Advent 2022 – Day 30
Monday, December 26th
Joy in the Valley
By Bryan Wilson / Season of life: Dad, Husband, & Lead Pastor
Scripture
What joy for those whose strength comes from the Lord, who have set their minds on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. When they walk through the Valley of Weeping, it will become a place of refreshing springs. ~ Psalm 84:5-6
The strength of the Lord brings joy in the valley. Here, the journey through the valley moves from a state of lament to a state of joy. God is to be worshiped on the mountaintops and in the valley. In the heights and in the depths, the Lord is to be praised. As we read here in Psalm 84, the reason for this sense of awe and wonder is the Lord’s gracious offering of strength, stamina, endurance and persistence in the valley. It is in the valley, this “Valley of Weeping”, where we discover the strong presence of the Lord.
We cannot make it through the valley on our own. We are weak. Incapable. Unable. Instead the Lord leads us through the valley. Of course, the One who created the mountain and the valleys is the only One who has the strength and the power to lead us through the valley.
This reminds me of a tree I came across this summer. It was massive. Its huge lumbering limbs crushed the turf underneath. Rather than shooting high into the sky, these tree limbs looked like legs on a spider or a crab. As you approached the tree, you noticed something interesting. Rather than walking around the tree and these tree legs, caretakers of the tree had positioned pillars under each tree limb. These pillars lifted these tree limbs up off the ground enough to create space for people like me to walk through the tree. An impediment on a journey became a miraculous spectacle.
I could not help myself but to stop in the midst of my journey through the tree, look around amazed, and think about those times when the Lord has lifted my arms up and given me strength when I am weak, so that I can continue to keep walking. There is joy in the valley. God is our strength.
Mountaintops are majestic but temporary. Valleys are common, everyday stuff of life. But it is in the valley where we find the Lord. The valleys are where we find and receive His strength, and where we come to know He is with us. It is in the valley where He lifts us up and carries us through to the mountaintop.
As this new year approaches, call out to Him. Pray to the Lord right now – “Give me your strength today.” The valley is not too deep for the grace of God to find us.
Take time right now to write out a prayer, thanking God for carrying you through the valleys in the past and for the strength to carry you through the valley ahead.
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Lord God, may I “repeat the sounding joy” of who You are today…
and in every day to come!