You can’t plan valleys or add them to your schedule. They come out of nowhere, always at the worst time. Is there ever a good time for a valley? I’m reminded how God assured Moses that he would be with him when it was time to lead the Israelites to the Promised Land. God said, “I will personally go with you Moses, and I will give you rest. Everything will be fine for you.” Exodus 33:14. I like Moses’ reply in verse 15: “If you don’t personally go with us, then don’t make us leave this place.” I agree with Moses. When I am going to unfamiliar places, I want God with me. It’s comforting that He never asks us to go through valleys alone. One of my favorite promises is in Psalm 23:4, “Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid because you are close beside me.” David refused to fear during those dark valleys. Earlier in the Psalm, David refers to God in the third person: “The Lord is my shepherd. He makes me lie down. He leads me. He guides me.” But when David gets to the dark valley, he switches his language to second person: “For you are with me.” In verse four, it gets more personal. David sees a dark place ahead, and he reaches out for God’s hand. That’s an intimate picture of how God wants us to regard Him when we are in the valley. We can reach out our hand for Him without hesitation, knowing He is close and ready to walk the unfamiliar path with us.
I’m learning how necessary the valleys are. There is preparation within them, and a stretching space. They change our perspective, and while we are there, God leads us to new
levels. He transforms the valleys into a gateway of hope, increase, and favor. God is the God of valleys, and He does strategic, purposeful work that can only be accomplished in that place. The valleys help us appreciate the mountaintops that we have experienced–and will experience again. The valleys are temporary, and within them, God doesn’t waste the pain. He uses it to take us to a higher place.