I first wrote this in 2001 but finding myself in a similar situation I went back to read it once again to remind me of what’s really important. Once again, it’s a little long but I thought it might encourage some of you who may be going through one of those dark valleys… just remember there is always blue sky ahead, you just have to press on to get there.
At the present time I find myself in another one of those valleys that the Lord leads us through from time to time. You know the kind, the dark canyon with sheer vertical walls on either side, giving you only two options; straight ahead or backwards. Many times I have tried to make a third option by trying to scale the canyon walls to get out. That always results in the same thing however, falling back down on your way up or realizing when you reach the top that the way through the valley only exists in the valley floor and you have to climb back down to get through it.
I really don’t like valleys but the Lord has taught me the fastest way through them is to walk straight ahead and use His Word as both the lamp unto my feet and the light unto my path (Ps 119:105). The secret to all of this, however, is not to look at the darkness of the valley but what is being revealed in the lamp and the light.
Last week I was really beginning to get overwhelmed in this valley and I implored the Lord to give me a Word to hold onto. He answered my prayer strangely; once. That’s all He said; once. Thinking I had missed it I continued listening for something more and heard not another word.
I dismissed it, as it made no sense to me at all until later that day when the Holy Spirit prompted me to look at the word more closely. As I went to my study to work on some other things the word would simply not leave my head. So, thinking that this was a wild goose chase of the flesh, I began to study “once” in detail.
Should I have been surprised? The Holy Spirit led me through fourteen different meanings of the word. He got me to focus on one of them and showed me two applications. Interestingly enough, He did it in the same way the Hebrew language of the Old Testament makes a point, the negative implication in one verse and the positive in the other.
Let’s first take a closer look at the word itself, mede. It means no, not once so much, as an absolute denial of something. Now let’s look at the applications that He gave me.
Matt 6:25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
As used here the word is “no;” take no thought. Or, do not even take so much as one thought for your life. In other words, don’t waste one bit of time in worry for, as we see in the following verses, God will provide all that we need.
John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
Here the word is “neither;” neither let it be afraid. We are not to be troubled even one time. Now if we look at part (a) of this verse we see that the reason we are not to be afraid one time is that He has, once and for all, given us peace. So, we have two familiar verses but what’s the message? Same question I asked and on that day He only gave me part of the answer.
We have here in these two verses the reflection of two direct opposites; worry and peace. If we follow the path of worry, which He clearly tells us not to do even one time (Matt 6:25 [a]) we are able to appropriate His Peace (John 14:27), which He paid for one time. These two are opposites and both are emphasized by the adjective “once,” or “one time.” Walking in worry or walking in peace is our choice but Jesus clearly tells us that we are to do the one and avoid the other.
He let me chew on that over the weekend and in prayer this morning I was once again asking for His counsel in this very dark valley. He gave me a verse that, upon first reading, made no sense to me at all;
Ps 82:5 They know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in darkness: all the foundations of the earth are out of course.
As I began to study this verse in context with the rest of Ps 82 I began to see His point. There are people and events in this world that we have absolutely no control over. The phrase all the foundations of the earth are out of course is very true today just as it was then. Man, in this case those who were judging, was not following God’s Word. So where did that leave the Israelites, where does that leave us?
We are left with the choice between worry and peace. Those who choose to follow peace will build their foundation on “The Rock” and the storms of life will not prevail against them. The Israelites were suffering under unrighteous judges but God’s promise was that He would take care of the poor, the fatherless and the needy. He makes that same promise to us today. His peace is there in the midst of the unjust things happening in our lives.
The valley that I am walking through at this moment is not of my choosing. I am here because of some unjust things going on around me. But I have a choice. Worry and doubt God or trust Him and walk in Peace.
If I doubt God then I will take things in my own hands and try and scale the walls of the valley. In the end, however, I will wind up back down in the valley floor and will only have succeeded in wasting a lot of precious time. Time I cannot afford to waste at this moment in history as the fulfillment of God’s Kingdom draws closer. If, however, I choose to walk the path of peace then I will move straight ahead with His lamp and light illuminating my way.
We all face these valleys at periodic times in our lives. Instead of dreading them we should, like Paul, rejoice in the fact that we have the opportunity to suffer with Him (Rom 8:17). Remember that they are only the shadow of death (Ps 23). They are not death and we will come out the other end. Jesus is faithful to always lead us beside still waters and make us lie down in green pastures (Ps 23). That is His promise. But just as certainly He loves us too much to let us stay in one spot forever. A good shepherd doesn’t let his flock overgraze a pasture. We, like sheep going from one pasture to another, are moving through this world and the valleys are just a natural part of the journey. If it weren’t for the valleys and the predators, sheep wouldn’t need a shepherd and neither would we.
C. S. Lewis put it very well when he said; remember when you are on the mountaintop that the valleys are coming and when you are in the valleys that the mountaintop is just ahead. That’s good advice and I would add that while we are in the dark valley it’s a good move to let God accomplish what He wants. Let Him make all the changes in you that He desires because He knows all things work for our good (Rom 8:28). Stay in the light of His Word and choose the way of peace for your journey along the valley floor. Remember … worry is the interest paid on borrowed trouble.
Not once will He let you down … not once so much!