You are doing. We will accept with joy our seasons of the valley knowing that all things are working together for our good and that You are even there with us. In Jesus’ Name, amen. From the Heart Tracy
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