Through the Valley
I am not really a hiking kind of girl but once a year my family goes to the mountains for a long weekend. Where we stay is surrounded by a stunning mountain range that towers over the little country town. There’s something that always pulls this unfit non-hiker towards the mountain top, and that something is the incredible view that the climb rewards me with.
I think the benefits of the mountain top are obvious. The mountain top provides perspective, it leaves you in awe as you look out over God’s incredible creation and you’re left with a great sense of triumph!
When we think of the mountain top we can relate to Psalm 23:1-3
“The Lord is my best friend and my shepherd. I always have more than enough. He offers a resting place for me in his luxurious love. His tracks take me to an oasis of peace, the quite brook of bliss. That’s where he restores and revives my life. He opens before me pathways to God’s pleasure and he leads me along in his footsteps of righteousness so that I can bring honour to his name.” (tpt)
But what if it wasn’t just the mountain top that could provide these benefits? What if there was another place that could provide an oasis of peace and restoration?
There is a place between the mountains, a place that is sometimes undervalued and underestimated, and a place that joins one mountain experience to the next – the valley.
The valley might not seem as glamorous as the mountain top, the valley might not seem as fun as the mountain top, the valley might not seem as significant as the mountain top – but the valley is the place that will get us from one mountain to the next.
There are two main characteristics of a valley:
The valley is a space of low lying land
The valley is found between the mountains
{The valley is a space of low lying land}
It’s in the low lying land of the valley, the place where it can feel dark and it can feel lonely that God meets with us in a profound way.
Psalm 23 goes onto say in verse 4:
“Lord, even when your path takes me through the valley of deepest darkness, fear will never conquer me, for you already have! You remain close to me and lead me through it all the way. Your authority is my strength and my peace. The comfort of your love takes away my fear. I will never be lonely, for you are near.”
In the valley, in the low places in our lives, where we feel alone, afraid and weak, God is still leading us.
Why does God’s path have to take us through such dark places? God’s heart for us is to keep us moving onto the next mountain top, and what joins the mountain we were just on and the next mountain of victory God is calling us forward to? The valley!
{The valley is found between the mountains}
God’s intention is never to leave us in the valley but to lead us lovingly through the valley, not leaving our side but giving us rest and restoration as we travel through the valley to our next victory.
{The valley is the pathway to our victory}
As we chose to continually turn to God in the valley, in the low places, in the places between the mountains, then we will find that His love, peace and strength will lead us all the way through it.
“So why would I fear the future? For your goodness and love pursue me all the days of my life” Ps 23:6 (tpt)
When we find ourselves going through the valley, when the darkness feels heavy, God is faithful to conquer our fears! Our valleys can become a sacred place of intense intimacy with God as we stay focused on His love and goodness even in the deepest darkness.
{God is leading you through the valley – do not be afraid}
Elise Heerde is a wife, mother, teacher and writer from Melbourne who loves Jesus and passionately shares about the grace, hope and love that He offers to all. She deeply desires to see the broken made whole, the captives set free and the lost brought home. You can find her instagram account here @her.anchor
