Overcoming Trials

5 Powerful Truths About Trusting God in the Valley

I weave through a mantle of green rose bushes, wood nettle, and poison oak.  It’s dark here in the valley behind our house. I’m sure the neighbor boys are still pumping their little legs and racing our children across the backyard in the evening sunlight, but it feels like night in the valley.  The shadows prompt me to consider what trusting God in the valley really looks like.

Trusting God in the Valley

As the valley walls block out the sun’s last rays, I recall a valley we faced when winter’s arms still stretched white over these hills. (Read about that year right here.)

I rest on a fallen sycamore and watch trout jump as they eat the flies rising from black water.

Looking back, I remember how I hoped for a season of abundance and blessing but found mostly darkness.

I remember months of shifting my focus, praying for a new direction, and wondering where in the world God was leading.  I also remember what he showed me in the valley.

Lessons From the Valley

1. You can trust God in the valley because some lessons must be learned in the darkness.

God transforms us in the dark places where it’s hard to see him.

We are refined in the dark.

Faith grows in the dark.

In the dark, the imprint of Christ’s light is forged upon our hearts.

We don’t know if our faith is strong enough to stand on until it is tested.  We don’t know if our God is big enough to carry us through the valley until we can no longer walk on our own.

Trusting God in the valley means you allow him to let the darkness conform you to his image, even when it hurts.

2. Trusting God in the valley includes walking forward when you don’t understand what God is doing.

I really like to see the big picture and glimpse into God’s big plan.  I can endure most trials when I can see God’s plans in the middle of the struggle.

However, at times, we cannot know or understand God’s ways.

We can only see part of the story.

Friend, your story is bigger than what you can see.

The key is to keep walking and keep obeying God, especially when you don’t understand the purpose.

3. God wants your valley to point to his goodness.

Do you want to learn how to point other people to Jesus?

Anyone can praise God’s goodness on the mountaintops of life.  Learn to point to God’s goodness in your deepest suffering.  You will point the world to unshakeable hope.  Others will be drawn to Jesus when they see the hope he offers in your valley.

Keep a soft heart.  God has not left you.  Watch for his hand, and when you cannot see him, stand on his promises.

Trusting God in the valley includes keeping a soft heart, always ready to testify to his goodness in your life - especially when life is hard. #trustingGod #encounteringGod Click To Tweet

4. The valley just might be an answer to your prayers.

Valleys aren’t comfortable. Our culture encourages us to arrange our lives around comfort. However, when we arrange our lives to pursue comfort, we often lose access to the precise instruments that will bring our prayers to fruition.

In the valley, we come to know Christ more deeply as we share in his sufferings, ache with broken hearts, and have nowhere to turn but his everlasting arms.

We often forget that the refining fire of the valley is one of the purest ways to experience answers to our prayers.

5. The valley teaches us about true joy.

James reminds us that we can count trials as pure joy because they bring us to maturity and completion (see James 1:2-4).

The truest kind of joy transforms us into the likeness of Christ, and this kind of transformation often requires a valley.  Trusting God in the valley takes faith, but as we cling to him, we trust that he is forming us into the people he wants us to become.

A Free Devotional to Help You Trust God in the Valley of Your Life:

Are you ready for a fresh breath of hope to help you through a difficult season? I have a gift for you today! Rays of Light for the Dark Days is my free 20-day online devotional for your darkest days.  You will find powerful inspiration and practical encouragement to help you through life’s trials. Click here and I’ll send it to your email inbox!

These two books are free on Kindle Unlimited or available to purchase in print:

God wants to work in your life to accomplish what you’ve been unable to do through willpower alone.  Lean Into Grace: Let God’s Grace Heal Your Heart, Refresh Your Soul, and Set You Free shares practical ways to experience God’s freedom, healing, power, and presence in your life.  Find this life-changing book for free on the Kindle Unlimited plan or for 12.99 in print right here.  This book will transform your life and revitalize your relationship with the Lord!

Calling all mothers and daughters!

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I’m passionate about equipping others to encounter God in powerful and life-changing ways. When I’m not writing, you’ll find me hiking, jogging, exploring wild places with my three young children and husband, leading small groups, and mentoring younger women. A certified special education teacher, I am on leave from the classroom for a season of chasing frogs and playing in creeks with my little ones. Most of all, the compassionate love of Jesus has forever ravished my heart, and I'm emphatic about making his love known to the world.