The God of the Valley Is Still With You
I slip into the woods on a Saturday evening as the golden sun kisses the horizon. Walking through the emerging skunk cabbage bulbs, the scene gets me thinking about trusting God in those moments when I start to wonder if the God of the valley has left me all alone.
The sinking sun blinds me to the west, but to the east, the ponds reflect perfect paintings of cobalt skies and grey hills. The hills are on the brink of bursting into glory like maybe they’re waiting for redemption.
Geese linger in a pond to the south, and I follow the winding valley to its deepest place. This part of the valley is shrouded in shadows. The darkness of night has already descended.
When the God of the Valley Goes Quiet
Sitting on a rock at my turn-around point, I stare at the still water and consider the valleys of my life. I consider the hardest stretches, the darkest times, and the most painful trials.
If I’m being totally honest, I feel like I’ve slipped into a bit of a valley lately. There aren’t any life-shattering losses unfolding. Our little family hasn’t huddled over the freshly broken earth of a gravesite lately, but there have been hard things.
There are always hard things.
You have them too.
They might be so huge you can’t miss them.
Or they might be subtle, like a conglomeration of unfortunate events that piled high enough to weigh you down and push you off the slippery hillside of everyday life.
You want to be the kind of woman who’s good at trusting the God of the valley. You tell your friends you trust him. But at the end of the day, when you lay your head on your pillow, your mind spins, and trusting God in the valley doesn’t come easily.
If this is you, hold onto these simple truths today:
1. You are not alone in this valley.
Some valleys exist solely on the precept of feeling alone. We believe we are alone, and the isolation of the season creates the valley. Feeling misunderstood, betrayed, abandoned, or without support leads us to feel alone, and there seems to be little hope for escaping the valley. Not that anyone cares.
The truth for this valley is this: “God will never leave you nor forsake you” (Deuteronomy 31:6).
I generally wish God’s presence felt more tangible. I need to remind myself that just because I don’t see him or tangibly feel him, this doesn’t mean he’s not present. He walks with me through every valley, and he will never leave me. (Join me here for a post about the biggest lie most of us believe in life’s valleys)
2. The God of the valley can use your pain for good.
The God of the valley holds the power to use all situations for good in the lives of those who love him. Many of my hardest valleys have taught me to be grateful for seasons of health and “normal” living. These valleys have helped me make better decisions in the future. Some of my most painful valleys have made the sunshine on mountaintops far more glorious than they would have been without a climb from the deepest place.
Let’s pause to remind ourselves that our idea of “good” is different than God’s idea of “good.” My idea of “good” is an escape from pain. The words of Romans 8:29 remind us that God’s idea of “good” is to conform us to the image of Christ.
Oh, how I wish God might use the mountaintops of my life to make me more like Jesus – to shape me into his image. Much to my dismay, God uses the valleys to make me look more like Jesus. The refining that happens in the valley is painful, but it is for our good and God’s glory.
God uses the valleys of life to make us look more like Jesus. #GodinSuffering #HopeinJesus #valleysinlife #transformation Click To Tweet3. The God of the valley can use your pain to help you comfort others.
Every valley in your life is an invitation. You choose between two extremes: Harden your heart and trudge forward in your own strength – annoyed that God has allowed you to descend to this difficult place; or keep your heart soft and unoffended, allowing God to shape you in the valley. The choice is yours.
If you make the choice to remain unoffended, God will teach you in the valley. He will also comfort you. These are his gifts for you. He will use the comfort to equip you to help and comfort others who go through the same valleys in their lives.
The hard breakups of my teen years later enabled me to mentor teens walking through the same trials. The difficult days of my pregnancies helped me to comfort friends going through the same struggles. The challenges at my job gave me empathy to encourage others who are in difficult situations in the workplace.
God uses our valleys to comfort others in their valleys – to be his voice, his hands, and his empathy when he brings others into your life who need your comfort.
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Don’t give up hope in your valley. You are not alone. Keep clinging to the One who won’t leave you alone in the shadows.
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