Embracing Faith in the Valleys
Today’s Truth
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.
~ Psalm 23:4 (NKJV)
Friend to Friend
The greenest grass is always found in the valley. Shepherds and sheep
are well acquainted with the fact that both mountains and valleys are an
inevitable part of life. Again, the shepherd is the one who has to
figure out a way over the mountain and through the valley. If a sheep is
injured, the shepherd must carry his sheep and tend to its wounds until
they are healed and the sheep is ready to return to the fold. The
shepherd’s whole world revolves around the safety and comfort of his
sheep, even in the deepest valley.
Valleys are a certainty of life. Your job is eliminated.
Your husband is having an affair, or your teenage daughter is pregnant.
Financial pressure suffocates dreams, or the betrayal of a trusted
friend inflicts a wound so deep and painful that you long for that
valley of death. Each day is thick with fear, and your heart is filled
with disbelief. The valley may suddenly be before you in a time of
loneliness or in the shock of a dire medical diagnosis. How do we deal
with those valleys?
Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust
in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths
straight.”
We must respond to each valley with trust and faith. The
word “trust” means “to lie helpless, face down” and is the picture of a
servant waiting for his master’s command or a soldier yielding himself
to a conquering general. “Heart” refers to “the center of one’s being.”
In other words, to trust God completely means that from the very center
of our being, from the very core of our existence, we trust Him, totally
abandoning ourselves in childlike faith to Him and His plan. We come,
holding nothing in our hands, pushing no agenda, with one word in our
heart— “whatever!”
“Whatever You want me to do, Lord, I will do.
Whatever You want me to say, Lord, I will say.
Whatever You want me to think, Lord, I will think.
Whatever path You have for me, Lord, I will walk.”
If you are like me, you sometimes think you don’t have
enough faith. The amount of faith is not nearly as important as the
right kind of faith—faith in God alone. A mustard seed is small but can
still take root and grow—just like faith. Faith is also like a muscle.
The more we use it, the stronger it becomes. We must remember that faith
doesn’t rest on what we have done but on what Christ has done. As Paul says, times of stress accentuate the presence and power of God.
We can rejoice when we run into problems and trials, for
we know that they are good for us—they help us learn to endure. And
endurance develops strength of character in us, and character
strengthens our confident expectation of salvation. And this expectation
will not disappoint us. For we know how dearly God loves us because he
has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love (Romans 5:3-5, NLT).
When the valleys come, we are tempted to abandon our
faith and strike out in our own strength when what we should do is
embrace our faith in God, look for our Shepherd, and follow Him.
The story is told of a shepherd who tried to persuade
his sheep to cross a swiftly flowing stream. Since sheep are naturally
afraid of rapidly running water, the shepherd couldn’t get them to
cross. Then he had an idea. Picking up a lamb, he stepped with it into
the river and carried it to the opposite shore. When the mother saw that
the shepherd had safely led her lamb across the stream, she forgot her
fear and stepped out in faith and into the rushing current. Soon, she
was safely on the other side. The rest of the flock followed.
Let’s Pray
Father, I want to thank You for being my Shepherd. Please teach me how
to rest in Your care and trust You no matter how high the mountains or
how deep the valleys in my life may be.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.
Now It’s Your Turn
Read Proverbs 3:5-6. What are the steps listed in this passage that – when taken – will help you walk by faith?
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